Signature-based Function Overloading in Python

[Jean-Michel Pichavant]

Michael Rudolf wrote:
> First: Thanks for all the replies so far, they really helped me.
>
> Am 24.02.2010 11:28, schrieb Jean-Michel Pichavant:
>>> >>> def a(x=None):
>>>     if x is None:
>>>         pass
>>>     else:
>>>         pass
>>>
>> This is the way to do it python, and it has its advantages: 1 docstring,
>> 1 way do do it, 1 interface.
>
> Yes, I see. Actually I do now realize that even in Java I use method 
> overloading mostly to implement optional arguments anyway, like:
>
> void constructor(){this.foo='foo'; this.initotherstuff();}
> void constructor(int x) {this.x=x; this.constructor();}
>
> and so on.
>
> So most of the time the idiom above is exactly what I need, as the 
> versions of the function share code anyway.
>
> But there are also cases where they do something completely different 
> - in these cases I might use one of the other solutions provided here 
> or simply make two or three functions and name them appropiately.
>
> I do now see that the pythonic approach is the "best" for most cases, 
> but I really loved to see that you *can* do overloading in a 
> convenient way if you really want to :D Those decorators just rock :D
>
> Thanks again,
> Michael
You said it yourself: "simply make two or three functions and name them 
appropiately" :-)

When 2 methods of a class were to have the same name for doing 
completely different things like you said, there's a design flaw to my 
opinion.

JM