[Python-Dev] HTTP/1.1 capable httplib module

[Guido van Rossum]

> I applied the recent changes to the CVS httplib to Greg's httplib
> (call it httplib11) this afternoon.  The result is included below.  I
> think this is quite close to checking in, but it could use a slightly
> better test suite.

Thanks -- but note that I don't have the time to review the code.

> There are a few outstanding questions.
> 
> httplib11 does not implement the debuglevel feature.  I don't think
> it's important, but it is currently documented and may be used.
> Guido, should we implement it?

I think the solution is to provide the API ignore the call or
argument.

> httplib w/SSL uses a constructor with this prototype:
>     def __init__(self, host='', port=None, **x509):
> It looks like the x509 dictionary should contain two variables --
> key_file and cert_file.  Since we know what the entries are, why not
> make them explicit?
>     def __init__(self, host='', port=None, cert_file=None, key_file=None):
> (Or reverse the two arguments if that is clearer.)

The reason for the **x509 syntax (I think -- I didn't introduce it) is
that it *forces* the user to use keyword args, which is a good thing
for such an advanced feature.  However there should be code that
checks that no other keyword args are present.

> The FakeSocket class in CVS has a comment after the makefile def line
> that says "hopefully, never have to write."  It won't do at all the
> right thing when called with a write mode, so it ought to raise an
> exception.  Any reason it doesn't?

Probably laziness of the code.  Thanks for this code review (I guess I
was in a hurry when I checked that code in :-).

> I'd like to add a couple of test cases that use HTTP/1.1 to get some
> pages from python.org, including one that uses the chunked encoding.
> Just haven't gotten around to it.  Question on that front: Does it
> make sense to incorporate the test function in the module with the std
> regression test suite?  In general, I would think so.  In this
> particular case, the test could fail because of host networking
> problems.  I think that's okay as long as the error message is clear
> enough. 

Yes, I agree.  Maybe it should raise ImportError when the network is
unreachable -- this is the one exception that the regrtest module
considers non-fatal.

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)