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[Python-Dev] New poll about a macro for safe reference replacing

Serhiy Storchaka storchaka at gmail.com
Wed Dec 16 09:12:47 EST 2015 
I'm bringing this up again, since the results of the previous poll did 
not give an unambiguous result. Related links: [1], [2], [3], [4].

Let me remind you that we are talking about adding the following macro. 
It is needed for safe replacement links. For now there is at least one 
open crash report that can be solved with this macro [5] (I think there 
is yet one, but can't find it just now). And 50 potential bugs for which 
we just still do not have a reproducer.

#define Py_XXX(ptr, value)        \
     {                             \
         PyObject *__tmp__ = ptr;  \
         ptr = new_value;          \
         Py_DECREF(__tmp__);       \
     }

The problem is only in the macro name. There are objections against any 
proposed name, and no one name gained convincing majority.

Here are names gained the largest numbers of votes plus names proposed 
during polling.

1. Py_SETREF
2. Py_DECREF_REPLACE
3. Py_REPLACE
4. Py_SET_POINTER
5. Py_SET_ATTR
6. Py_REPLACE_REF

Please put your vote (a floating number from -1 to 1 including) for 
every of proposed name. You also can propose new name.


[1] https://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2008-May/079862.html
[2] http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.comp.python.devel/145346
[3] http://comments.gmane.org/gmane.comp.python.devel/145974
[4] http://bugs.python.org/issue20440
[5] http://bugs.python.org/issue24103
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