[Python-Dev] Unix line endings required for PyRun* breaking embedded Python

[Stuart Bishop]

There is a discussion going on at the moment in postgresql-general about 
plpythonu (which allows you write stored procedures in Python) and line 
endings. The discussion starts here:

   http://archives.postgresql.org/pgsql-general/2005-01/msg00792.php

The problem appears to be that things are working as documented in PEP-278:

   There is no support for universal newlines in strings passed to
   eval() or exec.  It is envisioned that such strings always have the
   standard \n line feed, if the strings come from a file that file can
   be read with universal newlines.

So what happens is that if a Windows or Mac user tries to create a 
Python stored procedure, it will go through to the server with Windows 
line endings and the embedded Python interpreter will raise a syntax 
error for everything except single line functions.

I don't think it is possible for plpythonu to fix this by simply 
translating the line endings, as this would require significant 
knowledge of Python syntax to do correctly (triple quoted strings and 
character escaping I think).

The timing of this thread is very unfortunate, as PostgreSQL 8.0 is 
being released this weekend and the (hopefully) last release of the 2.3 
series next week :-(


-- 
Stuart Bishop <stuart at stuartbishop.net>
http://www.stuartbishop.net/