servo / servo/rust-cssparser

Dimension with an e-prefixed unit serializes to a number token

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Dominant language
Rust
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Forks
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Merged PRs (30d)
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Description

A Token::Dimension whose unit begins with e or E followed by a digit serializes to text that re-parses as a Number with a different value. The unit is written straight after the numeric value with no separation, so a value of 1 with unit e5 becomes 1e5, which is scientific notation for the number 100000.

Reproducer

cssparser 0.37.0, default features.

use cssparser::{Parser, ParserInput, ToCss, Token};

fn main() {
    let mut pi = ParserInput::new("1\\65 5");
    let mut p = Parser::new(&mut pi);
    let t = p.next().unwrap().clone();
    // Dimension { value: 1.0, int_value: Some(1), unit: "e5" }
    let s = t.to_css_string();
    assert_eq!(s, "1e5");

    let mut pi2 = ParserInput::new(&s);
    let mut p2 = Parser::new(&mut pi2);
    let t2 = p2.next().unwrap().clone();
    // Number { value: 100000.0 }
    assert!(matches!(t2, Token::Number { .. }));
}

Observed vs expected

Observed: the dimension serializes to 1e5. Re-parsing 1e5 yields Number { value: 100000.0 }, so the unit is gone and the value is scaled by 100000. With unit e90 the input serializes to 1e90, which re-parses to Number { value: inf }.

Expected: the serialized form re-parses to the same dimension. CSS Syntax Level 3 requires a serialized token to round-trip. The serializer already guards a unit that would collide with an identifier, so the same guard fits a unit that could read as an exponent. Writing the unit with a leading escape, as in 1\65 5, blocks the exponent reading.

Root cause

src/serializer.rs:107. The dimension arm writes the value and then the unit with no check for a unit that starts with e or E and a digit.

Scope

Any consumer that serializes tokens and later re-parses them can read a wrong numeric value, or an infinity where the source held a finite dimension. The value token is also reachable by constructing a Token::Dimension directly, without parsing. Present on main as of the latest commit.

Contributor guide

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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 the dimension serialization arm in src/serializer.rs:107 and trace the existing guard for units that could collide with identifiers. Use the reproducer with units such as e5 and e90 as regression cases, then verify that serialized dimensions re-parse with the same unit and value.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
rust
Domain
frontend
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
2/5
Estimated time
1-3 hours
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Clearly specified
Newbie friendliness
85/100

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