[Tutor] What on earth is happening here ???

[Steven D'Aprano]

Alan Gauld wrote:

>>      def getDOMDocument(self):
>>      def getDOMDocument(self, namespaceUri=__defaultNamespaceUri):
>>      def getDOMDocument(self, namespaceUri=__defaultNamespaceUri, 
>> qualifiedName=__defaultQualifiedName):
>  >      def getDOMDocument(self,
>                           namespaceUri=__defaultNamespaceUri,
>                           qualifiedName=__defaultQualifiedName,
>                           docType=__defaultDoctype):
> 
> These definitions all define the same object. There is no function 
> overloading in Python. You can often fake it with suitable use of 
> default arguments. This looks likely here.

Another alternative is the generics implementation from pkgutil:

from pkgutil import simplegeneric

See the source code for details -- simplegeneric is public but undocumented. 
 From time to time people make noise about documenting it and moving it into 
its own module, but this is volunteer-driven and it hasn't happened yet.



-- 
Steven