python-peps/pep-0490.txt

PEP: 490
Title: Chain exceptions at C level
Version: $Revision$
Last-Modified: $Date$
Author: Victor Stinner <victor.stinner@gmail.com>
Status: Draft
Type: Standards Track
Content-Type: text/x-rst
Created: 25-March-2015
Python-Version: 3.5


Abstract
========

Python 3 chained exceptions: PEP 3134. This PEP makes the same change at C
level.


Rationale
=========

Python 3 chained exceptions: PEP 3134. This PEP makes the same change at C
level.


Proposal
========

Modify PyErr_*() funnctions to chain exceptions
-----------------------------------------------

Modify C functions raising exceptions of the Python C API to automatically
chain exceptions.


Modify functions to not chain exceptions
----------------------------------------

Keep the original exception is not always interesting. Example in Python
(``os._Environ.__getitem__``)::

    try:
        value = self._data[self.encodekey(key)]
    except KeyError:
        # raise KeyError with the original key value
        raise KeyError(key) from None

To remove the previous exception, PyErr_Clear() can be called before
PyErr_SetString() (or other functions raising exceptions).


Python C API
------------

Include/pyerror.h declares functions related to exceptions.

Functions raising exceptions:

* PyErr_SetNone(exc_type)
* PyErr_SetObject(exc_type, exc_value)
* PyErr_SetString(exc_type, message)
* PyErr_Format(exc, format, ...)

Helpers to raise specific exceptions:

* PyErr_BadArgument()
* PyErr_BadInternalCall()
* PyErr_NoMemory()
* PyErr_SetFromErrno(exc)
* PyErr_SetFromWindowsErr(err)
* PyErr_SetImportError(message, name, path)
* _PyErr_SetKeyError(key)
* _PyErr_TrySetFromCause(prefix_format, ...)

Manage the current exception:

* PyErr_Clear(): clear the current exception, like "except: pass"
* PyErr_Fetch(exc_type, exc_value, exc_tb)
* PyErr_Restore(exc_type, exc_value, exc_tb)
* PyErr_GetExcInfo(exc_type, exc_value, exc_tb)
* PyErr_SetExcInfo(exc_type, exc_value, exc_tb)

Others function to handle exceptions:

* PyErr_ExceptionMatches(exc): check to implement "except exc: ..."
* PyErr_GivenExceptionMatches(exc1, exc2)
* PyErr_NormalizeException(exc_type, exc_value, exc_tb)
* _PyErr_ChainExceptions(exc_type, exc_value, exc_tb)


Backward compatibility
======================

XXX


Alternatives
============

No change
---------

Python 3.5 introduces a new private ``_PyErr_ChainExceptions()`` function which
is enough to chain manually exceptions.


New helpers to chain exceptions
-------------------------------

Functions like ``PyErr_SetString()`` don't chain automatically exceptions. To
make usage of ``_PyErr_ChainExceptions()`` easier, new functions are added:

* PyErr_SetStringChain(exc_type, message)
* PyErr_FormatChaine(exc_type, format, ...)
* PyErr_SetNoneChain(exc_type)
* PyErr_SetObjectChain(exc_type, exc_value)

Helper functions like _PyErr_SetKeyError(key) or PyErr_SetImportError(message,
name, path) don't chain exceptions. The generic
_PyErr_ChainExceptions(exc_type, exc_value, exc_tb) should be used.


Appendix
========

Python Issues
-------------

Chain exceptions:

* `Issue #23763: Chain exceptions in C
  <http://bugs.python.org/issue23763>`_
* `Issue #23696: zipimport: chain ImportError to OSError
  <http://bugs.python.org/issue23696>`_
* `Issue #21715: Chaining exceptions at C level
  <http://bugs.python.org/issue21715>`_: added _PyErr_ChainExceptions()

Changes preventing loosing exceptions:

* `Issue #23571: Raise SystemError if a function returns a result with an
  exception set <http://bugs.python.org/issue23571>`_
* `Issue #18408: Fixes crashes found by pyfailmalloc
  <http://bugs.python.org/issue18408>`_


PEPs
----

* `PEP 3134 -- Exception Chaining and Embedded Tracebacks
  <https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-3134/>`_ (Python 3.0):
  new ``__context__`` and ``__cause__`` attributes for exceptions
* `PEP 415 - Implement context suppression with exception attributes
  <https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0415/>`_ (Python 3.3):
  ``raise exc from None``
* `PEP 409 - Suppressing exception context
  <https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0409/>`_ (superseded by the PEP 415)


Copyright
=========

This document has been placed in the public domain.



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