code fragment One from

# #########################################################
""" Flattening a Nested Sequence
"""
from   __future__   import  generators
def  flatten(sequence, scalarp, result = None):
     if  result  is  None: result  =  []
     for  item  in  sequence:
         if  scalarp(item): result.append(item)
         else :   flatten(item, scalarp, result)
     return  result

def  flatten22(sequence, scalarp):
     for  item  in  sequence:
         if  scalarp(item):
             yield  item
         else :
             for  subitem  in  flatten22(item, scalarp):
                 yield  subitem

def  canLoopOver(maybeIterable):
     try :
        iter(maybeIterable)
     except :
         return  0
     else :
         return   1

def  canLoopOver22(maybeIterable):
     try :
         for  x  in  maybeIterable:
             return   1
         else :
             return   1
     except :
         return  0

def  isStringLike(obj):
     try : obj + ''
     except  TypeError:  return  0
     else :  return   1

def  isScalar(obj):
     return  isStringLike(obj)  or   not  canLoopOver(obj)

seq1  =  [[ ' a ' ,  ' b ' , { 3 : 3 }], [ 1 ,  2 ],  3 ]

print  flatten(seq1, isScalar)

for  avariable  in  flatten22(seq1, isScalar):
     print  avariable
# #######################################################
the output is:
>>>
['a', 'b', 3, 1, 2, 3]
a
b
3
1
2
3
>>>