CHANGELOG.md

@@ -337,6 +337,14 @@
   old-style (symbol table) groups a soft link made the listing fail. New
   `group_v2::resolve_group_children` / `resolve_path_from` and
   `group_v1::v1_soft_links` in `clawhdf5-format`.
+- `clawhdf5` — one unreadable attribute no longer fails `attrs()` for every
+  attribute on its object: it is left out of the map, and the new
+  `attrs_with_errors()` (on every group and dataset handle) returns the map
+  plus one error per attribute left out. Returned values are always complete.
+  An error in the attribute index itself (attribute info message, dense heap
+  header or B-tree) still fails the call. `clawhdf5-format` gains
+  `attribute::extract_attributes_tolerant`; `extract_attributes_full` stays
+  strict.
 - `clawhdf5-format` writer — **files libhdf5 rejects or reads wrong:**
   - Extensible Array (one unlimited dimension): chunks from index 244 on were
     written but never indexed and read as 0, by libhdf5 and by us.

crates/clawhdf5-format/src/attribute.rs

@@ -394,42 +394,80 @@ pub fn find_attribute<'a>(
 ///
 /// Use this instead of `extract_attributes` when reading files that may use dense storage
 /// (e.g., objects with many attributes, typically >8).
+///
+/// Fails if any attribute cannot be read; see [`extract_attributes_tolerant`]
+/// to read the others.
 pub fn extract_attributes_full(
     file_data: &[u8],
     header: &ObjectHeader,
     offset_size: u8,
     length_size: u8,
+) -> Result<Vec<AttributeMessage>, FormatError> {
+    extract_attributes_with(file_data, header, offset_size, length_size, &mut Err)
+}
+
+/// Like [`extract_attributes_full`], but an attribute that cannot be read
+/// (a corrupt or unsupported attribute message, or a heap object that cannot
+/// be located) is left out and its error returned alongside the attributes
+/// that could be read, instead of failing them all.
+///
+/// Errors in the structures that index the attributes (the Attribute Info
+/// message, the dense-storage heap header or B-tree) still fail the call:
+/// then it is unknown which attributes exist at all.
+pub fn extract_attributes_tolerant(
+    file_data: &[u8],
+    header: &ObjectHeader,
+    offset_size: u8,
+    length_size: u8,
+) -> Result<(Vec<AttributeMessage>, Vec<FormatError>), FormatError> {
+    let mut errors = Vec::new();
+    let attrs = extract_attributes_with(file_data, header, offset_size, length_size, &mut |e| {
+        errors.push(e);
+        Ok(())
+    })?;
+    Ok((attrs, errors))
+}
+
+/// Read every attribute; each one that fails goes to `on_error`, which
+/// either stops the read (returns the error) or skips that attribute.
+fn extract_attributes_with(
+    file_data: &[u8],
+    header: &ObjectHeader,
+    offset_size: u8,
+    length_size: u8,
+    on_error: &mut dyn FnMut(FormatError) -> Result<(), FormatError>,
 ) -> Result<Vec<AttributeMessage>, FormatError> {
     let mut attrs = Vec::new();
 
     // Collect compact attributes (inline in OH)
     for msg in &header.messages {
         if msg.msg_type == MessageType::Attribute {
-            if shared_message::is_shared(msg.flags) {
+            let attr = if shared_message::is_shared(msg.flags) {
                 // Shared attribute: resolve the reference to get actual attribute data
-                let shared_ref = shared_message::parse_shared_ref(&msg.data, offset_size)?;
-                let resolved_data = shared_message::resolve_shared_message(
+                shared_message::parse_shared_ref(&msg.data, offset_size)
+                    .and_then(|shared_ref| {
+                        shared_message::resolve_shared_message(
                             file_data,
                             &shared_ref,
                             MessageType::Attribute,
                             offset_size,
                             length_size,
-                )?;
-                let attr = AttributeMessage::parse_in_file(
-                    &resolved_data,
+                        )
+                    })
+                    .and_then(|resolved| {
+                        AttributeMessage::parse_in_file(
+                            &resolved,
                             file_data,
                             offset_size,
                             length_size,
-                )?;
-                attrs.push(attr);
+                        )
+                    })
             } else {
-                let attr = AttributeMessage::parse_in_file(
-                    &msg.data,
-                    file_data,
-                    offset_size,
-                    length_size,
-                )?;
-                attrs.push(attr);
+                AttributeMessage::parse_in_file(&msg.data, file_data, offset_size, length_size)
+            };
+            match attr {
+                Ok(attr) => attrs.push(attr),
+                Err(e) => on_error(e)?,
             }
         }
     }
@@ -439,9 +477,15 @@ pub fn extract_attributes_full(
     if let Some(info) = attr_info
         && let Some(fh_addr) = info.fractal_heap_address
     {
-        let dense_attrs =
-            extract_dense_attributes(file_data, &info, fh_addr, offset_size, length_size)?;
-        attrs.extend(dense_attrs);
+        extract_dense_attributes(
+            file_data,
+            &info,
+            fh_addr,
+            offset_size,
+            length_size,
+            &mut attrs,
+            on_error,
+        )?;
     }
 
     Ok(attrs)
@@ -468,7 +512,9 @@ fn extract_dense_attributes(
     fh_addr: u64,
     offset_size: u8,
     length_size: u8,
-) -> Result<Vec<AttributeMessage>, FormatError> {
+    attrs: &mut Vec<AttributeMessage>,
+    on_error: &mut dyn FnMut(FormatError) -> Result<(), FormatError>,
+) -> Result<(), FormatError> {
     // Parse fractal heap
     let fh = FractalHeapHeader::parse(file_data, fh_addr as usize, offset_size, length_size)?;
 
@@ -482,28 +528,32 @@ fn extract_dense_attributes(
     let btree_hdr = BTreeV2Header::parse(file_data, btree_addr as usize, offset_size, length_size)?;
     let records = collect_btree_v2_records(file_data, &btree_hdr, offset_size, length_size)?;
 
-    let mut attrs = Vec::new();
     for record in &records {
         // Per HDF5 spec, both type 8 and type 9 records start with heap_id:
         //   Type 8: heap_id(8) + msg_flags(1) + creation_order(4) + hash(4)
         //   Type 9: heap_id(8) + msg_flags(1) + creation_order(4)
-        let id_offset = 0;
-
-        if record.data.len() < id_offset + fh.heap_id_length as usize {
+        let id_len = fh.heap_id_length as usize;
+        let Some(id_bytes) = record.data.get(..id_len) else {
+            on_error(FormatError::UnexpectedEof {
+                expected: id_len,
+                available: record.data.len(),
+            })?;
             continue;
-        }
-        let id_bytes = &record.data[id_offset..id_offset + fh.heap_id_length as usize];
-
-        // Read attribute message from fractal heap
-        let attr_data = fh.read_managed_object(file_data, id_bytes, offset_size)?;
+        };
 
         // The data in the heap is a complete attribute message
-        let attr =
-            AttributeMessage::parse_in_file(&attr_data, file_data, offset_size, length_size)?;
-        attrs.push(attr);
+        let attr = fh
+            .read_managed_object(file_data, id_bytes, offset_size)
+            .and_then(|attr_data| {
+                AttributeMessage::parse_in_file(&attr_data, file_data, offset_size, length_size)
+            });
+        match attr {
+            Ok(attr) => attrs.push(attr),
+            Err(e) => on_error(e)?,
+        }
     }
 
-    Ok(attrs)
+    Ok(())
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]

crates/clawhdf5/src/lazy.rs

@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@
 use std::cell::RefCell;
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 
-use clawhdf5_format::attribute::extract_attributes_full;
 use clawhdf5_format::data_layout::DataLayout;
 use clawhdf5_format::data_read;
 use clawhdf5_format::dataspace::Dataspace;
@@ -29,7 +28,7 @@ use clawhdf5_format::superblock::Superblock;
 use clawhdf5_io::HDF5Read;
 
 use crate::error::Error;
-use crate::types::{AttrValue, DType, attrs_to_map, classify_datatype};
+use crate::types::{AttrValue, DType, classify_datatype, read_attrs};
 
 /// A lazy HDF5 file handle that parses metadata on demand.
 ///
@@ -231,17 +230,26 @@ impl<'f, R: HDF5Read> LazyGroup<'f, R> {
     }
 
     /// Read all attributes of this group.
+    ///
+    /// An attribute that cannot be read — a corrupt or unsupported attribute
+    /// message, or a dense-storage heap object that cannot be located — is
+    /// left out of the map instead of failing every attribute on the object;
+    /// [`attrs_with_errors`](Self::attrs_with_errors) reports which failed.
+    /// Values that are returned are complete (never partially decoded). An
+    /// error in the index of the attributes itself (the attribute info
+    /// message, the dense heap header or B-tree) still fails the call.
     pub fn attrs(&self) -> Result<HashMap<String, AttrValue>, Error> {
+        self.attrs_with_errors().map(|(attrs, _)| attrs)
+    }
+
+    /// Like [`attrs`](Self::attrs), also returning one error for each
+    /// attribute that could not be read and was left out.
+    pub fn attrs_with_errors(
+        &self,
+    ) -> Result<(HashMap<String, AttrValue>, Vec<FormatError>), Error> {
         let hdr = self.file.get_or_parse_header(self.address)?;
         let data = self.file.reader.as_bytes();
-        let attr_msgs =
-            extract_attributes_full(data, &hdr, self.file.offset_size(), self.file.length_size())?;
-        Ok(attrs_to_map(
-            &attr_msgs,
-            data,
-            self.file.offset_size(),
-            self.file.length_size(),
-        ))
+        read_attrs(data, &hdr, self.file.offset_size(), self.file.length_size())
     }
 
     /// Get a dataset within this group by name.
@@ -401,20 +409,30 @@ impl<'f, R: HDF5Read> LazyDataset<'f, R> {
     }
 
     /// Read all attributes of this dataset.
+    ///
+    /// An attribute that cannot be read — a corrupt or unsupported attribute
+    /// message, or a dense-storage heap object that cannot be located — is
+    /// left out of the map instead of failing every attribute on the object;
+    /// [`attrs_with_errors`](Self::attrs_with_errors) reports which failed.
+    /// Values that are returned are complete (never partially decoded). An
+    /// error in the index of the attributes itself (the attribute info
+    /// message, the dense heap header or B-tree) still fails the call.
     pub fn attrs(&self) -> Result<HashMap<String, AttrValue>, Error> {
+        self.attrs_with_errors().map(|(attrs, _)| attrs)
+    }
+
+    /// Like [`attrs`](Self::attrs), also returning one error for each
+    /// attribute that could not be read and was left out.
+    pub fn attrs_with_errors(
+        &self,
+    ) -> Result<(HashMap<String, AttrValue>, Vec<FormatError>), Error> {
         let data = self.file.reader.as_bytes();
-        let attr_msgs = extract_attributes_full(
+        read_attrs(
             data,
             &self.header,
             self.file.offset_size(),
             self.file.length_size(),
-        )?;
-        Ok(attrs_to_map(
-            &attr_msgs,
-            data,
-            self.file.offset_size(),
-            self.file.length_size(),
-        ))
+        )
     }
 
     /// A header message's payload, resolved through the shared-message

crates/clawhdf5/src/mmap_file.rs

@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@
 
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 
-use clawhdf5_format::attribute::extract_attributes_full;
 use clawhdf5_format::data_layout::DataLayout;
 use clawhdf5_format::data_read;
 use clawhdf5_format::dataspace::Dataspace;
@@ -24,7 +23,7 @@ use clawhdf5_format::superblock::Superblock;
 use clawhdf5_io::MmapReader;
 
 use crate::error::Error;
-use crate::types::{AttrValue, DType, attrs_to_map, classify_datatype};
+use crate::types::{AttrValue, DType, classify_datatype, read_attrs};
 
 /// An HDF5 file opened via memory mapping.
 ///
@@ -153,17 +152,26 @@ impl<'f> MmapGroup<'f> {
     }
 
     /// Read all attributes of this group.
+    ///
+    /// An attribute that cannot be read — a corrupt or unsupported attribute
+    /// message, or a dense-storage heap object that cannot be located — is
+    /// left out of the map instead of failing every attribute on the object;
+    /// [`attrs_with_errors`](Self::attrs_with_errors) reports which failed.
+    /// Values that are returned are complete (never partially decoded). An
+    /// error in the index of the attributes itself (the attribute info
+    /// message, the dense heap header or B-tree) still fails the call.
     pub fn attrs(&self) -> Result<HashMap<String, AttrValue>, Error> {
-        let data = self.file.reader.as_bytes();
+        self.attrs_with_errors().map(|(attrs, _)| attrs)
+    }
+
+    /// Like [`attrs`](Self::attrs), also returning one error for each
+    /// attribute that could not be read and was left out.
+    pub fn attrs_with_errors(
+        &self,
+    ) -> Result<(HashMap<String, AttrValue>, Vec<FormatError>), Error> {
         let hdr = self.file.parse_header(self.address)?;
-        let attr_msgs =
-            extract_attributes_full(data, &hdr, self.file.offset_size(), self.file.length_size())?;
-        Ok(attrs_to_map(
-            &attr_msgs,
-            data,
-            self.file.offset_size(),
-            self.file.length_size(),
-        ))
+        let data = self.file.reader.as_bytes();
+        read_attrs(data, &hdr, self.file.offset_size(), self.file.length_size())
     }
 
     /// Get a dataset within this group by name.
@@ -342,20 +350,30 @@ impl<'f> MmapDataset<'f> {
     }
 
     /// Read all attributes of this dataset.
+    ///
+    /// An attribute that cannot be read — a corrupt or unsupported attribute
+    /// message, or a dense-storage heap object that cannot be located — is
+    /// left out of the map instead of failing every attribute on the object;
+    /// [`attrs_with_errors`](Self::attrs_with_errors) reports which failed.
+    /// Values that are returned are complete (never partially decoded). An
+    /// error in the index of the attributes itself (the attribute info
+    /// message, the dense heap header or B-tree) still fails the call.
     pub fn attrs(&self) -> Result<HashMap<String, AttrValue>, Error> {
+        self.attrs_with_errors().map(|(attrs, _)| attrs)
+    }
+
+    /// Like [`attrs`](Self::attrs), also returning one error for each
+    /// attribute that could not be read and was left out.
+    pub fn attrs_with_errors(
+        &self,
+    ) -> Result<(HashMap<String, AttrValue>, Vec<FormatError>), Error> {
         let data = self.file.reader.as_bytes();
-        let attr_msgs = extract_attributes_full(
+        read_attrs(
             data,
             &self.header,
             self.file.offset_size(),
             self.file.length_size(),
-        )?;
-        Ok(attrs_to_map(
-            &attr_msgs,
-            data,
-            self.file.offset_size(),
-            self.file.length_size(),
-        ))
+        )
     }
 
     /// A header message's payload, resolved through the shared-message

crates/clawhdf5/src/reader.rs

@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@
 
 use std::collections::HashMap;
 
-use clawhdf5_format::attribute::extract_attributes_full;
 use clawhdf5_format::chunk_cache::ChunkCache;
 use clawhdf5_format::data_layout::DataLayout;
 use clawhdf5_format::data_read;
@@ -23,7 +22,7 @@ use clawhdf5_format::signature;
 use clawhdf5_format::superblock::Superblock;
 
 use crate::error::Error;
-use crate::types::{AttrValue, DType, attrs_to_map, classify_datatype};
+use crate::types::{AttrValue, DType, classify_datatype, read_attrs};
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // FileData — internal storage for either owned bytes or an mmap
@@ -293,17 +292,26 @@ impl<'f> Group<'f> {
     }
 
     /// Read all attributes of this group.
+    ///
+    /// An attribute that cannot be read — a corrupt or unsupported attribute
+    /// message, or a dense-storage heap object that cannot be located — is
+    /// left out of the map instead of failing every attribute on the object;
+    /// [`attrs_with_errors`](Self::attrs_with_errors) reports which failed.
+    /// Values that are returned are complete (never partially decoded). An
+    /// error in the index of the attributes itself (the attribute info
+    /// message, the dense heap header or B-tree) still fails the call.
     pub fn attrs(&self) -> Result<HashMap<String, AttrValue>, Error> {
-        let data = self.file.data.as_bytes();
+        self.attrs_with_errors().map(|(attrs, _)| attrs)
+    }
+
+    /// Like [`attrs`](Self::attrs), also returning one error for each
+    /// attribute that could not be read and was left out.
+    pub fn attrs_with_errors(
+        &self,
+    ) -> Result<(HashMap<String, AttrValue>, Vec<FormatError>), Error> {
         let hdr = self.file.parse_header(self.address)?;
-        let attr_msgs =
-            extract_attributes_full(data, &hdr, self.file.offset_size(), self.file.length_size())?;
-        Ok(attrs_to_map(
-            &attr_msgs,
-            data,
-            self.file.offset_size(),
-            self.file.length_size(),
-        ))
+        let data = self.file.data.as_bytes();
+        read_attrs(data, &hdr, self.file.offset_size(), self.file.length_size())
     }
 
     /// Get a dataset within this group by name.
@@ -732,20 +740,30 @@ impl<'f> Dataset<'f> {
     }
 
     /// Read all attributes of this dataset.
+    ///
+    /// An attribute that cannot be read — a corrupt or unsupported attribute
+    /// message, or a dense-storage heap object that cannot be located — is
+    /// left out of the map instead of failing every attribute on the object;
+    /// [`attrs_with_errors`](Self::attrs_with_errors) reports which failed.
+    /// Values that are returned are complete (never partially decoded). An
+    /// error in the index of the attributes itself (the attribute info
+    /// message, the dense heap header or B-tree) still fails the call.
     pub fn attrs(&self) -> Result<HashMap<String, AttrValue>, Error> {
+        self.attrs_with_errors().map(|(attrs, _)| attrs)
+    }
+
+    /// Like [`attrs`](Self::attrs), also returning one error for each
+    /// attribute that could not be read and was left out.
+    pub fn attrs_with_errors(
+        &self,
+    ) -> Result<(HashMap<String, AttrValue>, Vec<FormatError>), Error> {
         let data = self.file.data.as_bytes();
-        let attr_msgs = extract_attributes_full(
+        read_attrs(
             data,
             &self.header,
             self.file.offset_size(),
             self.file.length_size(),
-        )?;
-        Ok(attrs_to_map(
-            &attr_msgs,
-            data,
-            self.file.offset_size(),
-            self.file.length_size(),
-        ))
+        )
     }
 
     /// Verify this dataset's content against its stored provenance hash

crates/clawhdf5/src/types.rs

@@ -155,6 +155,33 @@ pub(crate) fn classify_datatype(dt: &clawhdf5_format::datatype::Datatype) -> DTy
 /// Read attribute messages into a `HashMap<String, AttrValue>`.
 ///
 /// Best-effort: attributes that can't be decoded are silently skipped.
+/// The attributes of the object with header `header` that could be read,
+/// and one error for each that could not (see
+/// [`extract_attributes_tolerant`](clawhdf5_format::attribute::extract_attributes_tolerant)).
+pub(crate) fn read_attrs(
+    file_data: &[u8],
+    header: &clawhdf5_format::object_header::ObjectHeader,
+    offset_size: u8,
+    length_size: u8,
+) -> Result<
+    (
+        HashMap<String, AttrValue>,
+        Vec<clawhdf5_format::error::FormatError>,
+    ),
+    crate::Error,
+> {
+    let (msgs, errors) = clawhdf5_format::attribute::extract_attributes_tolerant(
+        file_data,
+        header,
+        offset_size,
+        length_size,
+    )?;
+    Ok((
+        attrs_to_map(&msgs, file_data, offset_size, length_size),
+        errors,
+    ))
+}
+
 pub(crate) fn attrs_to_map(
     attrs: &[clawhdf5_format::attribute::AttributeMessage],
     file_data: &[u8],

crates/clawhdf5/tests/dense_storage_interop.rs

@@ -364,3 +364,55 @@ fn soft_links_are_listed_as_their_targets() {
     check_soft_links("latest");
     check_soft_links("earliest");
 }
+
+/// One unreadable attribute used to fail `attrs()` for every attribute on
+/// the object. Now it is left out (and reported by `attrs_with_errors`),
+/// and the others are returned with their full values.
+#[test]
+fn one_unreadable_attribute_does_not_hide_the_others() {
+    skip_if_no_python!();
+    let (dir, path) = h5py_file(
+        "d = f.create_dataset('d', data=[1.0])\n\
+         for i in range(10):\n\
+         \x20   d.attrs['a%d' % i] = float(i)\n\
+         d.attrs['zz_broken_attribute'] = 42.0\n",
+    );
+    // Dense attributes live in a fractal heap whose blocks carry no checksum
+    // by default: give the one named `zz_broken_attribute` a nonexistent
+    // attribute message version (the byte 9 before its name in a v3 message).
+    let mut bytes = std::fs::read(&path).unwrap();
+    let needle = b"zz_broken_attribute";
+    let at = bytes
+        .windows(needle.len())
+        .position(|w| w == needle)
+        .expect("attribute name in the file");
+    assert_eq!(bytes[at - 9], 3, "expected a version-3 attribute message");
+    bytes[at - 9] = 0x7f;
+    let broken = dir.path().join("broken.h5");
+    std::fs::write(&broken, &bytes).unwrap();
+
+    for file in [
+        File::open(&broken).unwrap(),
+        File::from_bytes(bytes.clone()).unwrap(),
+    ] {
+        let ds = file.dataset("d").unwrap();
+        let (attrs, errors) = ds.attrs_with_errors().unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(errors.len(), 1, "{errors:?}");
+        assert_eq!(attrs.len(), 10);
+        for i in 0..10 {
+            assert!(
+                matches!(attrs[&format!("a{i}")], AttrValue::F64(v) if v == f64::from(i)),
+                "a{i}"
+            );
+        }
+        assert!(!attrs.contains_key("zz_broken_attribute"));
+        assert_eq!(ds.attrs().unwrap().len(), 10);
+    }
+    let m = clawhdf5::MmapFile::open(&broken).unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(
+        m.dataset("d").unwrap().attrs_with_errors().unwrap().1.len(),
+        1
+    );
+    let l = clawhdf5::LazyFile::from_bytes(bytes).unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(l.dataset("d").unwrap().attrs().unwrap().len(), 10);
+}

docs/known-issues.md

@@ -87,7 +87,9 @@ the VDS item, which is marked.
 - **Dense attributes:** a large attribute stored as a fractal-heap "huge"
   object makes every attribute on the object fail. This affects real NetCDF
   files (`issue671.nc`). **Fixed 2026-09-25:** huge and tiny heap objects,
-  and filtered heaps, are read.
+  and filtered heaps, are read; and an attribute that still cannot be read
+  is left out of `attrs()` (reported by `attrs_with_errors()`) instead of
+  failing the others.
 - **Other readers:**
   - VL-string datasets are not readable through `File`.
   - Metadata cache images are not supported.