static nd::array view_as_bytes(const nd::array &arr, const ndt::type &tp) { if (arr.get_type().get_flags() & type_flag_destructor) { // Can't view arrays of object type return nd::array(); } // Get the essential components of the array to analyze memory_block_ptr data_ref = arr.get_data_memblock(); char *data_ptr = arr.get_ndo()->data.ptr; ndt::type data_tp = arr.get_type(); const char *data_meta = arr.get_arrmeta(); intptr_t data_dim_size = -1, data_stride = 0; // Repeatedly refine the data while (data_tp.get_type_id() != uninitialized_type_id) { refine_bytes_view(data_ref, data_ptr, data_tp, data_meta, data_dim_size, data_stride); } // Check that it worked, and that the resulting data pointer is aligned if (data_dim_size < 0 || !offset_is_aligned(reinterpret_cast<size_t>(data_ptr), tp.extended<ndt::bytes_type>()->get_target_alignment())) { // This signals we could not view the data as a // contiguous chunk of bytes return nd::array(); } char *result_data_ptr = NULL; nd::array result(make_array_memory_block(tp.extended()->get_arrmeta_size(), tp.get_data_size(), tp.get_data_alignment(), &result_data_ptr)); // Set the bytes extents ((char **)result_data_ptr)[0] = data_ptr; ((char **)result_data_ptr)[1] = data_ptr + data_dim_size; // Set the array arrmeta array_preamble *ndo = result.get_ndo(); ndo->m_type = ndt::type(tp).release(); ndo->data.ptr = result_data_ptr; ndo->data.ref = NULL; ndo->m_flags = arr.get_flags(); // Set the bytes arrmeta bytes_type_arrmeta *ndo_meta = reinterpret_cast<bytes_type_arrmeta *>(result.get_arrmeta()); ndo_meta->blockref = data_ref.release(); return result; }