python/notmuch2: do not destroy messages owned by a query

Any messages retrieved from a query - either directly via
search_messages() or indirectly via thread objects - are owned by that
query. Retrieving the same message (i.e. corresponding to the same
message ID / database object) several times will always yield the same
C object.

The caller is allowed to destroy message objects owned by a query before
the query itself - which can save memory for long-lived queries.
However, that message must then never be retrieved again from that
query.

The python-notmuch2 bindings will currently destroy every message object
in Message._destroy(), which will lead to an invalid free if the same
message is then retrieved again. E.g. the following python program leads
to libtalloc abort()ing:

import notmuch2
db   = notmuch2.Database(mode = notmuch2.Database.MODE.READ_ONLY)
t    = next(db.threads('*'))
msgs = list(zip(t.toplevel(), t.toplevel()))
msgs = list(zip(t.toplevel(), t.toplevel()))

Fix this issue by creating a subclass of Message, which is used for
"standalone" message which have to be freed by the caller. Message class
is then used only for messages descended from a query, which do not need
to be freed by the caller.

bindings/python-cffi/notmuch2/_database.py

@@ -400,7 +400,7 @@ class Database(base.NotmuchObject):
               capi.lib.NOTMUCH_STATUS_DUPLICATE_MESSAGE_ID]
         if ret not in ok:
             raise errors.NotmuchError(ret)
-        msg = message.Message(self, msg_pp[0], db=self)
+        msg = message.StandaloneMessage(self, msg_pp[0], db=self)
         if sync_flags:
             msg.tags.from_maildir_flags()
         return self.AddedMessage(
@@ -469,7 +469,7 @@ class Database(base.NotmuchObject):
         msg_p = msg_pp[0]
         if msg_p == capi.ffi.NULL:
             raise LookupError
-        msg = message.Message(self, msg_p, db=self)
+        msg = message.StandaloneMessage(self, msg_p, db=self)
         return msg
 
     def get(self, filename):
@@ -502,7 +502,7 @@ class Database(base.NotmuchObject):
         msg_p = msg_pp[0]
         if msg_p == capi.ffi.NULL:
             raise LookupError
-        msg = message.Message(self, msg_p, db=self)
+        msg = message.StandaloneMessage(self, msg_p, db=self)
         return msg
 
     @property

bindings/python-cffi/notmuch2/_message.py

@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ __all__ = ['Message']
 
 
 class Message(base.NotmuchObject):
-    """An email message stored in the notmuch database.
+    """An email message stored in the notmuch database retrieved via a query.
 
     This should not be directly created, instead it will be returned
     by calling methods on :class:`Database`.  A message keeps a
@@ -61,22 +61,10 @@ class Message(base.NotmuchObject):
 
     @property
     def alive(self):
-        if not self._parent.alive:
-            return False
-        try:
-            self._msg_p
-        except errors.ObjectDestroyedError:
-            return False
-        else:
-            return True
-
-    def __del__(self):
-        self._destroy()
+        return self._parent.alive
 
     def _destroy(self):
-        if self.alive:
-            capi.lib.notmuch_message_destroy(self._msg_p)
-        self._msg_p = None
+        pass
 
     @property
     def messageid(self):
@@ -375,6 +363,30 @@ class Message(base.NotmuchObject):
         if isinstance(other, self.__class__):
             return self.messageid == other.messageid
 
+class StandaloneMessage(Message):
+    """An email message stored in the notmuch database.
+
+    This subclass of Message is used for messages that are retrieved from the
+    database directly and are not owned by a query.
+    """
+    @property
+    def alive(self):
+        if not self._parent.alive:
+            return False
+        try:
+            self._msg_p
+        except errors.ObjectDestroyedError:
+            return False
+        else:
+            return True
+
+    def __del__(self):
+        self._destroy()
+
+    def _destroy(self):
+        if self.alive:
+            capi.lib.notmuch_message_destroy(self._msg_p)
+        self._msg_p = None
 
 class FilenamesIter(base.NotmuchIter):
     """Iterator for binary filenames objects."""