python / python/cpython

Silent ctypes.struct layout change from native to Windows when bitfields are used

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#131,747 8 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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3.14 topic-ctypes type-bug
Dominant language
Python
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Description

Bug report

Bug description:

Python 3.14 implements a special field _layout_ in ctypes.Structure that allows the programmer to explicitly choose the layout rules for bitfields used by either GCC/Clang or MSVC. The default layout is appropiate for the OS platform (MSVC on Windows, GCC otherwise) which is expected behaviour. It is also possible to use field _pack_ to change the layout to match the compiler. This is currently only implemented for the MSVC layout, not for GCC.

The problem is that using _pack_ on non-Windows systems silently switches the layout rules from GCC to MSVC, which is an unexpected layout by default on non-Windows systems. I propose that this case be handled as an error (NotImplementedError) rather than the silent layout switch. The error message may contain a hint that if the MSVC layout is indeed what is intended, one need to select it explicitly by setting field _layout_.

From the Zen of Python:

Explicit is better than implicit.
Readability counts.
Special cases aren't special enough to break the rules.
Errors should never pass silently.

Tested on 3.14a6

CPython versions tested on:

3.14

Operating systems tested on:

macOS

Linked PRs
  • gh-133205

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Research direction

The issue identifies ctypes.Structure and its pack and layout fields as the entry point. Trace the non-Windows bitfield layout handling and its ctypes tests, then verify that unsupported pack behavior raises NotImplementedError while an explicitly selected MSVC layout remains usable.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
operating-systems
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
30/100

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