Reference library

Functions & basics

Reusable building blocks — parameters, returns, scope, and clear function design.

1 match
Functions & basics easy

How to Build a Simple Decorator That Logs Function Calls in Python

This code shows how to create a reusable decorator that logs each function call, including arguments, return value, and execution time.

decorator logging functools
Python 
import functools
import time

def log_calls(func):
    @functools.wraps(func)
    def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
        print(f"Calling {func.__name__} with args={args}, kwargs={kwargs}")
        start = time.time()
        result = func(*args, **kwargs)
        end = time.time()
        print(f"{func.__name__} return…
11 0 Open

Browse by section

Each section groups closely related Python snippets.

Functions & basics — Python code examples

What you will find here

This page collects functions & basics snippets — short, copy-ready Python you can paste into our free online IDE and run without installing anything. Each sample includes a plain-English explanation and the full source code.

Samples vs tutorials and challenges

Samples are quick reference — one concept per page. For step-by-step teaching, use our Python tutorials. To test yourself, try quizzes or coding challenges. Clean up style with the Python formatter.

Related coding tools

Free online Python IDE Write and run Python in your browser — no install. Free Python code formatter Format with autopep8 — side-by-side PEP 8 cleanup. Python code samples Copy-ready snippets to study and run in the IDE.