python / python/cpython

`shutil.move` documentation conflicts with `shutil.copy2` documentation

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docs
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Python
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Description

Documentation

https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/a0f5c8e6272a1fd5422892d773923b138e77ae5f/Doc/library/shutil.rst?plain=1#L381-L384

https://github.com/python/cpython/blob/a0f5c8e6272a1fd5422892d773923b138e77ae5f/Doc/library/shutil.rst?plain=1#L199-L202

Which is it? Does copy2 sometimes fail to copy files, or does move work fine even with copy2 on systems that cannot copy all metadata?

Linked PRs
  • gh-137792

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Read the two linked sections in Doc/library/shutil.rst and review linked PR gh-137792 to understand the proposed resolution. Clarify the relationship between shutil.move and shutil.copy2 when metadata cannot be copied, then update the documentation so the two descriptions no longer conflict.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
documentation
Issue type
Documentation
Difficulty
2/5
Estimated time
1-3 hours
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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