Simulating "getopt" in functions (newbie)

[Thorsten Kampe]

Hi,

I want to simulate a "getopt"-like behaviour within a _function_. This 
is to avoid having to define two functions: "function" and 
"slightly_different_function".

If the function was a standalone program, it would work like this 
("v" for "verbose"):

$ function.py 5
1

$ function.py -v 5
The result is: 1

I've thought of this to simulate it in a function:
def function(a, b=None):
    if b == "v":
        print "The result is: 1"
    else:
        print "1"

>>> function(5)
1

>>> function(5, "v")
The result is: 1

So: what is the "pythonic", "natural" way to do this in Python?


Thanks in advance,
Thorsten