pathlib.Path.is_file vs os.path.isfile difference

[Grant Edwards]

On 2024-03-08, Grant Edwards via Python-list <python-list at python.org> wrote:
> On 2024-03-08, Thomas Passin via Python-list <python-list at python.org> wrote:
>> On 3/8/2024 1:03 PM, Albert-Jan Roskam via Python-list wrote:
>>>     Hi,
>>>     I was replacing some os.path stuff with Pathlib and I discovered this:
>>>     Path(256 * "x").is_file()  # OSError
>>>     os.path.isfile(256 * "x")  # bool
>>>     Is this intended? Does pathlib try to resemble os.path as closely as
>>>     possible?
>>
>> You must have an very old version of Python.  I'm running 3.12.2 and it 
>> returns False.
>
> It throws OSError with Python 3.11.8 on Linux.

> OSError: [Errno 36] File name too long: 'xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'

On all of the Linux filesystems I know about, the max length for a
filename is 255 bytes, so the OSError is too surprising, and it does
seem to follow the documentation.

>>>> import os
>>>> os.path.isfile(256 * "x")
> False

However, os.path.isfile() apprently masks that error somehow and
returns False instead.

I notice that the os.path.isfile() documentation does not specify what
happens if the path is not a file or is illegal. It only specifies
that True is returned if the path is a regular file. Presumably
something other than "return True" is supposed to happen, but exactly
what is not specified.