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CED reader: detect and diagnose sonpipe/sonpy crashes on .smrx reads - #114
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| tmp = [tempname() '.bin']; | ||
| cleaner = onCleanup(@() deletefile(tmp)); | ||
| errfile = [tempname() '.err']; | ||
| cleaner = onCleanup(@() deletefile(tmp)); %#ok<NASGU> |
| cleaner = onCleanup(@() deletefile(tmp)); | ||
| errfile = [tempname() '.err']; | ||
| cleaner = onCleanup(@() deletefile(tmp)); %#ok<NASGU> | ||
| cleanerErr = onCleanup(@() deletefile(errfile)); %#ok<NASGU> |
| 'Could not read sonpipe output file: %s', tmp); | ||
| end | ||
| closer = onCleanup(@() fclose(fid)); | ||
| closer = onCleanup(@() fclose(fid)); %#ok<NASGU> |
| exe = ndr.format.ced.sonpipe.executable(); | ||
| cmd = [exe ' ' args]; | ||
| errfile = [tempname() '.err']; | ||
| cleanerErr = onCleanup(@() deletefile(errfile)); %#ok<NASGU> |
Contributor
CED's sonpy (used to read 64-bit .smrx files via the sonpipe bridge) can
fail an internal C++ assertion and abort() (SIGABRT) on certain
files/channels. That kills the reader process mid-stream; previously the
MATLAB layer could return silently truncated or empty data with no error,
because it trusted the process exit status alone -- unreliable when the
Apple Silicon 'arch -x86_64' wrapper masks a signal death as exit 0.
invoke_binary now captures stderr separately and requires the CLI's
completion sentinel ("sonpipe: wrote N ..."); a missing sentinel or a
count that does not match the captured bytes raises sonpipe:crash /
sonpipe:truncated naming the exact command, instead of returning short
data. invoke_text captures stderr to its own file so a warning or crash
text can no longer corrupt the JSON passed to jsondecode, and surfaces it
on failure. The doc notes point users at SONPIPE_LOG for breadcrumb
logging that pinpoints the crashing sonpy call.
The self-contained fake_sonpipe.py test double now emits the same
completion sentinel as the real CLI so the unit tests exercise the new
contract.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01C1UYvbvczg9QvqKg8YNr4k
Add a Troubleshooting section to the ndr.setup.sonpipe help text pointing users at the SONPIPE_LOG breadcrumb log for diagnosing a sonpy crash while reading a CED file, and noting that the reader now surfaces a mid-read abort as a sonpipe:crash/sonpipe:truncated error. This is the natural discovery point for NDR/MATLAB users, who invoke sonpipe indirectly. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01C1UYvbvczg9QvqKg8YNr4k
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Summary
Reading certain 64-bit CED Spike2 files through the sonpipe bridge crashed CED's
sonpyreader (SIGABRT) with no error surfaced in MATLAB — the readerreturned silently truncated/empty data. This PR makes the CED reader detect such
a crash and turn it into a clear error, and documents how to diagnose it. The
actual crash fix lives in the companion sonpipe PR (VH-Lab/sonpipe#5); this side
is the MATLAB-facing detection and docs.
What changed
+ced/+sonpipe/private/invoke_binary.m— captures stderr separately andrequires the CLI's completion sentinel (
sonpipe: wrote N …), checking thatNmatches the bytes captured. A missing sentinel or a count mismatch raisessonpipe:crash/sonpipe:truncatednaming the exact command, instead ofreturning short data. This holds even when an intermediate
arch -x86_64wrapper (Apple Silicon) masks the child's non-zero exit status.
+ced/+sonpipe/private/invoke_text.m— captures stderr to its own file soa warning or crash text can no longer corrupt the JSON passed to
jsondecode,and surfaces it on failure.
+ndr/+setup/sonpipe.m— adds a Troubleshooting section documenting theSONPIPE_LOGbreadcrumb log (setenv('SONPIPE_LOG','1')) for pinpointing acrashing
sonpycall, the natural discovery point for MATLAB users.tools/tests/.../fake_sonpipe.py— the self-contained test double nowemits the same completion sentinel as the real CLI, so the unit tests exercise
the new contract.
Why
sonpyaborts inside its compiled binary, which a MATLABtry/catchcannotintercept. The reader previously trusted the child process's exit status alone;
across the Apple-Silicon wrapper a signal death could look like success, so bad
data flowed back with no error. Validating the CLI's own completion sentinel
makes a mid-read crash impossible to miss.
Notes
sonpycall after the sample read) and provides the
SONPIPE_LOGdiagnostics. Userspick up the fix by updating their sonpipe install; this branch is MATLAB-only.
🤖 Generated with Claude Code
https://claude.ai/code/session_01C1UYvbvczg9QvqKg8YNr4k
Generated by Claude Code