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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 #32937908 | 📁 Comparing d89fe9f against main (2f8f569)

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4 files changed
± library/array.html
± library/socket.html
± whatsnew/3.16.html
± whatsnew/changelog.html

@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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Backward-compatibility check. No independent :data: references were found, and SocketType is already proposed for deprecation (gh-88427). Minimal breakage.

Comment thread Doc/library/socket.rst Outdated


.. data:: SocketType
.. class:: SocketType
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You should move the declaration at https://docs.python.org/dev/library/socket.html#socket-objects and convert methods documentation to .. method: format.

…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::", correct the description (SocketType is
the base class of the socket type, not "type(socket(...))" which is
socket.socket), and move the declaration into the Socket Objects section
next to the socket object methods. This addresses the misleading wording
reported in pythongh-88427.
@gaborbernat gaborbernat force-pushed the gh-89554-socket-class-roles branch from 0ad690a to d89fe9f Compare June 1, 2026 15:05
Comment thread Doc/library/socket.rst
``isinstance(socket(...), SocketType)`` is true, but ``SocketType`` is not
the same as ``type(socket(...))``, which is :class:`~socket.socket` itself.

Socket objects have the following methods. Except for
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For the methods below, you should add an indentation of 3 spaces, and replace .. method:: socket.xxx(...) with .. method:: xxx(...) (remove socket. prefix).

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