allow rbind for integer64 and character/complex/vector

CODEOWNERS

@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@
 /src/shift.c @ben-schwen @michaelchirico
 /man/shift.Rd @ben-schwen @michaelchirico
 
+# rbind
+/src/rbindlist.c @ben-schwen
+/man/rbindlist.Rd @ben-schwen
+
 # translations
 /inst/po/ @michaelchirico
 /po/ @michaelchirico

NEWS.md

@@ -61,6 +61,8 @@ rowwiseDT(
 
 8. `dt[, col]` now returns a copy of `col` also when it is a list column, as in any other case, [#4877](https://github.com/Rdatatable/data.table/issues/4877). Thanks to @tlapak for reporting and the PR.
 
+9. `rbindlist` and `rbind` binding `bit64::integer64` columns with `character`/`complex`/`list` columns now works, [#5504](https://github.com/Rdatatable/data.table/issues/5504). Thanks to @MichaelChirico for the request and @ben-schwen for the PR.
+
 ## NOTES
 
 1. Tests run again when some Suggests packages are missing, [#6411](https://github.com/Rdatatable/data.table/issues/6411). Thanks @aadler for the note and @MichaelChirico for the fix.

inst/tests/tests.Rraw

@@ -18736,7 +18736,7 @@ test(2264.8, print(DT, show.indices=TRUE), output=ans)
 if (test_bit64) local({
   DT = data.table(a = 'abc', b = as.integer64(1))
   suppressPackageStartupMessages(unloadNamespace("bit64"))
-  on.exit(suppressPackageStartupMessages(library(bit64)))
+  on.exit(suppressPackageStartupMessages(library(bit64, pos="package:base")))
   test(2265, DT, output="abc\\s*1$")
 })
 
@@ -19208,3 +19208,17 @@ test(2287.1, address(dt[, A]) != address(dt[, A]))
 l = dt[, A]
 dt[1L, A := .(list(1L))]
 test(2287.2, !identical(DT$A[[1L]], l[[1L]]))
+
+# rbind do not copy class/attributes for integer64 and CPLXSXP/STRSXP/VECSXP #5504
+if (test_bit64) {
+  a = data.table(as.integer64(c(1,2)))
+  b = data.table(c("a","b"))
+  c = data.table(complex(real = 3:4, imaginary = 5:6))
+  d = data.table(list(3.5, 4L))
+  test(2288.1, rbind(a,b), data.table(c("1","2","a","b")))
+  test(2288.2, rbind(b,a), data.table(c("a","b","1","2")))
+  test(2288.3, rbind(a,c), data.table(complex(real = 1:4, imaginary = c(0, 0, 5:6))))
+  test(2288.4, rbind(c,a), data.table(complex(real = c(3:4, 1:2), imaginary = c(5:6, 0, 0))))
+  test(2288.5, rbind(a,d), data.table(list(as.integer64(1), as.integer64(2), 3.5, 4L)))
+  test(2288.6, rbind(d,a), data.table(list(3.5, 4L, as.integer64(1), as.integer64(2))))
+}

src/rbindlist.c

@@ -338,12 +338,13 @@ SEXP rbindlist(SEXP l, SEXP usenamesArg, SEXP fillArg, SEXP idcolArg, SEXP ignor
 
     if (!foundName) { static char buff[12]; snprintf(buff,12,"V%d",j+1), SET_STRING_ELT(ansNames, idcol+j, mkChar(buff)); foundName=buff; }
     if (factor) maxType=INTSXP;  // if any items are factors then a factor is created (could be an option)
-    if (int64 && maxType!=REALSXP)
+    if (int64 && !(maxType==REALSXP || maxType==STRSXP || maxType==VECSXP || maxType==CPLXSXP))
       internal_error(__func__, "column %d of result is determined to be integer64 but maxType=='%s' != REALSXP", j+1, type2char(maxType)); // # nocov
     if (date && INHERITS(firstCol, char_IDate)) maxType=INTSXP; // first encountered Date determines class and type #5309
     SEXP target;
     SET_VECTOR_ELT(ans, idcol+j, target=allocVector(maxType, nrow));  // does not initialize logical & numerics, but does initialize character and list
-    if (!factor) copyMostAttrib(firstCol, target); // all but names,dim and dimnames; mainly for class. And if so, we want a copy here, not keepattr's SET_ATTRIB.
+    // #5504 do not copy class for mixing int64 and higher maxTypes CPLXSXP/STRSXP/VECSXP
+    if (!factor && !(int64 && (maxType==STRSXP || maxType==VECSXP || maxType==CPLXSXP))) copyMostAttrib(firstCol, target); // all but names,dim and dimnames; mainly for class. And if so, we want a copy here, not keepattr's SET_ATTRIB.
 
     if (factor && anyNotStringOrFactor) {
       // in future warn, or use list column instead ... warning(_("Column %d contains a factor but not all items for the column are character or factor"), idcol+j+1);
@@ -539,7 +540,8 @@ SEXP rbindlist(SEXP l, SEXP usenamesArg, SEXP fillArg, SEXP idcolArg, SEXP ignor
           bool listprotect = (TYPEOF(target)==VECSXP || TYPEOF(target)==EXPRSXP) && TYPEOF(thisCol)!=TYPEOF(target);
           // do an as.list() on the atomic column; #3528
           if (listprotect) {
-            thisCol = PROTECT(coerceVector(thisCol, TYPEOF(target)));
+            // coerceAs for int64 to copy attributes (coerceVector does not copy atts)
+            thisCol = PROTECT(INHERITS(thisCol, char_integer64) ? coerceAs(thisCol, target, ScalarLogical(TRUE)) : coerceVector(thisCol, TYPEOF(target)));
             // else coerces if needed within memrecycle; with a no-alloc direct coerce from 1.12.4 (PR #3909)
             const char *ret = memrecycle(target, R_NilValue, ansloc, thisnrow, thisCol, 0, -1, idcol+j+1, foundName);
             UNPROTECT(1); // earlier unprotect rbindlist calls with lots of lists #4536