def int_attribute(element, attribute, default=0):
    """
    Returns the int value of an attribute, or a default if it's not defined
    :param element: The XML Element object
    :type  element: etree._Element

    :param attribute: The name of the attribute to evaluate
    :type  attribute: basestring

    :param default: The default value to return if the attribute is not defined
    :type  default: int

    :rtype: int
    """
    attribute_value = element.get(attribute)
    if attribute_value:
        try:
            return int(attribute_value)
        except (TypeError, ValueError):
            return default
    return default
