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classification
Title: Fix docstring for posixpath.getctime
Type: Stage:
Components: Documentation Versions: Python 2.3
process
Status: closed Resolution: accepted
Dependencies: Superseder:
Assigned To: Nosy List: fdrake, gerrit, quiver, rhettinger
Priority: normal Keywords: patch

Created on 2004-01-04 09:22 by gerrit, last changed 2022-04-11 14:56 by admin. This issue is now closed.

Files
File name Uploaded Description Edit
getctime.diff gerrit, 2004-01-04 09:22 patch created with 'cvs diff -u'
Messages (6)
msg45114 - (view) Author: Gerrit Holl (gerrit) Date: 2004-01-04 09:22
(not sure whether this is "Library" or "Documentation")

The docstring of posixpath.getctime calls ctime the
"creation time". This is incorrect, because it is the
"change time". The library documentation is correct
here. This patch fixes the docstring.
msg45115 - (view) Author: Raymond Hettinger (rhettinger) * (Python committer) Date: 2004-01-11 23:32
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user_id=80475

IIRC, it is creation time on some platforms and is the
change time on others.
msg45116 - (view) Author: George Yoshida (quiver) (Python committer) Date: 2004-01-12 04:11
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user_id=671362

> IIRC, it is creation time on some platforms and is the
> change time on others.

This was discussed before.

[ 827902 ] ctime is not creation time
http://www.python.org/sf/827902

msg45117 - (view) Author: Gerrit Holl (gerrit) Date: 2004-01-17 14:55
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user_id=13298

The docstring is a different issue: The standard library
needs to be accurate for all platforms, whereas each
platform has it's own implementation of os.path.getctime.
Hence, it's possible to give each platform it's own
docstring for os.path.getctime, so that
posixpath.getctime.__doc__ != ntpath.getctime.__doc__. Is
this it a good thing to have different docstrings? If so,
I'd say that each platform documents for it's own getctime
what ctime means. If not, I'd say we copy the standard
library documentation.
msg45118 - (view) Author: George Yoshida (quiver) (Python committer) Date: 2004-01-18 07:12
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Yes, your're right. The library document of os.path.ctime was 
fixed, but the docstring of posixpath.py has been left 
unchanged.
So I'm +1 for applying this patch.

I've noticed that there are still several places where the 
definition of ctime is not fixed. For example, stat.st_ctime and 
os.stat.

http://www.python.org/doc/current/lib/module-stat.html
> ST_CTIME : Time of last status change (see manual pages 
for details). 
http://www.python.org/doc/current/lib/os-file-dir.html
> st_ctime (time of most recent content modification or 
metadata change). 

In my opinion, these two also need to be corrected.
msg45119 - (view) Author: Fred Drake (fdrake) (Python committer) Date: 2004-05-12 03:52
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user_id=3066

I've committed a variation of the patch ("metadata" instead
of "mode", since that's closer to what's described in the
man pages on my machine), and also updated the descriptions
for os.stat() and stat.ST_CTIME.

Doc/lib/libos.tex  1.135, 1.127.10.4
Doc/lib/libstat.tex  1.24, 1.23.10.1
Lib/posixpath.py  1.65, 1.62.6.1
History
Date User Action Args
2022-04-11 14:56:02adminsetgithub: 39759
2004-01-04 09:22:39gerritcreate