def multiget(dictlist, key, default = None):
    """
    Takes a list of dictionaries as its 1st argument. Checks if the key exists
    in each one and returns the 1st one it finds. If the key is found in no
    dictionaries, the default is returned.
    """
    for dict in dictlist:
        if dict.has_key(key):
            return dict[key]
    else:
        return default