[newbie] conditional imports

[vincent Salaun]

hi all,
 
here is my pb :
 
- i've written a python xml parser using minidom
- i've written a Jython xml parser using java dom classes - because 
minidom doesn't work with jython :( -
 
Only one generic parser would have been the best solution because it 
will be used by a Java application on one side and by a C++ application 
on the other side but i've failed to find a python xml lib working both 
in python and jython ....

So, now i'd like to put these 2 modules together as much as possible, to 
finally have only one, if possible...
To do that, i thought using python shortcuts (actually, the content of 
these 2 modules is quite similar, only method names change)
 
Here is my idea:

#############################################################
  #module myBothJavaAndPyParser :
  
  #if the module is used by the Java app ::
  from javax.xml.parsers import DocumentBuilder, DocumentBuilderFactory
  from org.w3c.dom import *
  
  factory=DocumentBuilderFactory.newInstance()
  builder = factory.newDocumentBuilder()
  parseString=self.builder.parse
  
  #else:
  from xml.dom import minidom,Node
  parseString=minidom.parseString
  
  class myParser:
     def __init__(self):
        #...
  
     def parse(self,toParse):
        return parseString(toParse)

     .....
#############################################################

But when i instanciate this class, i don't know how to do to know which 
imports and aliases must be done ... i tried to put the imports in the 
__init__ (and using a boolean) but then i can't access to aliases
Any suggestions ?
 
And i have another problem concerning shortcuts : how to make a shortcut 
on an attribute ?
For example :
Using java, for a Node, we have the getParentNode() method : 
myNode.getParentNode()
In python, it's an attribute : myNode.parentNode
 
How to do to make a shortcut in this specific case ?
 
And if a make the shortcut in another way :
#if used by Java :
# imports ...
parentNode=Node.getParentNode
 
But now, i will uses this syntax : myNode.parentNode() .... and it won't 
work anymore using python imports ....
i'm new to python, please help !!

thx in advance ;)
vince