[Python-modules-team] Bug#851137: Requires a dependency on missing 'scandir' module

[Wolodja Wentland]

Package: python-pathlib2
Version: 2.2.0-1
Severity: grave

Dear Maintainer,

thank you for packaging python-pathlib2, but it appears to be unusable at the moment. Using an up-to-date sid version, unsurprisingly, results in the following error:

  >>> import pathlib2
  Traceback (most recent call last):
    File "<input>", line 1, in <module>
      import pathlib2
    File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/bpython/curtsiesfrontend/repl.py", line 257, in load_module
      module = pkgutil.ImpLoader.load_module(self, name)
    File "/usr/lib/python2.7/pkgutil.py", line 246, in load_module
      mod = imp.load_module(fullname, self.file, self.filename, self.etc)
    File "/usr/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/pathlib2.py", line 46, in <module>
      from scandir import scandir as os_scandir
  ImportError: No module named scandir

Which is due to the following code in pathlib2:

  try:
      from os import scandir as os_scandir
  except ImportError:
      from scandir import scandir as os_scandir

where pathlib2 tries to import 'scandir' from the stdlib in Python >= 3.5 (cf.
[0]) and then falls back to benhoyt's scandir module [1]. This follows the
pattern Ben documented for scandir [2], but fails on Debian at the moment as
'scandir' has not yet been packaged yet (cf. ITP/RFP [3]) and this package
therefore can't easily include a dependency on it.

It appears as if the best way to fix this bug would be by packaging scandir for
Python 2 and by including a Depends on the new package in this one.

[0] https://docs.python.org/3.6/library/os.html#os.scandir
[1] https://github.com/benhoyt/scandir
[2] https://github.com/benhoyt/scandir#now-included-in-a-python-near-you
[3] https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=711388

Thank you!

Wolodja

-- System Information:
Debian Release: stretch/sid
  APT prefers unstable
  APT policy: (500, 'unstable'), (500, 'testing')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 4.8.0-2-amd64 (SMP w/8 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=en_GB.utf-8, LC_CTYPE=en_GB.utf-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)

Versions of packages python-pathlib2 depends on:
ii  python-six  1.10.0-3
pn  python:any  <none>

python-pathlib2 recommends no packages.

python-pathlib2 suggests no packages.

-- no debconf information