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classification
Title: time.sleep error message misleading
Type: Stage: patch review
Components: Versions: Python 3.6
process
Status: open Resolution:
Dependencies: Superseder:
Assigned To: Nosy List: Justin Fay, Windson Yang, cheryl.sabella, eric.smith
Priority: normal Keywords: patch

Created on 2019-05-29 10:37 by Justin Fay, last changed 2022-04-11 14:59 by admin.

Pull Requests
URL Status Linked Edit
PR 13768 open Windson Yang, 2019-06-03 03:43
Messages (6)
msg343880 - (view) Author: Justin Fay (Justin Fay) Date: 2019-05-29 10:37
Using python3.6 and calling `time.sleep` with an invalid argument the `TypeError` raised has the error message "TypeError: an integer is required". This is not the case as a float or integer is acceptable. Using python 2.7 the error message given is better "TypeError: a float is required".
msg343894 - (view) Author: Michele Angrisano (mangrisano) * Date: 2019-05-29 16:15
The doc (3.7) says that the argument "may be a floating point number to indicate a more precise sleep time."
I think that TypeError message is right because you can choose how much precision you need but it's optional.
What do you think about that?
msg343904 - (view) Author: Eric V. Smith (eric.smith) * (Python committer) Date: 2019-05-29 18:03
I think it's reasonable to change the TypeError to say integer or float. That's what _PyTime_FromObject is looking for.
msg343909 - (view) Author: Cheryl Sabella (cheryl.sabella) * (Python committer) Date: 2019-05-29 18:34
While not exactly the same, issue35707 is also about time.sleep and floats.
msg343958 - (view) Author: Justin Fay (Justin Fay) Date: 2019-05-30 09:03
From looking at the code for this (note I am not a C programmer so may have gotten this wrong) _PyTime_FromObject first checks if the object is a float using PyFloat_Check(obj) this is evident as passing nan to time.sleep raises a ValueError with the message "Invalid value NaN (not a number)". However if the object is not a float it next assumes the only valid value to be an integer, this logic appears fine to me. The problem however is if the object is not an integer the code raises the error with the message that an integer is required, it is unaware that a before this branch of the code executes a float would have been an accepted value. In python I imagine the fix for this would be along the lines

try:
    float(obj)
except (TypeError, ValueError):
    try:
        int(obj):
    except (TypeError, ValueError):
        raise TypeError('an float or integer is required')
msg344374 - (view) Author: Windson Yang (Windson Yang) * Date: 2019-06-03 03:42
I just create a PR for it.
History
Date User Action Args
2022-04-11 14:59:15adminsetgithub: 81267
2019-06-03 03:43:22Windson Yangsetkeywords: + patch
stage: patch review
pull_requests: + pull_request13652
2019-06-03 03:42:58Windson Yangsetnosy: + Windson Yang
messages: + msg344374
2019-06-02 22:05:00mangrisanosetnosy: - mangrisano
2019-05-30 09:03:14Justin Faysetmessages: + msg343958
2019-05-29 18:34:46cheryl.sabellasetnosy: + cheryl.sabella
messages: + msg343909
2019-05-29 18:03:03eric.smithsetnosy: + eric.smith
messages: + msg343904
2019-05-29 16:15:52mangrisanosetnosy: + mangrisano
messages: + msg343894
2019-05-29 10:37:02Justin Faycreate