def ip_check(ip):
    """Simple helper method to check whether or not an IP is in expected 0-255.0-255.0-255.0-255 format."""
    if not ip:            
        return False
    if not len(ip.split('.')) == 4 or False in [(x.isdigit() and 0<=int(x)<256) for x in ip.split('.')]:
        return False
    return True