[issue26776] Determining the failure of C API call is ambiguous

[Serhiy Storchaka]

New submission from Serhiy Storchaka:

C API functions returns a special value unambiguously signaling about a raised exception (NULL or -1). But in some cases this is ambiguous, because the special value is a legitimate value (e.g. -1 for PyLong_AsLong() or NULL for PyDict_GetItem()). Needed to use PyErr_Occurred() to distinguish between successful and failed call.

The problem is that if PyLong_AsLong() is called when the exception is set, successful call returned -1 is interpreted as failed. Since it is happen in very rare case, this bug is usually unnoticed.

Attached experimental patch makes some functions like PyLong_AsLong() always failing if called with an exception set. Some tests are failed with it applied: test_compile test_datetime test_io test_os test_symtable test_syntax test_xml_etree_c.

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components: Interpreter Core
files: check_error_occurred.patch
keywords: patch
messages: 263540
nosy: haypo, serhiy.storchaka
priority: normal
severity: normal
status: open
title: Determining the failure of C API call is ambiguous
Added file: http://bugs.python.org/file42478/check_error_occurred.patch

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<http://bugs.python.org/issue26776>
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