python / python/cpython

PRECALL and CALL description in dis module is misleading

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Description

Documentation

PRECALL is presented as an effective NOP in the documentation however it has a non-zero stack_effect, which means it does alter the stack. Furthermore CALL handling of the argument is not accurate since the stack_effect of CALL is -1 and is independent from the argument value.

As a consequence, the relation between CALL and PRECALL deserves to be clarified IMO.

@iritkatriel you might be interested in the issue

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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

Start by reading the PRECALL and CALL entries in the dis module documentation and compare their descriptions with the stated stack effects. Done means the documentation accurately explains PRECALL's stack behavior and how CALL's argument handling relates to PRECALL.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
documentation
Issue type
Documentation
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
38/100

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