Add the const qualifier to fields name and doc of public structs

[serhiy-storchaka]

BPO	28761
Nosy	@ncoghlan, @serhiy-storchaka
PRs	[Do Not Merge] Convert Misc/NEWS so that it is managed by towncrier #552
Files	const-name-and-doc-fields.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 2016-11-22.06:04:38.269>
created_at = <Date 2016-11-21.09:40:15.884>
labels = ['interpreter-core', 'type-feature', '3.7']
title = 'Add the const qualifier to fields name and doc of public structs'
updated_at = <Date 2017-03-31.16:36:34.032>
user = 'https://github.com/serhiy-storchaka'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2017-03-31.16:36:34.032>
actor = 'dstufft'
assignee = 'none'
closed = True
closed_date = <Date 2016-11-22.06:04:38.269>
closer = 'serhiy.storchaka'
components = ['Interpreter Core']
creation = <Date 2016-11-21.09:40:15.884>
creator = 'serhiy.storchaka'
dependencies = []
files = ['45581']
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 28761
keywords = ['patch']
message_count = 4.0
messages = ['281340', '281357', '281434', '281436']
nosy_count = 3.0
nosy_names = ['ncoghlan', 'python-dev', 'serhiy.storchaka']
pr_nums = ['552']
priority = 'normal'
resolution = 'fixed'
stage = 'resolved'
status = 'closed'
superseder = None
type = 'enhancement'
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue28761'
versions = ['Python 3.7']

[serhiy-storchaka]

Proposed patch makes the fields name and doc of structures PyMemberDef, PyGetSetDef, PyStructSequence_Field, PyStructSequence_Desc, and wrapperbase being of type "const char *" rather of "char *".

These structures often are initialized as static variables and name and doc fields are initialized from literal strings. These fields are always refer to constant string literal, NULL, or readonly UTF8 representation of a Unicode object. They are never refer to mutable data. Changing the data referred by these pointers is an error. Adding the const qualifier makes clear that this is an immutable data.

This change may need some changes in third-party code. But it needs to change only one line in CPython sources, and I believe that most third-party projects don't need any changes at all.

[ncoghlan]

+1 from me. The only thing I noticed in the patch was that the issue number needs filling in now that you've filed it.

[python-dev]

New changeset 42b0ba372ec2 by Serhiy Storchaka in branch 'default':
Issue bpo-28761: The fields name and doc of structures PyMemberDef, PyGetSetDef,
https://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/42b0ba372ec2

[serhiy-storchaka]

Thanks Nick.