getpass.getuser() raises an unspecified exceptions (ImportError, OSError, etc)

[gpshead]

BPO	32731
Nosy	@gpshead, @matrixise, @jarondl, @fangyi-zhou, @jacobtylerwalls
PRs	bpo-32731: Specify Exception type of getpass.getuser #5616 gh-76912: Raise OSError from any failure in getpass.getuser() #29739

^{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 = None
created_at = <Date 2018-01-31.18:02:32.028>
labels = ['type-bug', 'library', '3.9', '3.10', '3.11']
title = 'getpass.getuser() raises an unspecified exceptions (ImportError, OSError, etc)'
updated_at = <Date 2021-11-24.03:33:25.025>
user = 'https://github.com/gpshead'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2021-11-24.03:33:25.025>
actor = 'jacobtylerwalls'
assignee = 'none'
closed = False
closed_date = None
closer = None
components = ['Library (Lib)']
creation = <Date 2018-01-31.18:02:32.028>
creator = 'gregory.p.smith'
dependencies = []
files = []
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 32731
keywords = ['patch']
message_count = 4.0
messages = ['311349', '311358', '312079', '316587']
nosy_count = 5.0
nosy_names = ['gregory.p.smith', 'matrixise', 'jarondl', 'fangyizhou', 'jacobtylerwalls']
pr_nums = ['5616', '29739']
priority = 'normal'
resolution = None
stage = 'patch review'
status = 'open'
superseder = None
type = 'behavior'
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue32731'
versions = ['Python 3.9', 'Python 3.10', 'Python 3.11']

[gpshead]

This has been true since Python 1.x. getpass.getuser() is documented as "raising an exception" but doesn't specify what exception.

On Windows when the environment variables it looks at are not set, an ImportError (!) escapes due to "import pwd" failing. It could just a easily allow an exception from the following pwd.getpwuid(os.getuid())[0] call to escape on systems when pwd exists.

None of these are actually helpful to the caller as they are left having to catch a bare Exception around a getpass.getuser() call to take another course of action. I filed this as I just saw someone suggesting code that specifically catches ImportError on getpass.getuser().

It is too late to change the exception type coming out in 2.7 or 3.6, but cleaning up this underspecified behavior to be a meaningful exception for 3.7 seems reasonable.

[jarondl]

What kind of exception did you have in mind? As the 'someone' you mentioned, I can contribute this.

btw, os.getuid() on windows raises an attribute error, so we need to check that too.

[fangyi-zhou]

Hi. I've updated the docs.

I'm wondering if the code needs to be patched as well. Essentially we should raise a unified Exception for unable to get the username I suppose?

Please let me know if you have any comments/suggestions on wording. Thanks.

[matrixise]

Hi,

For the wording, I have no suggestions but seems to be fine.

For the rest, I think you have modified the documentation and it's fine and we don't talk about the code.

We could merge the PR for the documentation and maybe you could create a new PR for the code.