[Mailman-Users] LogMsg problem

[Todd Pfaff]

I'm using mailman 1.1.  One of our lists consistently generates the
following python traceback in the mailman error log whenever a message is
posted to the list.

Dec 01 13:22:45 1999 post: Traceback (innermost last):
post:   File "/usr/local/mailman/scripts/mailowner", line 45, in ?
post:      if not mlist.bounce_processing or not mlist.ScanMessage(msg):
post:   File "/usr/local/mailman/Mailman/Bouncer.py", line 449, in ScanMessage
post:      self.RegisterBounce(who, msg)
post:   File "/usr/local/mailman/Mailman/Bouncer.py", line 138, in RegisterBounce
post:      self.LogMsg("bounce", report + "exceeded limits")
post:   File "/usr/local/mailman/Mailman/MailList.py", line 834, in LogMsg
post:      logf.write(msg % args + '\n')
post: TypeError :  not enough arguments for format string 


I've had a look at the call to LogMsg() in MailList.py from
RegisterBounce() in Bouncer.py, so I sort of where the error is happening.
As far as I can tell, there must be some instances where LogMsg is being
called with a "msg" argument that contains % variable substitutions that
have not yet been satisfied, but with an empty or insufficient "args"
tuple.  So, when LogMsg calls logf.write(msg % args + '\n'), the %
substitution fails.

It seems that, in general, the use of LogMsg is inconsistent.  In some
cases, a variable length args tuple is passed to LogMsg and the string
formatting is done within LogMsg, but in many other cases any string
formatting is done before the call to LogMsg and LogMsg is called without
an args tuple.

It's entirely possible that something will call LogMsg with a "msg"
argument that contains a valid % substitution string even though they did
not intend for a % substitution to happen.  I think this is what may be
happening in my case - the RegisterBounce() function builds the "msg"
string from other variable strings and one of these strings may contain a
% substitution string.  This msg string is then passed to LogMsg but
without an args tuple to satisfy the % substitution.

I'm no Python expert - I just started learning it a few weeks ago - but 
I'm trying to think of ways to debug this, or handle the situation more
gracefully.  I've been poking through the Python books I have and looking
at the exception handling stuff.  I've come up with the following simple
idea for handling this in LogMsg().  Any opinions about whether this is a
good idea, whether it will work, or whether there is a better way to
approach this problem?

        try:
            logf.write(msg % args + '\n')
        except:
            logf.write(msg + '\n')

--
Todd Pfaff                         \  Email: pfaff at mcmaster.ca
Computing and Information Services  \ Voice: (905) 525-9140 x22920
ABB 132                              \  FAX: (905) 528-3773
McMaster University                   \
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada  L8S 4M1     \