code: def element(element, name, default=None):
      
      element_value = element.find(name)
  
      return element_value.text if element_value is not None else default
docs: Returns the value of an element, or a default if it's not defined
      :param element: The XML Element object
      :type  element: etree._Element
  
      :param name: The name of the element to evaluate
      :type  name: str
  
      :param default: The default value to return if the element is not defined