[ python-Bugs-997050 ] ConfigParser behavior change

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Bugs item #997050, was opened at 2004-07-24 08:30
Message generated for change (Comment added) made by goodger
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Category: Python Library
Group: Python 2.4
Status: Open
Resolution: None
Priority: 5
Submitted By: David Goodger (goodger)
Assigned to: Fred L. Drake, Jr. (fdrake)
Summary: ConfigParser behavior change

Initial Comment:
ConfigParser.set() doesn't allow non-string arguments
for 'value' any
more.  This breaks Docutils code.  I submit that the
behavior should
not have been changed, rather that the documentation
needed updating.
I volunteer to undo the change and update the
documentation.

ConfigParser.py rev. 1.65 implements the fix detailed
in bug report
810843 (http://python.org/sf/810843):

    Fixed using methods (2) and (3): ConfigParser.set()
now checks
    that the value is some flavor of string, and raises
TypeError if
    it isn't.  This is documented behavior; regression
tests have been
    added.

"This is documented behavior": where was this behavior
documented
before the bug fix?  I couldn't find it.  If it wasn't
documented,
wouldn't method 4 (from the bug report, below) have
been more
appropriate?

    (4) Stating in the documentation that the raw parameter
    should be used when an option's value might not be of
    type string (this might be the intended usage, but it
    isn't made clear).

IOW, perhaps it wasn't a code bug but rather an
omission in the docs.
By adding the restriction and raising TypeError, it
breaks Docutils,
which subclasses ConfigParser.  If the string-only
restriction *was*
documented and I just missed it, I'll accept that the
Docutils code
was at fault (it's not the first time ;-) and rework
it.  But if that
restriction wasn't documented, I don't think
ConfigParser's behavior
should change.

See also
<http://article.gmane.org/gmane.text.docutils.devel/2073>.


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>Comment By: David Goodger (goodger)
Date: 2004-08-24 11:04

Message:
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The alternative is the following change in Docutils. 
Unfortunately, it requires access to internal implementation
details marked with single leading underscores.

diff -u -r1.64 frontend.py
--- docutils/frontend.py	24 Jul 2004 14:13:38 -0000	1.64
+++ docutils/frontend.py	24 Aug 2004 15:01:32 -0000
@@ -637,6 +637,22 @@
                 section_dict[option] = self.get(section,
option, raw=1)
         return section_dict
 
+    def set(self, section, option, value):
+        """
+        Set an option.
+
+        Overrides stdlib ConfigParser's set() method to
allow non-string
+        values.  Required for compatibility with Python 2.4.
+        """
+        if not section or section == CP.DEFAULTSECT:
+            sectdict = self._defaults
+        else:
+            try:
+                sectdict = self._sections[section]
+            except KeyError:
+                raise CP.NoSectionError(section)
+        sectdict[self.optionxform(option)] = value
+
 
 class ConfigDeprecationWarning(DeprecationWarning):
     """Warning for deprecated configuration file features."""


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

Comment By: David Goodger (goodger)
Date: 2004-08-24 11:00

Message:
Logged In: YES 
user_id=7733

The change that I'm proposing to revert:
http://cvs.sourceforge.net/viewcvs.py/python/python/dist/src/Lib/ConfigParser.py?r1=1.64&r2=1.65

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

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