title: Function returns tuple instead of string
body: <p>I have a function in python similar to the following:</p>
  
  <pre><code>def checkargs(*args):
      if len(args) == 1:
          x = args
          y = something
      elif len(args) == 2:
          x, y = args
  
      return x, y
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>When I put in only one argument (a string), x comes out as a tuple. When I put in two arguments (two strings), x and y are returned as strings. How can I get x to come out as string if I only put in one argument?</p>