Bug report
Bug description:
Since PyImport_CreateModuleFromInitfunc() was added (in 3.15, gh-116146), I ran into some issues from real world use internally at Meta (with 3.15+, as well as our 3.14 fork, which has this backported). Collected here as a single issue for convenience - let me know if splitting is preferred.
The API is built on the internal create_builtin() helper, and inherits a few inittab behaviors that don't make sense for an explicitly-passed init function.
- Single-phase submodules get the short name. The package context is never set while
initfunc runs, so a single-phase init that creates its module as sub (what pybind11's PYBIND11_MODULE(sub, m) does) ends up with __name__ == 'sub' while the spec says pkg.sub. The original impl handled that, but it was lost somewhere on the way.
- Non-ASCII spec names raise
UnicodeEncodeError, even for multi-phase modules, which the dynamic loader accepts.
- Names registered in
PyImport_Inittab are handled silently. Depending on the state of the builtin, initfunc is ignored, or the module created here replaces the builtin for later imports, or (multi-phase builtin) initfunc's module overwrites the real one in sys.modules. sys and builtins fall in the first bucket.
- Undocumented semantics. Single-phase modules are added to
sys.modules by the call itself, multi-phase ones aren't. The spec name is the module's identity, so a second call with the same name and a different initfunc returns the cached module and never calls the new function.
The existing test only covers one top-level single-phase and one top-level multi-phase module, so none of this was caught.
AI disclosure: I ran into the first issue in production, used Claude Opus 5 and Fable 5.1 to root cause, which flagged the other issues while investigating. Fable 5.1 prepared the fixes.
Demo output before any fix:
pkg.sub: repr=<module 'sub'> __name__=sub
non-ASCII name: UnicodeEncodeError: 'ascii' codec can't encode character '\xf6'
same name, initfunc B after A: which=A calls_a=1 calls_b=0
'_random' via custom initfunc, then `import _random`: <module 'same'> hasattr(Random)=False
Tests demonstrating all of the above: https://github.com/itamaro/cpython/tree/gh-116146-initfunc-tests-only
Plan
One PR each:
CPython versions tested on:
CPython main branch, 3.15
Operating systems tested on:
Linux, macOS
Linked PRs
Bug report
Bug description:
Since
PyImport_CreateModuleFromInitfunc()was added (in 3.15, gh-116146), I ran into some issues from real world use internally at Meta (with 3.15+, as well as our 3.14 fork, which has this backported). Collected here as a single issue for convenience - let me know if splitting is preferred.The API is built on the internal
create_builtin()helper, and inherits a fewinittabbehaviors that don't make sense for an explicitly-passed init function.initfuncruns, so a single-phase init that creates its module assub(what pybind11'sPYBIND11_MODULE(sub, m)does) ends up with__name__ == 'sub'while the spec sayspkg.sub. The original impl handled that, but it was lost somewhere on the way.UnicodeEncodeError, even for multi-phase modules, which the dynamic loader accepts.PyImport_Inittabare handled silently. Depending on the state of the builtin,initfuncis ignored, or the module created here replaces the builtin for later imports, or (multi-phase builtin)initfunc's module overwrites the real one insys.modules.sysandbuiltinsfall in the first bucket.sys.modulesby the call itself, multi-phase ones aren't. The spec name is the module's identity, so a second call with the same name and a differentinitfuncreturns the cached module and never calls the new function.The existing test only covers one top-level single-phase and one top-level multi-phase module, so none of this was caught.
AI disclosure: I ran into the first issue in production, used Claude Opus 5 and Fable 5.1 to root cause, which flagged the other issues while investigating. Fable 5.1 prepared the fixes.
Demo output before any fix:
Tests demonstrating all of the above: https://github.com/itamaro/cpython/tree/gh-116146-initfunc-tests-only
Plan
One PR each:
initfunc, like the dynamic loader does (1)SystemErroras dynamic loading (2)ImportErrorfor names registered inPyImport_Inittab(3)sys.modulesand name-identity behavior (4)CPython versions tested on:
CPython main branch, 3.15
Operating systems tested on:
Linux, macOS
Linked PRs