NetCon and artificial cell; sec parameter

[sec6]

I'm trying -- in Python -- to make a NetCon connection where the presynaptic cell is an artificial neuron.

The normal syntax for creating a NetCon would be something like:

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nc = h.NetCon(preCell.soma(0.5)._ref_v,postMech,sec=preCell.soma)

The artificial cell, however has no '.soma' (nor any other section)
I can change the first argument from:

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preCell.soma(0.5)._ref_v

to:

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preCell

which seems to work OK, but changing the third argument from:

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sec=preCell.soma

to:

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sec=preCell

doesn't work, since preCell is either a cell or a mechanism, depending on how you look at it, but definitely not a section.
Specifically:

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nc = h.NetCon(preCell,postMech,sec=preCell)

gives this error message:

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TypeError: sec is not a Section

What's the correct way to do this?

[ted]

sec, shmec. If the spike source is an artificial cell, there should be no ambiguity about which section contains the variable that is monitored for threshold crossing, because there aren't any sections. Have you tried
nc = h.NetCon(precell,postMech)
?

[sec6]

The 'sec' argument is *always* redundant, as far as I can tell, not just when the presynaptic cell is an artificial cell. The sec argument should probably be abolished in some future release (I think I heard Michael Hines say that was his intention) and the present example can be considered further evidence that that should be done.

I considered doing as you suggested, but was afraid to, because (according to an answer to an earlier question) when the sec parameter's omitted, hoc silently assumes whatever's the currently accessed section -- I thought that technique might avoid an error message, while creating a more subtle bug that would bite me later.

However, emboldened by your suggestion, I tried removing the sec argument, and that does *seem* to work OK.