[Python-bugs-list] [ python-Bugs-813986 ] robotparser interactively prompts for username and password

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Bugs item #813986, was opened at 2003-09-28 09:06
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Category: Python Library
Group: Python 2.3
Status: Open
Resolution: None
Priority: 5
Submitted By: Erik Demaine (edemaine)
Assigned to: Nobody/Anonymous (nobody)
Summary: robotparser interactively prompts for username and password

Initial Comment:
This is a rare occurrence, but if a /robots.txt file is

password-protected on an http server, robotparser

interactively prompts (via raw_input) for a username

and password, because that is urllib's default

behavior.  One example of such a URL, at least at the

time of this writing, is



http://www.cosc.canterbury.ac.nz/robots.txt



Given that robotparser and robots.txt is all about

*robots* (not interactive users), I don't think this

interactive behavior is terribly appropriate.  Attached

is a simple patch to robotparser.py to fix this

behavior, forcing urllib to return the 401 error that

it ought to.



Another issue is whether a 401 (Authorization Required)

URL means that everything should be allowed or

everything should be disallowed.  I'm not sure what's

"right".  Reading the spec, it says 'This file must be

accessible via HTTP on the local URL "/robots.txt"'

which I would read to mean it should be accessible

without username/password.  On the other hand, the

current robotparser.py code says "if self.errcode ==

401 or self.errcode == 403: self.disallow_all = 1"

which has the opposite effect.  I'll leave deciding

which is most appropriate to the powers that be.



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