Description

assignee = None
closed_at = None
created_at = <Date 2021-02-21.15:56:24.983>
labels = ['easy', '3.9', '3.10', '3.11', 'library', 'docs']
title = '[doc] Clarify that Popen.returncode does not get auto-set when the process terminates'
updated_at = <Date 2021-11-27.19:08:00.355>
user = 'https://github.com/anntzer'

activity = <Date 2021-11-27.19:08:00.355>
actor = 'Antony.Lee'
assignee = 'docs@python'
closed = False
closed_date = None
closer = None
components = ['Documentation', 'Library (Lib)']
creation = <Date 2021-02-21.15:56:24.983>
creator = 'Antony.Lee'
dependencies = []
files = []
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 43286
keywords = ['easy']
message_count = 1.0
messages = ['387463']
nosy_count = 1.0
nosy_names = ['docs@python']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'normal'
resolution = None
stage = None
status = 'open'
superseder = None
type = None
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue43286'
versions = ['Python 3.9', 'Python 3.10', 'Python 3.11']

Activity

1. anntzer commented on Feb 21, 2021

   

   anntzermannequin

   on Feb 21, 2021

   MannequinAuthor

   More actions

   Currently, the documentation for Popen.returncode states

   The child return code, set by poll() and wait() (and indirectly by communicate()). A None value indicates that the process hasn’t terminated yet.
   
   A negative value -N indicates that the child was terminated by signal N (POSIX only).
   

   As far back as https://bugs.python.org/issue1727024 it had been suggested that this fails to emphasize an important piece of information, namely that this attribute can be outdated (it is *only* set if poll() or wait() are called; this is not obvious, e.g. returncode could have beeen implemented as a property that auto-calls poll()). I do realize that a strict reading of the docs does suggest the actual behavior, but a bit of explicitness won't hurt...

   The wording suggested in https://bugs.python.org/issue1727024 seems clearer to me ("Note: The value stored in returncode may be out-of-date. Use poll() to reliably find the current return code.").
2. anntzer

   added

   3.10 (EOL)end of lifeend of life

   on Feb 21, 2021
3. anntzer

   assigned

   docspython

   on Feb 21, 2021
4. anntzer

   added

   docsDocumentation in the Doc dirDocumentation in the Doc dir

   3.10 (EOL)end of lifeend of life

   on Feb 21, 2021
5. anntzer

   assigned

   docspython

   on Feb 21, 2021
6. anntzer

   added

   docsDocumentation in the Doc dirDocumentation in the Doc dir

   on Feb 21, 2021
7. iritkatriel

   added

   easy

   3.9 (EOL)end of lifeend of life

   3.11only security fixesonly security fixes

   stdlibStandard Library Python modules in the Lib/ directoryStandard Library Python modules in the Lib/ directory

   on Nov 27, 2021
8. iritkatriel

   changed the title [-]Clarify that Popen.returncode does not get auto-set when the process terminates[/-] [+][doc] Clarify that Popen.returncode does not get auto-set when the process terminates[/+] on Nov 27, 2021
9. ezio-melotti

   transferred this issue fromon Apr 10, 2022
10. zitterbewegung

    added 3 commits that reference this issue on May 2, 2022

    Merge remote-tracking branch 'refs/remotes/origin/pythongh-87452' into …

    19390f4

    Merge branch 'python:main' into pythongh-87452

    ecbe497

    Merge branch 'python:main' into pythongh-87452

    c340c8f
11. zitterbewegung

    added a commit that references this issue on Jul 9, 2022

    Merge branch 'python:main' into pythongh-87452

    517dff7
12. gpshead

    self-assigned this

    on Apr 24, 2023
13. gpshead

    added 2 commits that reference this issue on Apr 24, 2023

    Merge branch 'main' into pythongh-87452

    e05f89f

    gh-87452: Improve the Popen.returncode docs

    68f5836
14. miss-islington

    added a commit that references this issue on Apr 24, 2023

    pythongh-87452: Improve the Popen.returncode docs

    b050c15
15. gpshead commented on Apr 24, 2023

    

    gpshead

    on Apr 24, 2023

    Member

    More actions

    thanks, good clarification. merged.
16. gpshead

    closed this as completedon Apr 24, 2023
17. carljm

    added 2 commits that reference this issue on Apr 24, 2023

    Merge branch 'main' into superopt

    19b8025

    Merge branch 'superopt' into superopt_spec

    1972ca4
18. ambv

    added a commit that references this issue on Apr 25, 2023

    [3.11] gh-87452: Improve the Popen.returncode docs (#103771)

    05a2586

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