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Preserve str subclass results from __repr__ in plain str()#7454

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copilot/fix-str-subclass-type-issue
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Preserve str subclass results from __repr__ in plain str()#7454
Copilot wants to merge 4 commits intomainfrom
copilot/fix-str-subclass-type-issue

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Copilot AI commented Mar 17, 2026

str(obj) was flattening a str subclass returned by __repr__ into an exact str, diverging from CPython. This only affected the plain str(...) constructor path; subtype construction should still normalize to the requested subtype.

  • Constructor behavior

    • Change the exact str(...) fast path in PyStr::slot_new to return PyObject::str(vm) directly for the single-argument, no-kwargs case.
    • This preserves subclass identity when __str__/__repr__ returns a str subclass, instead of rebuilding a new exact str from the underlying data.
  • Regression coverage

    • Re-enable Lib/test/test_str.py::StrTest.test_conversion, which already covers WithRepr(StrSubclass(...)) and related conversion cases.
    • The test now reflects the intended CPython-compatible behavior instead of remaining marked as an expected failure.

Example:

class MyStr(str):
    pass

class Foo:
    def __repr__(self):
        return MyStr("hello")

result = str(Foo())
type(result)  # now: MyStr
Original prompt

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>str() discards str subclass type returned by __repr__</issue_title>
<issue_description>## Description

str() on an object whose __repr__ returns a str subclass instance incorrectly returns a plain str, discarding the subclass type. CPython preserves the subclass type as-is. This is a CPython compatibility issue.

Root Cause

PyStr::py_new calls input.str(vm) which correctly resolves to the __repr__ return value (a str subclass instance), but then extracts only the raw string data via Self::from(s.as_wtf8().to_owned()) and creates a new plain PyStr, discarding the subclass type.

CPython reference: unicodeobject.c#L15575-L15596

// Key branch: only convert when type is a str subclass
if (unicode != NULL && type != &PyUnicode_Type) {
    Py_SETREF(unicode, unicode_subtype_new(type, unicode));
}
return unicode;   // when type is exactly str → return PyObject_Str result as-is

When type == &PyUnicode_Type (plain str() call), unicode_new_impl returns the PyObject_Str result without conversion, preserving the subclass type.

Reproduction

class MyStr(str):
    pass

class Foo:
    def __repr__(self):
        return MyStr('hello')

result = str(Foo())
print(result)
print(type(result))

Output

RustPython:

hello
<class 'str'>

CPython:

hello
<class '__main__.MyStr'>

Environment

  • RustPython d248a04 (Python 3.14.0)
  • CPython 3.14.3
  • OS: Debian 12</issue_description>

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Summary by CodeRabbit

  • Bug Fixes
    • Improved string conversion behavior to ensure consistent handling of arguments passed to the string constructor.

Copilot AI and others added 2 commits March 17, 2026 11:27
Co-authored-by: youknowone <69878+youknowone@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: youknowone <69878+youknowone@users.noreply.github.com>
Copilot AI changed the title [WIP] Fix str() to preserve str subclass type from __repr__ Preserve str subclass results from __repr__ in plain str() Mar 17, 2026
Copilot AI requested a review from youknowone March 17, 2026 11:30
@youknowone youknowone marked this pull request as ready for review March 17, 2026 11:40
Comment on lines 398 to 400
if cls.is(vm.ctx.types.str_type)
&& func_args.args.len() == 1
&& func_args.kwargs.is_empty()
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[auto-format] reported by reviewdog 🐶

Suggested change
if cls.is(vm.ctx.types.str_type)
&& func_args.args.len() == 1
&& func_args.kwargs.is_empty()
if cls.is(vm.ctx.types.str_type) && func_args.args.len() == 1 && func_args.kwargs.is_empty()

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github-actions bot commented Mar 17, 2026

📦 Library Dependencies

The following Lib/ modules were modified. Here are their dependencies:

[ ] test: cpython/Lib/test/test_str.py (TODO: 15)
[x] test: cpython/Lib/test/test_fstring.py (TODO: 19)
[x] test: cpython/Lib/test/test_string_literals.py (TODO: 4)

dependencies:

dependent tests: (no tests depend on str)

Legend:

  • [+] path exists in CPython
  • [x] up-to-date, [ ] outdated

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@copilot fix CI failure

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Copilot AI commented Mar 17, 2026

@copilot fix CI failure

Fixed by a555ce4. The only failing CI job was the old format_check run on 0852fa6, and it failed in the final formatting-diff step. a555ce4 contains the formatting fix, cargo fmt --check passes locally, and the targeted regression test still passes while the refreshed PR checks are running on the updated head.

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@copilot Fix still failng ci.

Co-authored-by: youknowone <69878+youknowone@users.noreply.github.com>
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Copilot AI commented Mar 17, 2026

@copilot Fix still failng ci.

Pushed 008e4c6. I traced the red CI to the old 0852fa6 run: the real reported failure was test.test_multiprocessing_fork.test_processes, and it passes locally on current HEAD. This follow-up tightens the existing str regression and triggers fresh workflows for the updated branch state; the new runs are on 008e4c6, but GitHub currently shows them as action_required with no jobs started yet.

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@coderabbitai review

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coderabbitai bot commented Mar 19, 2026

✅ Actions performed

Review triggered.

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coderabbitai bot commented Mar 19, 2026

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review. 🎉

ℹ️ Recent review info
⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Path: .coderabbit.yml

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: 609ffbcc-40d9-4d2e-af34-f8b63c890459

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 2a61237 and 008e4c6.

⛔ Files ignored due to path filters (1)
  • Lib/test/test_str.py is excluded by !Lib/**
📒 Files selected for processing (1)
  • crates/vm/src/builtins/str.rs

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

The PyStr.slot_new optimization path is modified to invoke string conversion on arguments via str(vm) instead of requiring the argument to be an existing PyStr instance. This enables the optimization to coerce non-string single arguments to strings while preserving subclass types.

Changes

Cohort / File(s) Summary
String Constructor Optimization
crates/vm/src/builtins/str.rs
Modified the exact str type optimization path to call str(vm) on the single positional argument instead of type-checking for PyStr, enabling string coercion while preserving subclass types returned by __str__/__repr__.

Estimated code review effort

🎯 2 (Simple) | ⏱️ ~8 minutes

Possibly related PRs

  • Add tp_str #6495: Implements the tp_str/__str__ slot mechanism that enables the .str(vm) method call used in this optimization path to properly invoke string conversion with subclass type preservation.

Poem

🐰 A str() call once crude and plain,
Now honors types with careful strain,
Subclasses preserved, not cast away,
The optimization wins the day! ✨

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 4 | ❌ 1

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)

Check name Status Explanation Resolution
Docstring Coverage ⚠️ Warning Docstring coverage is 0.00% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%. Write docstrings for the functions missing them to satisfy the coverage threshold.
✅ Passed checks (4 passed)
Check name Status Explanation
Description Check ✅ Passed Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check ✅ Passed The title directly describes the main change: preserving str subclass results from repr in plain str() calls, matching the core objective documented in issue #7450.
Linked Issues check ✅ Passed The PR changes PyStr::slot_new to return the str conversion result directly instead of rebuilding a plain str, which directly addresses issue #7450's requirement to preserve str subclass types returned by repr to match CPython behavior.
Out of Scope Changes check ✅ Passed The changes to PyStr::slot_new are narrowly scoped to the optimization path that triggered the bug, with no unrelated modifications present in the provided changeset.

✏️ Tip: You can configure your own custom pre-merge checks in the settings.

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  • Create PR with unit tests
  • Commit unit tests in branch copilot/fix-str-subclass-type-issue
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str() discards str subclass type returned by __repr__

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