sound_msgbeep doesn't check the return value of MessageBeep

[ariccio]

BPO	25387
Nosy	@pfmoore, @tjguk, @zware, @zooba, @ariccio
Files	check_msgbeep_error.diff

^{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 = <Date 2016-09-05.22:34:01.938>
created_at = <Date 2015-10-13.00:23:20.491>
labels = ['type-bug', 'OS-windows']
title = "sound_msgbeep doesn't check the return value of MessageBeep"
updated_at = <Date 2016-09-05.22:34:01.937>
user = 'https://github.com/ariccio'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2016-09-05.22:34:01.937>
actor = 'zach.ware'
assignee = 'none'
closed = True
closed_date = <Date 2016-09-05.22:34:01.938>
closer = 'zach.ware'
components = ['Windows']
creation = <Date 2015-10-13.00:23:20.491>
creator = 'Alexander Riccio'
dependencies = []
files = ['44106']
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 25387
keywords = ['patch']
message_count = 5.0
messages = ['252901', '271949', '272694', '274451', '274452']
nosy_count = 6.0
nosy_names = ['paul.moore', 'tim.golden', 'python-dev', 'zach.ware', 'steve.dower', 'Alexander Riccio']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'normal'
resolution = 'fixed'
stage = 'resolved'
status = 'closed'
superseder = None
type = 'behavior'
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue25387'
versions = ['Python 3.6']

[ariccio]

A really minor issue (probably qualifies for the "easy" keyword):

sound_msgbeep (in http://svn.python.org/projects/python/trunk/PC/winsound.c) doesn't check the return value of MessageBeep (https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms680356.aspx). This is a very minor issue, but the possibility of failure is not mentioned in the winsound documentation. Invisible failures are quite surprising.

A message in the Gnome archives (https://mail.gnome.org/archives/commits-list/2010-November/msg01938.html) has an example "fix".

[zware]

Though the source link is incredibly out of date (we've been on hg.python.org for about 5 years now, and are soon to move to Github), this is a current issue. The suggested 'example "fix"' is not applicable, though; in that case, MessageBeep is just used in preference to Beep, and falls back to Beep if MessageBeep fails.

[zware]

Here's a patch. This has the possibility of breaking existing code, but the fix is simple (just catch RuntimeError) and is probably more in line with what's expected.

[python-dev]

New changeset 4e5b3dc049cc by Zachary Ware in branch 'default':
Issue bpo-25387: Check return value of winsound.MessageBeep
https://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/4e5b3dc049cc

[zware]

I decided not to backport. If anyone else would like to, I won't stand in their way.