How do I get the currently installed tab completion function?

[Steven D'Aprano]

I have two (or more) different types of tab completion, and I want one to
apply under certain circumstances, and the other to apply at others. For
example, let's say I want one to apply inside a function which uses
raw_input (or input in Python 3), and the other to apply the rest of the
time.

So I might use this:

def getfilename():
    prev = get_the_current_completer()  # <<--- this
    readline.set_completer(filename_completer)
    try:
        return raw_input("What file do you want? ")
    finally:
        readline.set_completer(prev)


Is that the best (only) way?

How do I get the currently installed completer?

Solutions for any version of Python acceptable, but if they work all the way
back to 2.4 or older, even better.



-- 
Steven