python / python/cpython

ctypes.Structure superclass with bitfields do not parse properly when it doesn't end on a byte boundary

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topic-ctypes type-bug
Dominant language
Python
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Description

Bug report

Bug description:

I am trying to extend a ctypes Structure in a subclass but am running into some issues. My parent class defines bitfields that are intended to be expanded in the child class to fill the byte boundary.

import ctypes

class Parent(ctypes.BigEndianStructure):
    _pack_ = 1
    _fields_ = [
        ("field1", ctypes.c_uint8, 8),
        ("field2", ctypes.c_uint8, 6),
    ]

class Child(Parent):
    _pack_ = 1
    _fields_ = [
        ("field3", ctypes.c_uint8, 2),  # fills the missing bits from the parent
        ("field4", ctypes.c_uint16, 16)
    ]

When I run the following to test, I am not getting the expected values.

data = b"\x12\x02\xAB\xCD\xEF"
child = Child.from_buffer_copy(data)

print(hex(child.field1))  # 0x12
print(hex(child.field2))  # 0x00
print(hex(child.field3))  # 0x02
print(hex(child.field4))  # 0xABCD
print(bytes(child))
0x12
0x0
0x2
0xcdef   <--- we're missing the 3rd byte 0xAB, and shouldn't have 0xEF
b'\x12\x02\xab\xcd\xef'

I only have 4 bytes defined in the structure, but when trying to supply data with only 4 bytes, it throws an error

    child = Child.from_buffer_copy(data)
ValueError: Buffer size too small (4 instead of at least 5 bytes)

When combining into just one struct it seems to work fine

class Combined(ctypes.BigEndianStructure):
    _pack_ = 1
    _fields_ = [
        ("field1", ctypes.c_uint8, 8),
        ("field2", ctypes.c_uint8, 6),
        ("field3", ctypes.c_uint8, 2),
        ("field4", ctypes.c_uint16, 16)
    ]

combined = Combined.from_buffer_copy(data)
print(hex(combined.field1))  # 0x12
print(hex(combined.field2))  # 0x00
print(hex(combined.field3))  # 0x02
print(hex(combined.field4))  # 0xAB
print(bytes(combined))
0x12
0x0
0x2
0xabcd
b'\x12\x02\xab\xcd'

and adjusting the sizes of the bitfields in the parent/child classes seems to change the behavior

class Parent(ctypes.BigEndianStructure):
    _pack_ = 1
    _fields_ = [
        ("field1", ctypes.c_uint8, 8),
        ("field2", ctypes.c_uint8, 4),
    ]

class Child(Parent):
    _pack_ = 1
    _fields_ = [
        ("field3", ctypes.c_uint8, 4),
        ("field4", ctypes.c_uint16, 16)
    ]
0x12
0x0
0xa
0xcdef
b'\x12\x02\xab\xcd\xef'
class Parent(ctypes.BigEndianStructure):
    _pack_ = 1
    _fields_ = [
        ("field1", ctypes.c_uint8, 8),
        ("field2", ctypes.c_uint8, 2),
    ]

class Child(Parent):
    _pack_ = 1
    _fields_ = [
        ("field3", ctypes.c_uint8, 6),
        ("field4", ctypes.c_uint16, 16)
    ]
0x12
0x0
0x2a
0xcdef
b'\x12\x02\xab\xcd\xef'
CPython versions tested on:

3.9, 3.11

Operating systems tested on:

Linux

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 reproducing the behavior through ctypes.BigEndianStructure inheritance and Child.from_buffer_copy(), comparing the subclass layout with the Combined structure shown in the report. Trace how inherited bitfields and the resulting buffer size are calculated. Done means the subclass consumes the expected four-byte layout and produces the same field values and bytes as the combined structure.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
backend
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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