python / python/mypy

issubclass doesn't narrow down types

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#10,978 7 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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bug topic-type-narrowing
Dominant language
Python
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Description

Bug Report

issubclass appears to not narrow down possible types.

To Reproduce

from typing import Any, Mapping, MutableMapping


def test_mutablemapping(obj: Mapping[Any, Any]) -> MutableMapping[Any, Any]:
    if issubclass(type(obj), MutableMapping):
        return obj  # error: Incompatible types in assignment (expression has type "Mapping[Any, Any]", variable has type "MutableMapping[Any, Any]")
    else:
        return dict(obj)

Expected Behavior

To narrow down in similar fashion to isinstance:

from typing import Any, Mapping, MutableMapping


def test_mutablemapping2(obj: Mapping[Any, Any]) -> MutableMapping[Any, Any]:
    if isinstance(obj, MutableMapping):
        return obj
    else:
        return dict(obj)

Your Environment

  • Mypy version used: 0.910
  • Mypy command-line flags: default
  • Mypy configuration options from mypy.ini (and other config files): default
  • Python version used: 3.8.8
  • Operating system and version: Windows 10

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 test_mutablemapping reproducer and compare its issubclass(type(obj), MutableMapping) branch with the isinstance example in the issue. Trace mypy's type-narrowing handling for issubclass, then add a regression test showing that the branch returns MutableMapping[Any, Any] without an error.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
compilers
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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