[Python-Dev] bug or feature in imp.load_module()?

[Guido van Rossum]

> module = imp.load_module(path, file, filename, smt)
> 
> After returning from imp.load_module(), the file paramter passed in
> may be at the beginning or end depending on whether it was byte
> compiled.  If the file was already compiled, the file returned will
> stay at the beginning.  If the file was byte compiled in
> load_module(), the file will be at the end.

This certainly doesn't surprise me -- in one case it read the source
and in the other case it didn't read the source.

If you pass a file to a function, I don't think that there is any
guarantee to the file position when it returns, so I don't think this
should be documented.  I can't think of why you'd expect it to be at
any specific position.

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