pybind / pybind/pybind11

[BUG]: `pybind11::format_descriptor<float16_t>::format()` throws `RuntimeError: NumPy type info missing for Dh` but should return `e`

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Description

Required prerequisites
What version (or hash if on master) of pybind11 are you using?

2.11.1

Problem description

when constructing a buffer format for a dtype float16 array, I get:

RuntimeError: NumPy type info missing for Dh. Here is a full function to reproduce:

std::string float16_format() {
  return pybind11::format_descriptor<float16_t>::format();
}

float16_t is defined as typedef __fp16 float16_t in arm_fp16.h running on MacOS.

According to the python buffer protocol specs float16 should be represented as 'e'.

Numpy and tensor flow are following this convention:

>>> memoryview(np.ones(3, dtype=np.float16)).format
'e'
>>> memoryview(tf.ones(3, dtype=tf.float16)).format
'e'
Reproducible example code
std::string float16_format() {
  return pybind11::format_descriptor<float16_t>::format();
}
Is this a regression? Put the last known working version here if it is.

Not a regression

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 at pybind11::format_descriptor<float16_t>::format() and trace the NumPy type-info lookup for the reported Dh type. Compare the expected Python buffer format for float16 with the existing mappings, then add or update a regression test showing that the format is e.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
cpp, numpy, python
Domain
backend-api-design
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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