[doc] configparser: modifying default_section at runtime

[rk]

BPO	27583
Nosy	@bitdancer, @ambv, @wm75, @slateny
PRs	gh-71770: Add more details on behavior of configparser's default_section #31562
Files	bug_configparser_default_section.py: testcase (for Py3)

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

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GitHub fields:

assignee = None
closed_at = None
created_at = <Date 2016-07-21.12:54:13.554>
labels = ['easy', 'type-bug', '3.9', '3.10', '3.11', 'library', 'docs']
title = '[doc ] configparser: modifying default_section at runtime'
updated_at = <Date 2022-02-25.04:50:50.798>
user = 'https://bugs.python.org/rk'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2022-02-25.04:50:50.798>
actor = 'slateny'
assignee = 'docs@python'
closed = False
closed_date = None
closer = None
components = ['Documentation', 'Library (Lib)']
creation = <Date 2016-07-21.12:54:13.554>
creator = 'rk'
dependencies = []
files = ['43808']
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 27583
keywords = ['patch', 'easy']
message_count = 5.0
messages = ['270918', '270930', '270931', '270932', '281232']
nosy_count = 6.0
nosy_names = ['r.david.murray', 'docs@python', 'lukasz.langa', 'wolma', 'rk', 'slateny']
pr_nums = ['31562']
priority = 'normal'
resolution = None
stage = 'patch review'
status = 'open'
superseder = None
type = 'behavior'
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue27583'
versions = ['Python 3.9', 'Python 3.10', 'Python 3.11']

Linked PRs

• [3.12] gh-71770: Add more details on behavior of configparser's default_section (GH-31562) #109088
• [3.11] gh-71770: Add more details on behavior of configparser's default_section (GH-31562) #109089

[rk]

Modifying "default_section" in the configparser at runtime does not behave as described.

The documentation says about default_section:

When default_section is given, it specifies the name for the special section holding default values for other sections and interpolation purposes (normally named "DEFAULT"). This value can be retrieved and changed on runtime using the default_section instance attribute.
[https://docs.python.org/3/library/configparser.html]

So, if I modify default_section at runtime, the default values for other sections should then come from the new default_section. But this is not the case. Instead, the default-values still come from self._default, which was set by self._read.

So, this is either a bug in the library or a bug in the documentation.

I've attached a testcase.

[rk]

Verified/tested with Python 2.7.9, 3.2.6, 3.3.6, 3.4.2, 3.5.1.
The bug exists in all versions, so I've added 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 again.

I've also attached an updated testcase, which now works in both Python 2 and Python 3.

[rk]

(removed Python 2.7, since default_section was not supported there)

[bitdancer]

We use the versions field to indicate which versions it might get fixed in. Since this is not a security issue, that would be 3.5 and 3.6, if it doesn't affect 2.7. If we decide to make the code match the docs, it will probably only get fixed in 3.6, since it is a behavior change.

[wm75]

Well, you *can* change the value at runtime as you are demonstrating in your script, but you are misunderstanding the effect this will have. It *won't* cause a reevaluation of an already parsed config file. Instead it will affect the writing of the parsed settings to a new config file.
This is explained a bit further up in the documentation of the module:
https://docs.python.org/3/library/configparser.html#customizing-parser-behaviour
where it says: "Its current value can be retrieved using the parser_instance.default_section attribute and may be modified at runtime (i.e. to convert files from one format to another)."

So maybe this hint could be repeated in the actual parameter description of https://docs.python.org/3/library/configparser.html#configparser-objects to avoid confusion, but I don't think there is a bug here.

[hugovk]

Thanks, fixed via #31562 and backports to 3.11.