[Python-apps-team] Bug#591676: pylint: please either disable or document dynamic checks

[Emile Anclin]

On Tuesday 16 November 2010 18:11:48 Jakub Wilk wrote:
> clone 591676 -1
> reassign -1 python-pyicu 1.0-1
> severity -1 wishlist
> retitle -1 please make _icu importable
> retitle 591676 pylint: please either disable or document dynamic checks
> severity 591676 important
> thanks

> Okay, so basically what happens here is:
> 
> 1. _icu can be imported only if icu has been imported first. It's
> definitely annoying, but I'd have hard time arguing it's actually a
> bug.
> 
> 2. pylint will import a module if and only if it cannot find its
> source. This bad because:
> - It's surprising and undocumented. According to the package
> description, the manual pages, and the FAQ, pylint is a "static code
> checker", so one would expect it won't execute any code it analyses.
> - As seen on the above example, it's a pretty brittle approach.

It's not exactly what happens : 

1/ astng parses Python source code
2/ if he finds an import, he will in some cases try to parse the module:

   a/ if it is python source, goto 1/
   b/ else: import the module as 'living object' and try to get 
        some information about the module. 

The astng.README states :

"Furthermore, astng builds partial trees by inspecting living objects."
Maybe we should mention something like this in Pylint doc?

In our case, we have in icu.py:
>>> from docs import *
and in docs.py:
>>> from _icu import *

As Pylint tries to warn about * import, he will also try to find the 
unused imports. Hence astng is going into docs.py, then he finds _icu and 
tries to look what is inside...


-- 

Emile Anclin <emile.anclin at logilab.fr>
http://www.logilab.fr/   http://www.logilab.org/ 
Informatique scientifique & et gestion de connaissances