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gh-89554: Document socket.SocketType as a class#150683

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gh-89554: Document socket.SocketType as a class#150683
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python:mainfrom
gaborbernat:gh-89554-socket-class-roles

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@gaborbernat gaborbernat commented May 31, 2026

socket.SocketType is a class, but the documentation marks it with the .. data:: directive, so :class: cross-references to it cannot resolve against a py:class target.

This switches the entry to .. class::. It also corrects the description: SocketType is re-exported from _socket as an alias of _socket.socket, the base class of socket.socket, so isinstance(socket(...), SocketType) is true while type(socket(...)) is socket.socket itself. The current wording, "the same as type(socket(...))", is the misleading text reported in gh-88427.

This overlaps with #93288, which corrects the same sentence but keeps .. data::. This PR combines that wording fix with the role fix.

Refs: gh-89554, gh-88427. Documentation-only change, so no Misc/NEWS entry (skip news).

This file is not covered by CODEOWNERS, so cc @vstinner, who reviews most socket changes.

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For context, I am aware of gh-88427 (the SocketType documentation being called misleading) and the open deprecation proposal in #126272. This change is limited to the directive role: it switches .. data:: to .. class:: so existing :class: cross-references resolve, and leaves the deprecation question untouched. While SocketType remains public it should carry the correct role; if it is deprecated later, this can be revisited.

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read-the-docs-community Bot commented May 31, 2026

Documentation build overview

📚 cpython-previews | 🛠️ Build #32924620 | 📁 Comparing 0ad690a against main (2f8f569)

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1 file changed
± library/socket.html

…cription

socket.SocketType is a class (re-exported from _socket as an alias of
_socket.socket, the base class of socket.socket), but was documented with
the ".. data::" directive, so ":class:" cross-references to it cannot
resolve against a py:class target.

Switch the entry to ".. class::", and correct the description: SocketType
is the base class of the socket type, not "type(socket(...))" (which is
socket.socket). This addresses the misleading wording reported in
pythongh-88427.
@gaborbernat gaborbernat force-pushed the gh-89554-socket-class-roles branch from 79787b0 to 0ad690a Compare May 31, 2026 17:34
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Amended: this now also corrects the misleading description (SocketType is the base class of socket.socket, not type(socket(...))), addressing gh-88427. That overlaps with #93288, which fixes the wording alone; this combines it with the role change.

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