Using classes as method decorators [duplicate]

Question

While there are plenty of resources about using classes as decorators, I haven't been able to find any that deal with the problem of decorating methods. The goal of this question is to fix that. I will post my own solution, but of course everyone else is invited to post theirs as well.

---

Why the "standard" implementation doesn't work

The problem with the standard decorator class implementation is that python will not create a bound method of the decorated function:

class Deco:
    def __init__(self, func):
        self.func= func
    
    def __call__(self, *args):
        self.func(*args)

class Class:
    @Deco
    def hello(self):
        print('hello world')

Class().hello() # throws TypeError: hello() missing 1 required positional argument: 'self'

A method decorator needs to overcome this hurdle.

---

Requirements

Taking the classes from the previous example, the following things are expected to work:

>>> i= Class()
>>> i.hello()
hello world
>>> i.hello
<__main__.Deco object at 0x7f4ae8b518d0>
>>> Class.hello is Class().hello
False
>>> Class().hello is Class().hello
False
>>> i.hello is i.hello
True

Ideally, the function's __doc__ and signature and similar attributes are preserved as well.

Answer 1

Usually when a method is accessed as some_instance.some_method(), python's descriptor protocol kicks in and calls some_method.__get__(), which returns a bound method. However, because the method has been replaced with an instance of the Deco class, that does not happen - because Deco is not a descriptor. In order to make Deco work as expected, it must implement a __get__ method that returns a bound copy of itself.

Implementation

Here's basic "do nothing" decorator class:

import inspect
import functools
from copy import copy


class Deco(object):
    def __init__(self, func):
        self.__self__ = None # "__self__" is also used by bound methods

        self.__wrapped__ = func
        functools.update_wrapper(self, func)

    def __call__(self, *args, **kwargs):
        # if bound to an object, pass it as the first argument
        if self.__self__ is not None:
            args = (self.__self__,) + args

        #== change the following line to make the decorator do something ==
        return self.__wrapped__(*args, **kwargs)

    def __get__(self, instance, owner):
        if instance is None:
            return self

        # create a bound copy
        bound = copy(self)
        bound.__self__ = instance

        # update __doc__ and similar attributes
        functools.update_wrapper(bound, self.__wrapped__)

        # add the bound instance to the object's dict so that
        # __get__ won't be called a 2nd time
        setattr(instance, self.__wrapped__.__name__, bound)

        return bound

To make the decorator do something, add your code in the __call__ method.

---

Here's one that takes parameters:

class DecoWithArgs(object):
    #== change the constructor's parameters to fit your needs ==
    def __init__(self, *args):
        self.args = args

        self.__wrapped__ = None
        self.__self__ = None

    def __call__(self, *args, **kwargs):
        if self.__wrapped__ is None:
            return self.__wrap(*args, **kwargs)
        else:
            return self.__call_wrapped_function(*args, **kwargs)

    def __wrap(self, func):
        # update __doc__ and similar attributes
        functools.update_wrapper(self, func)

        return self

    def __call_wrapped_function(self, *args, **kwargs):
        # if bound to an object, pass it as the first argument
        if self.__self__ is not None:
            args = (self.__self__,) + args

        #== change the following line to make the decorator do something ==
        return self.__wrapped__(*args, **kwargs)

    def __get__(self, instance, owner):
        if instance is None:
            return self

        # create a bound copy of this object
        bound = copy(self)
        bound.__self__ = instance
        bound.__wrap(self.__wrapped__)

        # add the bound decorator to the object's dict so that
        # __get__ won't be called a 2nd time
        setattr(instance, self.__wrapped__.__name__, bound)
        return bound

An implementation like this lets us use the decorator on methods as well as functions, so I think it should be considered good practice.