OS: linux

If you use tarfile.py to create a tarfile with a
symbolic link followed by a regular file, then use gnu
tar to list the contents you will see:

tar tvf archives/test1.my.tar
	lrwxrwxrwx andrew/dev        3 2005-03-20 16:00:35
barlink -> bar
	tar: Skipping to next header
	tar: Error exit delayed from previous errors

I have traced the problem down to the size field in the
tar header being set to the length of the link target
name, not zero as it should be.

I have put an extended description and proof of this at:

http://software.ellerton.net/supertar/README.txt
http://software.ellerton.net/supertar/PythonTarPatchProof.tar

The patch file attached fixes this by setting size == 0
if filetype == SYMLINK, and verified this works
perfectly on linux.

CAUTION: I don't know, though I can fairly safely
assume, that this will work also on other unix's.

(Shameless plug: this is where the supertar utility
is/will be: http://software.ellerton.net/supertar/ )