[mod_python] meets_conditions does not seem to work

Graham Dumpleton wrote ..
> sliderw hotmail wrote ..
> > I followed the documentation of meets_conditions and wrote the following
> > handler, but it doesn't work. 200 OK is always returned, never 304 Not
> > Modified.
> > 
> > def handler(req):
> >     req.headers_out['ETag'] = '"12345"'
> >     req.headers_out['Last-Modified'] = 'Wed, 22 Nov 2006 01:00:00 GMT'
> >     req.headers_out['Expires'] = 'Fri, 13 Feb 2009 01:00:00 GMT'
> > 
> >     status = req.meets_conditions()
> >     if status != apache.OK:
> >         return status
> > 
> >     req.set_content_length(5)
> >     req.write('hello')
> > 
> >     return apache.OK
> > 
> > Versions used: Apache 2.2.2, mod_python 3.2.8
> > 
> > Any idea?
> 
> What headers is your client sending which denote the condition that has
> to be
> satisfied. Ie., what headers are in req.headers_in such as:
> 
>   If-Match
>   If-Unmodified-Since
>   If-None-Match
>   Range
>   If-Modified-Since
> 
> If your client isn't sending any conditions, how can there be anything
> to
> check.
> 
> Another issues is perhaps that 'Last-Modified' header isn't even consulted
> anyway. Instead it looks at req.mtime attribute for when resource was last
> modified. Getting this set to a sensible value in mod_python, because output
> is
> generated dynamically, isn't that simple. In the version of mod_python
> you are
> using it probably isn't even possible as there is no way to update req.mtime.
> 
> In mod_python 3.3, req.mtime is still read only, but req.set_last_modified()
> is
> provided which allows req.mtime to be set from the mtime in req.finfo with
> req.finfo being able to be updated by setting it to result of calling the
> apache.stat() method with a file name. Problem is that in mod_python the
> mtime
> may need to reflect changes across multiple files which comprise the source
> code used to fulfil a request. Thus, in some respects, req.mtime should
> possibly
> be directly modifiable to be of most use, but it isn't right now.
> 
> Anyway, having said all that, what are you expecting to happen and how
> do you expect to be able to use req.meets_condition()?

Whoops. Forgot that in mod_python 3.3 there is req.update_mtime(), so
req.mtime can be updated, you just don't do it directly but through a
function.

Graham