importlib doesn't check Windows registry for paths

[brettcannon]

BPO	14578
Nosy	@loewis, @brettcannon, @birkenfeld, @amauryfa, @pitrou, @briancurtin, @ericsnowcurrently
Files	winreg_loader.py: Example implementation of a WindowsRegistryImporter winreg_loader.diff

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

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GitHub fields:

assignee = None
closed_at = <Date 2012-07-28.19:36:15.712>
created_at = <Date 2012-04-14.17:07:06.976>
labels = ['deferred-blocker', 'type-bug', 'OS-windows']
title = "importlib doesn't check Windows registry for paths"
updated_at = <Date 2012-07-28.19:36:15.710>
user = 'https://github.com/brettcannon'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2012-07-28.19:36:15.710>
actor = 'loewis'
assignee = 'none'
closed = True
closed_date = <Date 2012-07-28.19:36:15.712>
closer = 'loewis'
components = ['Windows']
creation = <Date 2012-04-14.17:07:06.976>
creator = 'brett.cannon'
dependencies = []
files = ['26483', '26536']
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 14578
keywords = ['patch']
message_count = 26.0
messages = ['158265', '158266', '158292', '159968', '163209', '163568', '163797', '163801', '164101', '166026', '166044', '166095', '166135', '166168', '166206', '166210', '166223', '166459', '166541', '166544', '166547', '166549', '166583', '166641', '166678', '166680']
nosy_count = 8.0
nosy_names = ['loewis', 'brett.cannon', 'georg.brandl', 'amaury.forgeotdarc', 'pitrou', 'brian.curtin', 'python-dev', 'eric.snow']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'deferred blocker'
resolution = 'fixed'
stage = 'test needed'
status = 'closed'
superseder = None
type = 'behavior'
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue14578'
versions = ['Python 3.3']

[brettcannon]

Because I don't have access to Windows, importlib doesn't check the Windows registry for paths to search (see the use of _PyWin_FindRegisteredModule() in Python/import.c and its definition in PC/import_nt.c).

I am considering this a release blocker as once importlib is bootstrapped in this will be a regression that Windows users may not be happy with.

[ericsnowcurrently]

Yeah, that's one part of imp.find_module that I kind of set aside too (the #ifdef MS_COREDLL sections in Python/import.c). For now would it be sufficient to expose _PyWin_FindRegisteredModule() privately with a wrapper in the imp module?

[brettcannon]

You could just expose it, but on Windows I believe all extension modules are builtins, so you should be able to properly use _winreg to get at the registry and thus not require keeping the C code around.

But that's just a guess.

[brettcannon]

FYI, I just deleted PC/import_nt.c as it stopped compiling after my removal of _imp.get_suffixes(). Obviously hg has the history of the file so if someone needs to resurrect it there shouldn't be much issue.

[birkenfeld]

Brett (and/or Brian?), this sounds like it should be tackled soon, to give Windows users enough time of testing 3.3.

[birkenfeld]

OTOH, I don't want it to block beta1.

[brettcannon]

Yes, it should be tackled soon, but I lack Windows access so I can't do the work myself. Basically no one seems to use or care about this feature so it might die "on the vine" if someone doesn't step forward.

[briancurtin]

I will take a look at it shortly...was too busy with installer/path issues and then PEP-397 last week.

[birkenfeld]

Moving back to blocker for beta2.