I agree this is a problem, which I have seen solved by removing the method signature, which is unfortunate:
def flexible_method(**kwargs): # Read the code to find out the expected parameters
I have an @override decorator to handle this type of pattern. It will perform the null-coalescing with properties found in a special "kwargs" parameter. "kwargs" is assigned a dict that has a copy of the method arguments. The value of a callee's argument is, in order, * a not None value provided by the caller or * a not None value found in the kwargs dict or * the default value provided by the method declaration or * None I was not clear on where you wanted to define your defaults. Either like this:
@override def subfunction_1(a=None, b=None, c=None, kwargs=None): return a+b*c
@override def subfunction_2(d=None, e=None, f=None, kwargs=None): return d*e+f
@orverride def main_function(a=2, b=3, c=4, d=5, e=6, f=7, kwargs=None): return subfunction_1(a, b, c) + subfunction_2(d, e, f) return subfunction_1(kwargs) + subfunction_2(kwargs) # IF YOU WANT TO BE LAZY
or like this:
@override def subfunction_1(a=2, b=3, c=4, kwargs=None): return a+b*c
@override def subfunction_2(d=5, e=6, f=7, kwargs=None): return d*e+f
@orverride def main_function(a=None, b=None, c=None, d=None, e=None, f=None, kwargs=None): return subfunction_1(a, b, c) + subfunction_2(d, e, f) return subfunction_1(kwargs) + subfunction_2(kwargs) # IF YOU WANT TO BE LAZY
both are identical except for where you declare the default values. https://github.com/klahnakoski/mo-kwargs