python / python/cpython

pprint.isreadable returns True for non-eval-able float and complex specials

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#145,117 2 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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stdlib type-bug
Dominant language
Python
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Description

Issue

isreadable is documented as returning True if the object's repr is readable by the interpreter — implying eval(pformat(obj)) == obj. For float and complex non-finite values, isreadable returns True, but the roundtrip fails — eval raises NameError since inf and nan aren't valid Python expressions.

Reproducer

import pprint

print(pprint.isreadable(float('inf')))        # True — but eval('inf') raises NameError
print(pprint.isreadable(float('nan')))        # True
print(pprint.isreadable(complex(float('inf'), 0)))  # True
CPython versions tested on:

CPython main branch

Operating systems tested on:

No response

Linked PRs
  • gh-145116
  • gh-145120

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First steps

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Research direction

Start with pprint.isreadable and run the reproducer for non-finite float and complex values. Trace how their representations are classified, then verify that isreadable no longer claims values are readable when evaluating the representation raises NameError; add or update focused tests for these cases.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
tooling
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
2/5
Estimated time
1-3 hours
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Clearly specified
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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