root/effbotlib/ElementTree.py

# could I have some elementtree, please?

try:
    from xml.etree.cElementTree import *
except ImportError:
    try:
        from cElementTree import *
    except ImportError:
        from elementtree.ElementTree import *

# utilities

def gettext(elem):
    text = elem.text or ""
    for e in elem:
        text += gettext(e)
        if e.tail:
            text += e.tail
    return text

def indent(elem, level=0):
    i = "\n" + level*"  "
    if len(elem):
        if not elem.text or not elem.text.strip():
            elem.text = i + "  "
        for e in elem:
            indent(e, level+1)
        if not e.tail or not e.tail.strip():
            e.tail = i
    if level and (not elem.tail or not elem.tail.strip()):
        elem.tail = i

try:
    from functools import partial
except ImportError:
    # fake it for pre-2.5 releases
    def partial(func, tag):
        return lambda *args, **kwargs: func(tag, *args, **kwargs)

class _E(object):

    def __call__(self, tag, *children, **attrib):
        elem = Element(tag, attrib)
        for item in children:
            if isinstance(item, dict):
                elem.attrib.update(item)
            elif isinstance(item, basestring):
                if len(elem):
                    elem[-1].tail = (elem[-1].tail or "") + item
                else:
                    elem.text = (elem.text or "") + item
            elif iselement(item):
                elem.append(item)
            else:
                raise TypeError("bad argument: %r" % item)
        return elem

    def __getattr__(self, tag):
        return partial(self, tag)

# create factory object
E = _E()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # sanity
    print tostring(E.tag())