[Python-Dev] Let's update CObject API so it is safe and regular!

[Larry Hastings]

Guido van Rossum wrote:
> Yeah, any two CAPI objects can be used to play this trick, as long as
> you have some place that calls them. :-(

FWIW, I can't take credit for this observation.  Neal Norwitz threw me 
at this class of problem at the Py3k sprints in August 2007 at Google 
Mountain View, specifically with curses, though the approach he 
suggested then was removing the CObjects.  Then, Monday night MvL and I 
re-established the problem based on my dim memories.

> So what's your solution? If it was me I'd change the API to put the
> full module name and variable name of the object inside the object and
> have the IMPORT call check that. Then you can only have crashes if
> some extension module cheats, and surely there are many other ways
> that C extensions can cheat, so that doesn't bother me. :)

My proposed API requires that the creator of the CObject pass in a 
"type" string, which must be of nonzero length, and the caller must pass 
in a matching string.  I figured that was easy to get right and 
sufficient for "consenting adults".  Note also this cheap 
exported-vtable hack isn't the only use of CObjects; for example _ctypes 
uses them to wrap plenty of one-off objects which are never set as 
attributes of the _ctypes module.  We'd like a solution that enforces 
some safety for those too, without creating spurious module attributes.


/larry//
/