[Python-Dev] Compiling the source without stat

[Petri Lehtinen]

Hossein wrote:
> Hi. I just started to port latest python 2.7.2 to another platform
> (don't think you're eager to know... well it's CASIO ClassPad).
> And I faced a "minor" problem... It hasn't got stat or fstat or
> anything. (It supports a very limited set of c std lib).
> As pyport.c suggested, i defined both DONT_HAVE_STAT and
> DONT_HAVE_FSTAT, but problems only began.
> It failed to compile most of import.c, particularly because it fell
> into the wrong `#if !defined(PYOS_Something)' blocks. Sometimes it
> just fell into an #else part which assumed stat are available. So
> although HAVE_STAT is meant to control file operations, most of the
> source code aren't implement to use it. You see how "minor" the
> problem was?
> So now I need advice from developers.
> Is there a fix for it? What a question... definitely no replacement to stat.
> It's 99% definite that I can't compile further without touching the
> source code. I have to #define my own PYOS_whatever and handle files
> in my own way. In that case where should my special file handling
> cases go? I saw some marshal.c code which seemed it wants to
> abstract away platform's file handling from source code; but from
> what I understood it can't be made to use alternate file handling
> methods.
> If there is anything I should do (maybe show you my handmade
> pyconfig.h?) tell me.

See http://bugs.python.org/issue12082. Currently neither Python 2.x
nor 3.x can be compiled without stat() or fstat(). Python 2.7 almost
compiles, but Python 3 depends heavily on them.

The problem boils down to the fact that you cannot really check
whether a filesystem entry is a directory without calling stat() or
fstat().

My personal opinion is that support for DONT_HAVE_STAT and
DONT_HAVE_FSTAT defines should be dropped because they don't work, and
would only be useful in a very limited set of cases.

> [My first post in a mailing list... Should I say] Best Regards,
n> Hossein [in here?]

Yeah, why not? :)

Regards, Petri