ElementTree.findtext() returns empty bytes object instead of empty string

[serhiy-storchaka]

BPO	16922
Nosy	@serhiy-storchaka
Files	etree_finditer_empty-3.3.patch etree_finditer_empty-3.2.patch

^{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 2013-01-13.13:27:38.743>
created_at = <Date 2013-01-10.18:10:33.544>
labels = ['expert-XML', 'type-bug']
title = 'ElementTree.findtext() returns empty bytes object instead of empty string'
updated_at = <Date 2013-01-13.13:27:38.742>
user = 'https://github.com/serhiy-storchaka'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2013-01-13.13:27:38.742>
actor = 'eli.bendersky'
assignee = 'none'
closed = True
closed_date = <Date 2013-01-13.13:27:38.743>
closer = 'eli.bendersky'
components = ['XML']
creation = <Date 2013-01-10.18:10:33.544>
creator = 'serhiy.storchaka'
dependencies = []
files = ['28708', '28711']
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 16922
keywords = ['patch']
message_count = 10.0
messages = ['179580', '179581', '179794', '179799', '179800', '179817', '179824', '179836', '179848', '179872']
nosy_count = 3.0
nosy_names = ['eli.bendersky', 'python-dev', 'serhiy.storchaka']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'normal'
resolution = 'fixed'
stage = 'resolved'
status = 'closed'
superseder = None
type = 'behavior'
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue16922'
versions = ['Python 3.2', 'Python 3.3', 'Python 3.4']

[serhiy-storchaka]

>>> import xml.etree.cElementTree as ET
>>> ET.XML('<root><empty /></root>').findtext('empty')
b''

[serhiy-storchaka]

I see yet one possible bug, using PyBytes_FromString() in list_join() on 3.2. But I can't demonstrate an example.

[elibendersky]

The fix looks good, but please don't add tests to the doctests - they are deprecated (from 3.3)

[serhiy-storchaka]

But all findtext tests are doctests and I want to keep the tests together. I think there should be separated issue for converting ElementTree doctests to unittests.

[elibendersky]

Serhiy, indeed - that's issue bpo-15083.

But since rewriting all tests is a large task no one is willing to take at this point, my strategy has been incremental: rewrite a chunk at a time when tests are being touched. Just adding new doctests goes against the desired direction.

I'll convert the findtext tests to unittest in 3.3 and default and then you can add your new tests in the proper place. Stay tuned.

[elibendersky]

Tests ported in 3.3 and 3.4

[serhiy-storchaka]

Here is a patch for 3.3+.

[elibendersky]

PyUnicode_New has been added in 3.3, so the 3.2 patch doesn't compile.

[serhiy-storchaka]

Indeed. Patch updated.

[python-dev]

New changeset 849eb27baf1c by Eli Bendersky in branch '3.2':
Issue bpo-16922: fixed findtext() to return empty Unicode string instead of empty bytes object when there's no text.
http://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/849eb27baf1c

New changeset 6323e5f1ed81 by Eli Bendersky in branch '3.3':
Issue bpo-16922: fixed findtext() to return empty Unicode string instead of empty bytes object when there's no text.
http://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/6323e5f1ed81

New changeset c38423931724 by Eli Bendersky in branch 'default':
Issue bpo-16922: fixed findtext() to return empty Unicode string instead of empty bytes object when there's no text.
http://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/c38423931724