[Rd] sprintf causes a segfault (PR#13613)

[Wacek Kusnierczyk]

strangely enough, the way r handles the same sequence of expressions on
different occasions varies:

    # fresh session 1
    e = simpleError('foo')
    sprintf('%s', e)
    # segfault: address 0x202, cause memory not mapped
    # ^c
    sprintf('%s', e)
    # error in sprintf("%s", e) : 'getEncChar' must be called on a CHARSXP
  
    # fresh session 2
    e = simpleError('foo')
    sprintf('%s', e)
    # segfault: address (nil), cause memory not mapped
    # ^c
    sprintf('%s', e)
    # segfault, exit

note the difference in the address and how this relates to the outcome
of the second execution of sprintf('%s', e)

vQ


Waclaw.Marcin.Kusnierczyk at idi.ntnu.no wrote:
> the following code illustrates a problem with sprintf which consistently causes
> a segfault when applied to certain type of arguments.  it also shows
> inconsistent consequences of the segfault:
>
>    (e = tryCatch(stop(), error=identity))
>    # e is an error object
>
>    sprintf('%d', e)
>    # error in sprintf("%d", e) : unsupported type
>
>    sprintf('%f', e)
>    # error in sprintf("%f", e) : (list) object cannot be coerced to type
> 'double'
>
>    sprintf('%s', e)
>    # segfault reported, with a choice of options for how to exit the session
>
> it is possible not to leave the session, by simply typing ^c (ctrl-c).  (which
> should probably be prohibited.)  if one stays in the session, then trying to
> evaluate sprintf('%s', e) will cause a segfault with immediate crash (r is
> silently closed), but not necessarily if some other code is executed first.  in
> the latter case, there may be no segfault, but an error message might be printed
> instead:
>
>    e = tryCatch(stop(), error=identity)
>    sprintf('%s', e)
>    # segfault, choice of options
>    # ^c, stay in the session
>    e = tryCatch(stop(), error=identity)
>    sprintf('%s', e)
>    # segfault, immediate exit
>  
>    e = tryCatch(stop(), error=identity)
>    sprintf('%s', e)
>    # segfault, choice of options
>    # ^c, stay in the session
>    e = tryCatch(stop(), error=identity)
>    x = 1 # possibly, whatever code would do
>    sprintf('%s', e)
>    # [1] "Error in doTryCatch(return(expr), name, parentenv, handler): \n"
>    # [2] "Error in doTryCatch(return(expr), name, parentenv, handler): \n"
>    sprintf('%s', e)
>    # segfault, immediate exit
>
> in the second code snippet above, on some executions the error message was
> printed. on others a segfault caused immediate exit.  (the pattern seems to
> differ between 2.8.0 and 2.10.0-devel.)
>
> ______________________________________________
> R-devel at r-project.org mailing list
> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-devel