Python Medium technical 0 views 1 min read

How to make a chain of function decorators?

Peer-reviewed by HireXTech Technical Panel Updated for 2025/2026 hiring Editorial standards
Practise this track
Interviewer Expectations for this Question
01
Core Competency

Assesses fundamental understanding of Python conventions, runtime behavior, and memory/performance considerations.

02
Evaluation Criteria

Hiring managers look for precision, avoidance of ambiguous jargon, and ability to explain trade-offs under real production conditions.

Comprehensive Model Answer Verified Solution

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

  1. Start with a concise one-sentence summary: Deliver a direct, confident answer first before expanding into nuances.
  2. Demonstrate real-world trade-offs: Discuss where this approach excels and when you would avoid it in production systems.
  3. Discuss complexity & edge cases: Proactively explain time/space complexity or boundary conditions (null values, scale limits).
  4. Prepare for interviewer follow-ups: Technical hiring panels frequently probe deeper into concurrency, backward compatibility, or alternative libraries.
Related Topics & Skills
Spotted an error or have an alternative solution?