[Python-Dev] Broken strptime in Python 2.3a1 & CVS

[Kevin Jacobs]

On Mon, 13 Jan 2003, Tim Peters wrote:
> [Kevin Jacobs]
> So which version of which Solaris variation do you depend on?

I depend on the default version that is exposed via the time module when
using Python 2.2 under Solaris 9.

> > My first e-mail did just that.  I want
> >
> >   def round_trip(n):
> >     strftime('%m/%d/%Y', localtime(mktime(strptime(n, '%m/%d/%Y')))
> >
> >   assert n == round_trip(n)
> >
> > when n is a valid date value.  This is my major use-case,
> 
> If you have other use cases, do spell them out.  I expect this specific use
> case will prove to be tractable.

This is the only one that has emerged from a real-life running application. 
In fact, this kind of code is our only use of strptime, though after all of
this confusion it may be replaced RSN with something more deterministic.

> They've been examined, but the specs don't say enough to resolve anything.
> Poke and hope appears all that remains.  Specific use cases may help, but
> more OS names won't.

I'm not sure what else you expect of me.  I have an application, some
anecdotal evidence that something is amiss, reported specific test-code that
that demonstrated problem, and encouraged Brett do a bit of digging though
the standards to see if he can improve things.

If you feel that I am being unreasonably vague about what Brett should do,
then you are quite right!  I'm burried under a dozen other projects, and in
spite of that, felt it was important to make time to test Python 2.3a1.  In
doing so I found one concrete thing wrong with how we used strptime and a
bucket full of things that looked fishy.  However, digging through the nooks
and crannies of strptime is not at all important to me, especially when I
have a viable work-around on all platforms that I care about (i.e.,
re-enabling the libc version).

Happy to help, but not expecting the Spanish Inquisition,
-Kevin

--
Kevin Jacobs
The OPAL Group - Enterprise Systems Architect
Voice: (216) 986-0710 x 19         E-mail: jacobs@theopalgroup.com
Fax:   (216) 986-0714              WWW:    http://www.theopalgroup.com