python / python/mypy

Improve "override" error output

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diagnostics topic-error-reporting topic-inheritance topic-usability
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Description

(Opening a new issue for this as discussed in #12390.)

Live demo: https://mypy-play.net/?mypy=latest&python=3.10&flags=strict&gist=d3e1a06857e4c6f1c698b7fa89e22f40

Example code:

import typing as t


class A:
    @t.overload
    def pop(self) -> int: ...
    @t.overload
    def pop(self, d: int = ...) -> int: ...
    
    def pop(self, d: int = ...) -> int: ...


class B(A):
    @t.overload
    def pop(self) -> int: ...
    @t.overload
    def pop(self, d: int) -> int: ...
    
    def pop(self, d: int = ...) -> int: ...

Current mypy output:

main.py:14: error: Signature of "pop" incompatible with supertype "A"
main.py:14: note:      Superclass:
main.py:14: note:          @overload
main.py:14: note:          def pop(self) -> int
main.py:14: note:          @overload
main.py:14: note:          def pop(self, d: int = ...) -> int
main.py:14: note:      Subclass:
main.py:14: note:          @overload
main.py:14: note:          def pop(self) -> int
main.py:14: note:          @overload
main.py:14: note:          def pop(self, d: int) -> int
Found 1 error in 1 file (checked 1 source file)

It's somewhat helpful that mypy quotes the code in this error output, but it would be really helpful if mypy's output helped us zero in on exactly where the problem is, e.g.:

main.py:14: error: Signature of "pop" incompatible with supertype "A" in second overload
main.py:14: note:      Superclass:
main.py:14: note:          @overload
main.py:14: note:          def pop(self) -> int
main.py:14: note:          @overload
main.py:14: note:          def pop(self, d: int = ...) -> int
                                                ^^^^^
main.py:14: note:      Subclass:
main.py:14: note:          @overload
main.py:14: note:          def pop(self) -> int
main.py:14: note:          @overload
main.py:14: note:          def pop(self, d: int) -> int
Found 1 error in 1 file (checked 1 source file)

Note the addition of "in second overload" in the error message, as well as the all-important ^ arrows pointing to exactly where the supertype differs (namely, d should be a keyword argument). Without the arrows, it's harder to see in the output that the only difference is the = ... in the code for the superclass.

This is exacerbated when method signatures are more complex than this, e.g. MutableMapping.pop(), where the current output makes it even harder to spot where the problem is compared to this minimized example (see https://github.com/python/mypy/issues/12390#issuecomment-1073811096). It is also exacerbated by mypy ignoring the signature in the actual implementation, where d correctly appears as a keyword argument in the subclass. Finally, it can be exacerbated when upgrading to a mypy version that includes typeshed changes like this one: https://github.com/python/typeshed/pull/6941/commits/92438dcbe3e9e7720d9de56c6be0f0b5d2b14a2e#diff-b12c4be0f8e39f89957bbe7be6b6327185e18b69ea80a0f62c0746bb26f4a58eL478

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 mypy-play live demo and the provided A/B overload example to reproduce the current diagnostic. Trace the override-signature diagnostic and its formatting tests; done means the output identifies the differing overload, points to the mismatch, and preserves the existing comparison context.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
compilers
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
28/100

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