docs: document two related Indigo exec/open() gotchas#42
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IndigoPluginHost3 runs Python with a locale where open() defaults to ASCII encoding, not UTF-8. Any code that does open(path).read() on a file containing common UTF-8 characters (em-dash, arrows, currency symbols, accented letters) crashes with: UnicodeDecodeError: 'ascii' codec can't decode byte 0xe2 ... This bites scripts that exec() another script to reuse functions, plugins reading bundled JSON/text resources, and any code loading UTF-8 user content. Add a subsection under "Python 3 Issues" in troubleshooting/common-issues.md covering symptom, cause, common byte sequences seen, and the fix: always pass encoding="utf-8" to open() and Path.read_text(). Confirmed 14-May-2026 on Indigo 2025.2 / Python 3.13.9 — four trigger scripts using the exec(open(controller_path).read()) pattern all failed at byte 134 (em-dash in the controller's Description header). Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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📝 WalkthroughWalkthroughThis PR adds a troubleshooting guide for ChangesUnicodeDecodeError Troubleshooting Documentation
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Inline comments:
In `@docs/plugin-dev/troubleshooting/common-issues.md`:
- Around line 453-455: The fenced code block containing the UnicodeDecodeError
message is missing a language tag and triggers markdownlint MD040; update the
fenced block in docs/plugin-dev/troubleshooting/common-issues.md to include a
language identifier (e.g., replace the opening "```" with "```text") so the
snippet is treated as plain text and the linter warning is resolved.
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docs/plugin-dev/troubleshooting/common-issues.md
The "exec a shared library" pattern hits a second non-obvious failure
mode under Indigo, separate from the UTF-8 default:
NameError: name 'log' is not defined
after a successful exec(). Cause: Indigo runs embedded trigger/action
scripts inside a function wrapper, so globals() != locals() at the
exec() call site. Per Python's documented semantics, exec() in that
case puts definitions into locals() only — they never reach the
module global namespace where subsequent code looks for them.
Fix: pass globals() explicitly to exec():
exec(_f.read(), globals())
The two gotchas (ASCII default open() + locals-bound exec()) are
companions — the exec-a-shared-library pattern needs both to work
reliably under Indigo. Documented together in the same Python 3
Issues subsection so anyone hitting one finds the other.
Confirmed 14-May-2026 on Indigo 2025.2 / Python 3.13.9 — same garage
door controller refactor that exposed the UTF-8 issue then hit
NameError on every function call once encoding was fixed.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Highsteads
changed the title
CodeRabbit flagged two bare ``` fences (the UnicodeDecodeError and NameError symptom blocks) as triggering markdownlint MD040. Add `text` language tags to both so they're treated as plain text and the linter warning clears. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 <noreply@anthropic.com>
1 participant
Summary
Adds two related, undocumented gotchas to
docs/plugin-dev/troubleshooting/common-issues.md(under "Python 3 Issues"). Both bite the same "exec another script to reuse its functions" pattern that's common in larger Indigo automation setups.Gotcha 1 —
UnicodeDecodeError: 'ascii' codec can't decode byte 0xe2IndigoPluginHost3runs Python with a locale that defaultsopen()to ASCII. Files containing—,→,°,£, accented letters etc. crash on read. Fix: passencoding=\"utf-8\"explicitly to everyopen()call (and toPath.read_text()).Gotcha 2 —
NameError: name '<function>' is not definedafterexec()Indigo runs embedded trigger/action scripts inside a function wrapper, so
globals()andlocals()are different dicts at theexec()call site. Per Python's documented semantics,exec()then binds new definitions tolocals()only — they never reach the module globals where subsequent code looks for them. Fix:exec(code, globals()).The two are companions: the "exec a shared library" pattern needs both
encoding=\"utf-8\"AND explicitglobals()to work reliably under Indigo. Anyone hitting one will likely hit the other next, so they're documented together.Why this matters
Hit both on 14-May-2026 during a real automation refactor:
exec(open(controller_path).read())all crashed at byte 134 — the em-dash in the controller's# Description:headerencoding=\"utf-8\", every script then failed withNameError: name 'log' is not definedon the next lineBoth errors mislead developers: the first blames the file being read, the second suggests the library didn't define the function. Neither symptom points at
open()'s default encoding orexec()'s scope handling.Pure documentation change — no code touched.
Test plan
common-issues.mdunder "Python 3 Issues"exec()/globals()section🤖 Generated with Claude Code