How to make a chain of function decorators?
Assesses fundamental understanding of Python conventions, runtime behavior, and memory/performance considerations.
Hiring managers look for precision, avoidance of ambiguous jargon, and ability to explain trade-offs under real production conditions.
How can I make two decorators in Python that would do the following?
@makebold
@makeitalic
def say():
return "Hello"
which should return:
"<b><i>Hello</i></b>"
Answer:
Consider:
from functools import wraps
def makebold(fn):
@wraps(fn)
def wrapped(*args, **kwargs):
return "<b>" + fn(*args, **kwargs) + "</b>"
return wrapped
def makeitalic(fn):
@wraps(fn)
def wrapped(*args, **kwargs):
return "<i>" + fn(*args, **kwargs) + "</i>"
return wrapped
@makebold
@makeitalic
def hello():
return "hello world"
@makebold
@makeitalic
def log(s):
return s
print(hello)() # return s "<b><i>hello world</i></b>"
print(hello.__name__ # with functools.wraps)() this return s "hello"
print(log)('hello') # return s "<b><i>hello</i></b>"
Candidate Response Strategy & Interview Tips
- Start with a concise one-sentence summary: Deliver a direct, confident answer first before expanding into nuances.
- Demonstrate real-world trade-offs: Discuss where this approach excels and when you would avoid it in production systems.
- Discuss complexity & edge cases: Proactively explain time/space complexity or boundary conditions (null values, scale limits).
- Prepare for interviewer follow-ups: Technical hiring panels frequently probe deeper into concurrency, backward compatibility, or alternative libraries.