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I have a class which makes requests to a remote API. I'd like to be able to reduce the number of calls I'm making. Some of the methods in my class make the same API calls (but for different reasons), so I'd like the ability for them to 'share' a cached API response.
I'm not entirely sure if it's more Pythonic to use optional parameters or to use multiple methods, as the methods have some required parameters if they are making an API call.
Here are the approches as I see them, which do you think is best?
class A:
def a_method( item_id, cached_item_api_response = None):
""" Seems awkward having to supplied item_id even
if cached_item_api_response is given
"""
api_response = None
if cached_item_api_response:
api_response = cached_item_api_response
else:
api_response = ... # make api call using item_id
... #do stuff
Or this:
class B:
def a_method(item_id = None, cached_api_response = None):
""" Seems awkward as it makes no sense NOT to supply EITHER
item_id or cached_api_response
"""
api_response = None
if cached_item_api_response:
api_response = cached_item_api_response
elif item_id:
api_response = ... # make api call using item_id
else:
#ERROR
... #do stuff
Or is this more appropriate?
class C:
"""Seems even more awkward to have different method calls"""
def a_method(item_id):
api_response = ... # make api call using item_id
api_response_logic(api_response)
def b_method(cached_api_response):
api_response_logic(cached_api_response)
def api_response_logic(api_response):
... # do stuff