python / python/mypy

Class scope name resolution issue

Open
#9,991 6 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

Nobody has claimed this yet.

bug good-second-issue priority-2-low topic-runtime-semantics topic-variable-scope
Dominant language
Python
Stars
20.6k
Forks
3.3k
PR merge metrics
PR metrics pending

Description

Example courtesy of @gvanrossum , based on https://twitter.com/gvanrossum/status/1354305179244392453

While Python's behaviour is surprising, mypy should match it.

from typing import *

x: Optional[int] = None
y: Optional[int] = None

def f() -> None:
    x = 1
    y = 1
    class C:
        reveal_type(x)  # Incorrectly reveals int, should be Optional[int]
        reveal_type(y)  # Correctly reveals int
        x = 2

I also found https://bugs.python.org/issue24129 interesting. Thanks, ilevkivskyi!

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 by running the issue's Python example through mypy and comparing the two reveal_type results. Trace the class-scope name-resolution logic that handles x and y; done means x is revealed as Optional[int] while y remains int, matching Python's behavior.

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
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
48/100

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.