[Python-Dev] Re: whitespace normalization

[Tim Peters]

> I've seen a couple of checkins lately from you like this:
>
> > Modified Files:
> > 	random.py robotparser.py
> > Log Message:
> > Whitespace normalization.
>
> Apparently you watch checkins to the std library and run reindent on
> changed modules occasionally.

I run reindent on *all* std Library modules once or twice a week:  if a file
is a reindent fixed-point, reindent leaves it entirely alone, so no spurious
checkins are generated.  That is, reindent saves "before" and "after"
versions of the entire module in memory, and doesn't even write a new file
if before == after.

> Would it make sense to check in a test case into the test suite that
> verifies that all std modules are reindent fixpoints, so that whoever
> changes a module gets a chance to catch this before they check in?

Don't think it's worth the bother:  running reindent over everything in Lib/
takes well over 10 seconds on my 866MHz box, so it would end up getting
skipped by people anway.  More suitable for an infrequent cron job, yes?

BTW, there are still many Python files in the std distribution that haven't
been run thru reindent yet.  For example, I'm uncomfortable doing anything
in Lib/plat-irix6, etc:  don't have the platform, and no test suite anyway.
Put out a call for others to clean up directories they care about, but
nobody bit.