pybind / pybind/pybind11

2.3.0 regression: <class 'bytes'> is not converted to std::vector<uint8_t> anymore

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Dominant language
C++
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Description

To reproduce, create the following C++ extension:

#include <pybind11/pybind11.h>
#include <pybind11/stl.h>
#include <vector>
#include <stdint.h>

void take_bytes(const std::vector<uint8_t> &raw) {}

PYBIND11_MODULE(my_ext, m) {
    m.def("take_bytes", &take_bytes);
}

And invoke it from a Python script like this:

import my_ext
my_ext.take_bytes(b'hello')

Using pybind11 2.2.4, this compiles and runs without errors.
Using pybind11 2.3.0, this compiles, but produces the following runtime error:

Traceback (most recent call last):
...
  File "hello.py", line 2, in <module>
    my_ext.take_bytes(b'hello')
TypeError: take_bytes(): incompatible function arguments. The following argument types are supported:
    1. (arg0: List[int]) -> None

This breaking change is not mentioned in the changelog or the upgrade guide.

Version info:

  • Python 3.7.3 (v3.7.3:ef4ec6ed12, Mar 25 2019, 22:22:05) [MSC v.1916 64 bit (AMD64)] on win32
  • Microsoft (R) C/C++ Optimizing Compiler Version 19.16.27026.1 for x64
  • I'm running cl.exe with the /std:c++latest or /std:c++17 flag

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by compiling the shown C++ extension and running the Python take_bytes(b'hello') reproduction with pybind11 2.3.0, then compare the conversion behavior with 2.2.4. Trace the std::vector<uint8_t> argument conversion from the take_bytes entry point. Done means the bytes call works again, with the breaking change also recorded in docs/changelog.rst or docs/upgrade.rst.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
cpp, python
Domain
devtools
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
38/100

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