http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Cookbook/Python/Recipe/205183 idiom

[Gabriel Rossetti]

Hello,

I am reading core python python programming and it talks about using the 
idiom
described on 
http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Cookbook/Python/Recipe/205183 .

I'm using python 2.5.1 and if I try :

class MyClass(object):
    def __init__(self):
        self._foo = "foo"
        self._bar = "bar"

    @property
    def foo():
        doc = "property foo's doc string"
        def fget(self):
            return self._foo
        def fset(self, value):
            self._foo = value
        def fdel(self):
            del self._foo
        return locals()  # credit: David Niergarth

    @property
    def bar():
        doc = "bar is readonly"
        def fget(self):
            return self._bar
        return locals()    

like suggested in the book (the decorator usage) I get this :

   >>> a=MyClass()
   >>> a.foo
   Traceback (most recent call last):
     File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
   TypeError: foo() takes no arguments (1 given)

but if I write it just like on the web page (without the decorator, using "x = property(**x())" instead) it works :

   >>> a = MyClass()
   >>> a.foo
   'foo'

does anyone have an idea as of why this is happening?

Thanks,
Gabriel