def getShortestString(strings, default=None):
    """
    Gets the shortest string out of a list
    @param strings: A collection of strings
    @type strings: list of str
    @param default: A default value to use if strings is empty
    @type default: str or None
    @return: The shortest string in the list, or the default
    @rtype: str
    """
    if len(strings) == 0:
        return default
    else:
        return min(strings, key=len)
