[Python-Dev] timeout options in high-level networking modules

[Jim Fulton]

Steve Holden wrote:
> Jim Fulton wrote:
> 
>>Yesterday, I needed to make a web request in a program (actually a test)
>>that could block indefinately, so I needed to set a socket timeout.
>>Unfortunately, AFAICT none of urllib, urllib2, httplib provide options to set
>>the timeout on the sockets they use.  I ended up having to roll my own
>>code to make the request.
>>
>>It would be nice if high-level network modules, like the ones mentioned
>>above, had options to provide a timeout.  (For example, urlopen could
>>grow an optional timout argument.)
>>
>>Thoughts?
>>
>>If we think this is a good idea, then someone who has time could start chipping
>>away at it.  I'm happy to work on this *if* I can find time.  This would make
>>a nice easy sprint project at PyCon too.
>>
> 
> That's a very good idea. At present the only option one has is to set a 
> global socket.defaulttimout() or somehow monkey-patch the modules you 
> want to use, and neither of those options are entirely satisfactory.

Dang, I missed that. I could have abused that yesterday. :)

> Basically any method that can create a new TCP connection should acquire 
> an optional timeout=None parameter, right?

Yup, except that None shouldn't be the "I didn't pass anything"
marker, since None is a valid settimeout parameter.

Jim

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