python / python/cpython

`fcntl` module provides no access to F_GETLK operation

Open
#96,694 0 comments 1 reaction 0 assignees View on GitHub

Nobody has claimed this yet.

extension-modules type-feature
Dominant language
Python
Stars
77.2k
Forks
36k
PR merge metrics
PR metrics pending

Description

Wrapper/access for fcntl(fd, F_GETLK, …)

The fcntl module currently exposes the F_GETLK constant itself, but unfortunately because the types in struct flock are OS and CFLAGS dependent (off_t, pid_t), the operation is hard to work-around with struct.unpack.

Pitch

Exposing F_GETLK is particularly useful to determine if a process that created a lock file or pid file is actually still alive, vs. whether the lock/pid file was left uncleaned from a previous exit/crash/etc. The l_pid field is the most useful, but if wrapping the call anyway it might make more sense to just expose all values.

I've already implemented this, a PR is following shortly.

Linked PRs
  • gh-112372
  • gh-96695

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 with the fcntl module's existing F_GETLK constant and review the platform-dependent struct flock types described in the issue. Check linked PRs gh-112372 and gh-96695 before starting, since the requested implementation is already reported as complete. Done means exposing F_GETLK access without requiring callers to guess OS- and CFLAGS-dependent layouts.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
operating-systems
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
20/100

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.