Access to errno from Python?

Question

I am stuck with a fairly complex Python module that does not return useful error codes (it actually fails disturbingly silently). However, the underlying C library it calls sets errno.

Normally errno comes in over OSError attributes, but since I don't have an exception, I can't get at it.

Using ctypes, libc.errno doesn't work because errno is a macro in GNU libc. Python 2.6 has some affordances but Debian still uses Python 2.5. Inserting a C module into my pure Python program just to read errno disgusts me.

Is there some way to access errno? A Linux-only solution is fine, since the library being wrapped is Linux-only. I also don't have to worry about threads, as I'm only running one thread during the time in which this can fail.

Answer 1

Update: On Python 2.6+, use ctypes.get_errno().

Python 2.5

Belowed code is not reliable (or comprehensive, there are a plefora of ways errno could be defined) but it should get you started (or reconsider your position on a tiny extension module (after all on Debian python setup.py install or easy_install should have no problem to build it)). From http://codespeak.net/pypy/dist/pypy/rpython/lltypesystem/ll2ctypes.py

if not hasattr(ctypes, 'get_errno'):
    # Python 2.5 or older
    if sys.platform == 'win32':
        standard_c_lib._errno.restype = ctypes.POINTER(ctypes.c_int)
        def _where_is_errno():
            return standard_c_lib._errno()

    elif sys.platform in ('linux2', 'freebsd6'):
        standard_c_lib.__errno_location.restype = ctypes.POINTER(ctypes.c_int)
        def _where_is_errno():
            return standard_c_lib.__errno_location()

    elif sys.platform in ('darwin', 'freebsd7'):
        standard_c_lib.__error.restype = ctypes.POINTER(ctypes.c_int)
        def _where_is_errno():
            return standard_c_lib.__error()
    ctypes.get_errno = lambda: _where_is_errno().contents.value 

Where standard_c_lib:

def get_libc_name():
    if sys.platform == 'win32':
        # Parses sys.version and deduces the version of the compiler
        import distutils.msvccompiler
        version = distutils.msvccompiler.get_build_version()
        if version is None:
            # This logic works with official builds of Python.
            if sys.version_info < (2, 4):
                clibname = 'msvcrt'
            else:
                clibname = 'msvcr71'
        else:
            if version <= 6:
                clibname = 'msvcrt'
            else:
                clibname = 'msvcr%d' % (version * 10)

        # If python was built with in debug mode
        import imp
        if imp.get_suffixes()[0][0] == '_d.pyd':
            clibname += 'd'

        return clibname+'.dll'
    else:
        return ctypes.util.find_library('c')

# Make sure the name is determined during import, not at runtime
libc_name = get_libc_name() 
standard_c_lib = ctypes.cdll.LoadLibrary(get_libc_name())

Answer 2

Here is a snippet of code that allows to access errno:

from ctypes import *

libc = CDLL("libc.so.6")

get_errno_loc = libc.__errno_location
get_errno_loc.restype = POINTER(c_int)

def errcheck(ret, func, args):
    if ret == -1:
        e = get_errno_loc()[0]
        raise OSError(e)
    return ret

copen = libc.open
copen.errcheck = errcheck

print copen("nosuchfile", 0)

The important thing is that you check errno as soon as possible after your function call, otherwise it may already be overwritten.

Answer 3

It looks like you can use this patch that will provide you with ctypes.get_errno/set_errno

http://bugs.python.org/issue1798

This is the patch that was actually applied to the repository:

http://svn.python.org/view?view=rev&revision=63977

Otherwise, adding a new C module that does nothing but return errno /is/ disgusting, but so is the library that you're using. I would do that in preference to patching python myself.

Answer 4

Gave up and tracked through the C headers.

import ctypes
c = ctypes.CDLL("libc.so.6")
c.__errno_location.restype = ctypes.POINTER(ctypes.c_int)
c.write(5000, "foo", 4)
print c.__errno_location().contents # -> c_long(9)

It doesn't work in the python command prompt because it resets errno to read from stdin.

Once you know the magic word of __errno_location this looks like a common pattern. But with just errno I was pretty lost.

Answer 5

I'm not sure if this is what you and Jerub are referring to, but you could write a very short C extension that just exports errno, i.e. with the python language interface.

Otherwise, I agree with you that having to add this small bit of compiled code is a pain.

Answer 6

ctypes actually gives a standard way to access python's c implementation, which is using errno. I haven't tested this on anything other than my (linux) system, but this should be very portable:

ctypes.c_int.in_dll(ctypes.pythonapi,"errno")

which returns a c_int containing the current value.