[Python-bugs-list] [ python-Bugs-601077 ] bug in new execvpe

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Bugs item #601077, was opened at 2002-08-27 21:03
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https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&atid=105470&aid=601077&group_id=5470

Category: Python Library
Group: Python 2.2
Status: Open
Resolution: None
Priority: 5
Submitted By: Guido van Rossum (gvanrossum)
Assigned to: Nobody/Anonymous (nobody)
Summary: bug in new execvpe

Initial Comment:
From: "Steve M. Robbins" <steven.robbins@videotron.ca>


I think the patch associated with this thread has an
unintended
consequence.

In
http://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2002-August/027229.html
Zack pointed out three flaws in the original code:

    [...]
    Third, if an error other than the expected one
comes back, the
    loop clobbers the saved exception info and keeps
going.  Consider
    the situation where PATH=/bin:/usr/bin, /bin/foobar
exists but is
    not executable by the invoking user, and
/usr/bin/foobar does not
    exist.  The exception thrown will be 'No such file
or directory',
    not the expected 'Permission denied'.

The patch, as I understand it, changes the behaviour so
as to raise
the exception "Permission denied" in this case.

Consider a similar situation in which both /bin/foobar
(not executable
by the user) and /usr/bin/foobar (executable by the
user) exist.
Given the command "foobar", the shell will execute
/usr/bin/foobar.
If I understand the patch correctly, python will give
up when it
encounters /bin/foobar and raise the "Permission
denied" exception.

I believe this just happened to me today.  I had a
shell script named
"gcc" in ~/bin (first on my path) some months back. 
When I was
finished with it, I just did "chmod -x ~/bin/gcc" and
forgot about it.
Today was the first time since this patch went in that
I ran gcc via
python (using scipy's weave).  Boy was I surprised at
the message
"unable to execute gcc: Permission denied"!

I guess the fix is to save the EPERM exception and keep
going
in case there is an executable later in the path.


----------------------------------------------------------------------

>Comment By: Guido van Rossum (gvanrossum)
Date: 2002-08-27 21:06

Message:
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user_id=6380

Since I applied Zack's patch to the trunk as well as to the
2.2 maintenance branch, this needs to be fixed in both places.

This worked correctly in 2.1 and 2.2 (and in 2.2.1, but I
haven't tested that).

----------------------------------------------------------------------

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