Correct way to transform python request parameters
<p>I'm using Pyramid web framework to build a web app.  There are many times that I find myself doing this:</p>

<pre><code>result = request.params.get('abc', None)
if result:
  result = simplejson.loads(result)
else:
  result = {}
</code></pre>

<p>The thing is, sometimes, 'abc' request parameter is not present and the value of  "result" would be None.  Hence I always have to check if it's None before I perform a <code>simplejson.loads</code> operation or else I would get a <code>TypeError: expected string or buffer</code> exception.</p>

<p>Is there a better/more "pythonic" way of doing this?</p>
