python / python/cpython

`HTMLParser.unknown_decl` receives corrupted data (`'CDATA['`) when parsing an empty `CDATA` section

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3.13 3.14 3.15 stdlib type-bug
Dominant language
Python
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Description

Bug report

Bug description:

When parsing the input <![CDATA[]]>, the unknown_decl hook is incorrectly called with the corrupted, partial string 'CDATA['.

A correct parser has only two possible-and-correct behaviors:

  • If CDATA is supported: Call handle_cdata('').
  • If the declaration is "unrecognized," the unknown_decl hook must receive the entire content inside <!...>, which would be '[CDATA[]]'.

The actual result ('CDATA[') matches neither of those. I use the private _set_support_cdata(True) method here since I think it was the only available trigger to activate this specific code path to expose the bug.

from html.parser import HTMLParser

class CdataBugParser(HTMLParser):
    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__()
        self.unknown_decls = []

    def unknown_decl(self, data):
        self.unknown_decls.append(data)

html_input = "<![CDATA[]]>"
parser = CdataBugParser()
parser._set_support_cdata(True)
parser.feed(html_input)
print(parser.unknown_decls)
['CDATA[']
CPython versions tested on:

3.12

Operating systems tested on:

Linux

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

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

Start by running the issue's Python reproducer with HTMLParser and inspect the declaration-handling path that invokes unknown_decl. Add coverage for an empty CDATA section and verify that parsing produces either handle_cdata('') or the complete unknown declaration '[CDATA[]]', rather than 'CDATA['.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
web-dev
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
65/100

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