MySQL Bugs: #50360: invalid conversion from 'const char*' to 'char*

Bug #50360	invalid conversion from 'const char' to 'char
Submitted:	15 Jan 2010 11:02	Modified:	22 Jan 2010 11:36
Reporter:	redhat redhat	Email Updates:
Status:	Closed	Impact on me:	None
Category:	MySQL Workbench	Severity:	S1 (Critical)
Version:	mysql-workbench-oss-5.2.11	OS:	Linux (CentOS release 5.4 (Final))
Assigned to:		CPU Architecture:	Any
Tags:	invalid conversion from 'const char' to 'char

Description:
[redhatee2006@localhost mysql-workbench-oss-5.2.11]# make
make  all-recursive
make[1]: Entering directory `/home/install/mysql-workbench-oss-5.2.11'
Making all in ext
make[2]: Entering directory `/home/install/mysql-workbench-oss-5.2.11/ext'
Making all in ctemplate
make[3]: Entering directory `/home/install/mysql-workbench-oss-5.2.11/ext/ctemplate'
make -C ctemplate-src libctemplate_wb.la
...................................................
....................................................
python_context.cpp:388: error: invalid conversion from 'const char*' to 'char*'
python_context.cpp:388: error:   initializing argument 1 of 'PyObject* PyImport_ImportModule(char*)'
make[4]: *** [python_context.lo] Error 1
make[4]: Leaving directory `/home/install/mysql-workbench-oss-5.2.11/library/grt/src'
make[3]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/install/mysql-workbench-oss-5.2.11/library/grt'
make[2]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/install/mysql-workbench-oss-5.2.11/library'
make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/install/mysql-workbench-oss-5.2.11'
make: *** [all] Error 2

How to repeat:
I don't now

Linux version 2.6.18-164.10.1.el5
After install all dependences I have this errors

Verified as described by source code analysis.

The actual problem is the Python version, CentOS 5.4 comes with Python 2.4 which has

  ./python2.4/import.h:PyAPI_FUNC(PyObject *) PyImport_ImportModule(char *name);

while e.g. Ubuntu 9.10 comes with Python 2.6 which declares PyImport_ImportModule as

  ./python2.6/import.h:PyAPI_FUNC(PyObject *) PyImport_ImportModule(const char *name);

Assuming that PyImport_ImportModule doesn't actually change the "name" argument the solution would be to cast to (char *) when calling the function, as another call within the workbench code already does:

  ./library/grt/src/grtpp_module_python.cpp:    mod= PyImport_ImportModule((char*)name.c_str());

... or to add a configure check for the right python version being available instead of just failing at compile time ...

starting with 5.2.13 we are providing binary and source packages for CentOS 5.4 which 
- due to older versions of dependency-packages for WB in centos5 - have some minor features disabled (like tooltips i.e.).

An entry has been added to the 5.2.13 changelog:

When building MySQL Workbench 5.2.11 from source on CentOS 5.4, the following error occurred:

python_context.cpp:388: error: invalid conversion from 'const char*' to 'char*'
python_context.cpp:388: error:   initializing argument 1 of 'PyObject*
PyImport_ImportModule(char*)'
make[4]: *** [python_context.lo] Error 1
make[4]: Leaving directory `/home/install/mysql-workbench-oss-5.2.11/library/grt/src'
make[3]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[3]: Leaving directory `/home/install/mysql-workbench-oss-5.2.11/library/grt'
make[2]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[2]: Leaving directory `/home/install/mysql-workbench-oss-5.2.11/library'
make[1]: *** [all-recursive] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/install/mysql-workbench-oss-5.2.11'
make: *** [all] Error 2

Note, from MySQL Workbench 5.2.13, binary and source packages for CentOS 5.4 will be available. Due to the dependence of MySQL Workbench on certain packages that are older in CentOS 5.4 than in other operating systems, MySQL Workbench has some minor features, such as tool tips, disabled.