[issue15414] os.path.join behavior on Windows (ntpath.join) is unexpected and not well documented
New submission from R. David Murray <rdmurray@bitdance.com>: In looking at another os.path.join documentation issue I tried the Windows join to see if it matched the docs, and found that it was very unclear. I searched the tracker and found Issue 1669539, which contains much relevant discussion but also much discussion of possible enhancements. So I'm opening a new issue *just* about what I see as the current bugs in the os.path.join docs and ntpath.join implementation. I'm not qualified to fix this, not being a Windows user, but it is clear to me that the documentation of os.path.join for Windows is unclear (it does not indicate what is considered an absolute path on Windows) and wrong (\foo will *not* restart the path if it is the second element and follows a drive specification, but it does any other time), and that the current behavior may have a bug if, as seems to be implied by the issue 1669539 discussion, something that looks like a drive specification in the middle of a path is invalid on Windows. If this last is not a bug, it should be mentioned in the documentation, since the actual behavior is counter-intuitive. ---------- assignee: docs@python components: Documentation, Windows keywords: easy messages: 166065 nosy: brian.curtin, christian.heimes, docs@python, eckhardt, ezio.melotti, jorend, mhammond, r.david.murray, terry.reedy, tim.golden priority: normal severity: normal status: open title: os.path.join behavior on Windows (ntpath.join) is unexpected and not well documented type: behavior versions: Python 2.7, Python 3.2, Python 3.3 _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue15414> _______________________________________
Changes by Martin Dengler <martin@martindengler.com>: ---------- nosy: +mdengler _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue15414> _______________________________________
Dave Sawyer added the comment: http://bugs.python.org/issue1669539 has been partially fixed. On Windows os.path.join('foo', 'a:bar') gives 'a:bar' not 'foo\\a:bar'. However os.path.isabs('a:bar') returns False yet it causes a reset in the join like an absolute path. '\foo' is considered an absolute path even though calling os.path.abspath on it can yield different results - as if it were a relative path. At minimum we should amend the wording about what resets the join. ---------- nosy: +dsawyer _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue15414> _______________________________________
Changes by Dave Sawyer <dsawyer@box.com>: ---------- keywords: +patch Added file: http://bugs.python.org/file34956/joindoc.patch _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue15414> _______________________________________
Changes by Dave Sawyer <dsawyer@box.com>: ---------- versions: +Python 3.4, Python 3.5 -Python 2.7, Python 3.2, Python 3.3 _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue15414> _______________________________________
Mark Lawrence added the comment: ntpath.join() was fixed in issue19456 so I think all we need here is a commit review of the attached documentation patch. ---------- nosy: +BreamoreBoy _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue15414> _______________________________________
Changes by Brian Curtin <brian@python.org>: ---------- nosy: -brian.curtin _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue15414> _______________________________________
Changes by Serhiy Storchaka <storchaka@gmail.com>: ---------- keywords: +needs review stage: -> patch review versions: +Python 2.7 _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue15414> _______________________________________
Zachary Ware added the comment: Dave, your patch is a significant improvement on the accuracy of the current doc, but the whole paragraph seems somewhat haphazard and confusing to me. Here's my own attempt to clean it up, though I'm not certain just how much improvement it is :) ---------- nosy: +zach.ware Added file: http://bugs.python.org/file36872/issue15414.diff _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue15414> _______________________________________
Changes by Zachary Ware <zachary.ware@gmail.com>: ---------- title: os.path.join behavior on Windows (ntpath.join) is unexpected and not well documented -> os.path.join behavior on Windows (ntpath.join) is not well documented _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue15414> _______________________________________
R. David Murray added the comment: I'd say it was definitely an improvement in terms of comprehensibility. ---------- _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue15414> _______________________________________
Roundup Robot added the comment: New changeset 05274a517b37 by Zachary Ware in branch '2.7': Issue #15414: Clean and correct the os.path.join docs. https://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/05274a517b37 New changeset c9c6082d4f9b by Zachary Ware in branch '3.4': Issue #15414: Clean and correct the os.path.join docs. https://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/c9c6082d4f9b New changeset e57f93c681a6 by Zachary Ware in branch 'default': Closes #15414: Merge with 3.4 https://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/e57f93c681a6 ---------- nosy: +python-dev resolution: -> fixed stage: patch review -> resolved status: open -> closed _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue15414> _______________________________________
Zachary Ware added the comment: Committed, with better line wrapping. Thank you Dave Sawyer for the initial patch, and RDM for the review. ---------- _______________________________________ Python tracker <report@bugs.python.org> <http://bugs.python.org/issue15414> _______________________________________
participants (8)
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Brian Curtin -
Dave Sawyer
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Mark Lawrence
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Martin Dengler
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R. David Murray
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Roundup Robot
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Serhiy Storchaka
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Zachary Ware