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From: Peter Otten <__peter__@web.de>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.python
Subject: Re: Question on keyword arguments
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 2016 15:37:16 +0100
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grsmith@atlanticbb.net wrote:

> Would this be the correct way to return
> a list as a default result.

If it does what you want it to do it is "correct" as in "complies with 
specification".
 
> Also, would the list be the preferable result (to a python programmer) ?

A list as a return value is OK as is any other object, however,

> def test(command, return_type='LIST'):

passing the desired result type as an argument is usually not a good idea. 

>     """ Go to database and return data"""
>     if return_type == 'LIST':
>         result = ['ONE', 'TWO', 'THREE']
>     else:
>         result = r'0xfeONE\0exfeTWO\0xfeTHREE'
>     return result
> 
> if __name__ == '__main__':
>     print(test('cmd'))
>     print(test('cmd', 'LIST'))
>     print(test('cmd', None))
>     print(test('cmd', 'string'))

Make it separate functions instead:

def test(command):
    return ["ONE", "TWO", "THREE"]

def test_as_string(command, sep=","):
    return sep.join(test(command))

if __name__ == '__main__':
    print(test("cmd"))
    print(test_as_string("cmd"))