Implementing class attribute access methods via pseudo-function o verloading.

[Doran_Dermot at emc.com]

Hi All,

I've seen lots of code in which the attributes of a class are accessed and
modified using two separate methods.  For example:

class Problems:
  def __init__( self, refNum ):
    self._refNum = refNum
    self._title = ""
    self._problem = ""

  def setTitle( self, title="" ):
    self._title = title

  def setProblem( self, problem="" ):
    self._problem = problem

  def getTitle( self ):
    return self._title

  def getProblem( self ):
    return self._problem

I prefer to use the following implementation that simulates function
overloading (an OOP feature that I like and that Python does not support):

class Problems:

  def __init__( self, refNum ):
    self._refNum = refNum
    self._title = ""
    self._problem = ""

  def title( self, title=None ):
    if title == None:
      return self._title
    self._title = title

  def problem( self, problem=None ):
    if problem == None:
      return self._problem
    self._problem = problem

This approach reduces the number of required accessor methods by 50% (bit of
an obvious statement I know). I also think that it this allows you to write
cleaner looking code. For Example:

theProblem = Problems( "12345" )

print "Title: ", theProblem.title()
print "Problem: ", theProblem.problem()

theProblem.title( "Java affecting adoption of Python." )
theProblem.problem( "Developers are more inclined to use Java instead of
Python due to the fact that Java is seen as a defacto standard." )

print "Title: ", theProblem.title()
print "Problem: ", theProblem.problem()


Am I correct in stating that Python does not support function overloading? 
Have I been hiding under a rock and not noticed the thousands of examples
that illustrate this approach?
Any comments are welcome!  
Cheers!!
Dermot Doran 
EMC2 GTS Solutions Level 2 
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