feat: allow field access on concrete types behind interface values (#952)

Author: snaffi

checker/checker.go

@@ -578,6 +578,15 @@ func (v *Checker) memberNode(node *ast.MemberNode) Nature {
 		}
 		return base.Elem(&v.config.NtCache)
 
+	case reflect.Interface:
+		// For non-any interface types, we don't know the concrete type at
+		// compile time. Allow field (non-method) access and defer resolution
+		// to runtime, where the concrete type can be inspected.
+		if name, ok := node.Property.(*ast.StringNode); ok && node.Method {
+			return v.error(node, "type %v has no method %v", base.String(), name.Value)
+		}
+		return Nature{}
+
 	case reflect.Struct:
 		if name, ok := node.Property.(*ast.StringNode); ok {
 			propertyName := name.Value

test/issues/951/issue_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+package issue951
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/expr-lang/expr"
+	"github.com/expr-lang/expr/internal/testify/require"
+)
+
+type Node interface {
+	ID() string
+}
+
+type Base struct {
+	Name string
+}
+
+func (b Base) ID() string { return b.Name }
+
+type Container struct {
+	Base
+	Items []*Item
+}
+
+type Item struct {
+	Kind  string
+	Value string
+}
+
+type Wrapper struct {
+	Node // embedded interface
+}
+
+type Proxy struct {
+	*Wrapper
+}
+
+type Nodes []Node
+
+func (ns Nodes) GetByID(id string) Node {
+	for _, n := range ns {
+		if n.ID() == id {
+			return n
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func TestFieldAccessThroughEmbeddedInterface(t *testing.T) {
+	container := &Container{
+		Base: Base{Name: "test"},
+		Items: []*Item{
+			{Kind: "card", Value: "some_value"},
+		},
+	}
+	proxy := &Proxy{
+		Wrapper: &Wrapper{
+			Node: container,
+		},
+	}
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name   string
+		expr   string
+		env    any
+		expect any
+	}{
+		{
+			name:   "field through GetByID returning interface",
+			expr:   `data.GetByID("test").Items[0].Value`,
+			env:    map[string]any{"data": Nodes{proxy}},
+			expect: "some_value",
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "optional chaining with embedded interface",
+			expr:   `data.GetByID("test")?.Items[0].Value`,
+			env:    map[string]any{"data": Nodes{proxy}},
+			expect: "some_value",
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "optional chaining nil result",
+			expr:   `data.GetByID("missing")?.Items`,
+			env:    map[string]any{"data": Nodes{proxy}},
+			expect: nil,
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "promoted field through interface",
+			expr:   `data.GetByID("test").Name`,
+			env:    map[string]any{"data": Nodes{proxy}},
+			expect: "test",
+		},
+		{
+			name:   "method on interface still works",
+			expr:   `data.GetByID("test").ID()`,
+			env:    map[string]any{"data": Nodes{proxy}},
+			expect: "test",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			result, err := expr.Eval(tt.expr, tt.env)
+			require.NoError(t, err)
+			require.Equal(t, tt.expect, result)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFieldAccessEmbeddedInterfaceNil(t *testing.T) {
+	proxy := &Proxy{
+		Wrapper: &Wrapper{
+			Node: nil,
+		},
+	}
+
+	_, err := expr.Eval(`Items[0].Value`, proxy)
+	require.Error(t, err)
+}

vm/runtime/runtime.go

@@ -82,23 +82,15 @@ func Fetch(from, i any) any {
 		if cv, ok := fieldCache.Load(key); ok {
 			return v.FieldByIndex(cv.([]int)).Interface()
 		}
-		field, ok := t.FieldByNameFunc(func(name string) bool {
-			field, _ := t.FieldByName(name)
-			switch field.Tag.Get("expr") {
-			case "-":
-				return false
-			case fieldName:
-				return true
-			default:
-				return name == fieldName
-			}
-		})
-		if ok && field.IsExported() {
-			value := v.FieldByIndex(field.Index)
-			if value.IsValid() {
-				fieldCache.Store(key, field.Index)
-				return value.Interface()
-			}
+		if value, field, ok := findStructField(v, fieldName); ok {
+			fieldCache.Store(key, field.Index)
+			return value.Interface()
+		}
+		// Field isn't found via standard Go promotion. Try to find it
+		// by traversing embedded interface values whose concrete types
+		// may contain the requested field.
+		if result, found := fetchFromEmbeddedInterfaces(v, fieldName); found {
+			return result
 		}
 	}
 	panic(fmt.Sprintf("cannot fetch %v from %T", i, from))
@@ -146,6 +138,55 @@ func fieldByIndex(v reflect.Value, field *Field) reflect.Value {
 	return v
 }
 
+func findStructField(v reflect.Value, fieldName string) (reflect.Value, reflect.StructField, bool) {
+	t := v.Type()
+	field, ok := t.FieldByNameFunc(func(name string) bool {
+		sf, _ := t.FieldByName(name)
+		switch sf.Tag.Get("expr") {
+		case "-":
+			return false
+		case fieldName:
+			return true
+		default:
+			return name == fieldName
+		}
+	})
+	if ok && field.IsExported() {
+		value := v.FieldByIndex(field.Index)
+		if value.IsValid() {
+			return value, field, true
+		}
+	}
+	return reflect.Value{}, reflect.StructField{}, false
+}
+
+func fetchFromEmbeddedInterfaces(v reflect.Value, fieldName string) (any, bool) {
+	t := v.Type()
+	for i := 0; i < t.NumField(); i++ {
+		f := t.Field(i)
+		if !f.Anonymous {
+			continue
+		}
+		fv := deref.Value(v.Field(i))
+		if fv.Kind() != reflect.Struct {
+			continue
+		}
+		// Embedded interfaces need an explicit field lookup on the concrete
+		// value. Embedded structs are already covered by Go's standard field
+		// promotion, so we only recurse into them to find further embedded
+		// interfaces.
+		if deref.Type(f.Type).Kind() == reflect.Interface {
+			if value, _, ok := findStructField(fv, fieldName); ok {
+				return value.Interface(), true
+			}
+		}
+		if result, found := fetchFromEmbeddedInterfaces(fv, fieldName); found {
+			return result, true
+		}
+	}
+	return nil, false
+}
+
 type Method struct {
 	Index int
 	Name  string

vm/runtime/runtime_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,173 @@
+package runtime
+
+import (
+	"reflect"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/expr-lang/expr/internal/testify/require"
+)
+
+type Namer interface {
+	Name() string
+}
+
+type IntHolder interface {
+	Int() int
+}
+
+type ConcreteWithName struct {
+	Title string
+}
+
+func (ConcreteWithName) Name() string { return "" }
+
+type ConcreteWithSkippedField struct {
+	Title string `expr:"-"`
+}
+
+func (ConcreteWithSkippedField) Name() string { return "" }
+
+type ConcreteEmptyStruct struct{}
+
+func (ConcreteEmptyStruct) Name() string { return "" }
+
+type ConcreteInt int
+
+func (ConcreteInt) Int() int { return 0 }
+
+type ConcreteWithEmbeddedInterface struct {
+	Namer
+}
+
+func (ConcreteWithEmbeddedInterface) Int() int { return 0 }
+
+type EmbeddedInterfaceOnly struct {
+	Namer
+}
+
+type EmbeddedNilPointerOnly struct {
+	*ConcreteWithName
+}
+
+type EmbeddedStructWithInterface struct {
+	EmbeddedInterfaceOnly
+}
+
+type EmbeddedIntHolder struct {
+	IntHolder
+}
+
+type PlainStruct struct {
+	Title string
+}
+
+func TestFetchFromEmbeddedInterfaces(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name      string
+		input     any
+		fieldName string
+		want      any
+		ok        bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name:      "no anonymous fields",
+			input:     PlainStruct{Title: "ignored"},
+			fieldName: "Title",
+			ok:        false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "embedded interface with field on concrete struct",
+			input: EmbeddedInterfaceOnly{
+				Namer: ConcreteWithName{Title: "hello"},
+			},
+			fieldName: "Title",
+			want:      "hello",
+			ok:        true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "embedded interface, concrete missing field",
+			input: EmbeddedInterfaceOnly{
+				Namer: ConcreteWithName{Title: "hello"},
+			},
+			fieldName: "Missing",
+			ok:        false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "embedded interface holding pointer to struct",
+			input: EmbeddedInterfaceOnly{
+				Namer: &ConcreteWithName{Title: "pointer"},
+			},
+			fieldName: "Title",
+			want:      "pointer",
+			ok:        true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "embedded interface with nil concrete value",
+			input:     EmbeddedInterfaceOnly{Namer: nil},
+			fieldName: "Title",
+			ok:        false,
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "embedded nil pointer to struct",
+			input:     EmbeddedNilPointerOnly{ConcreteWithName: nil},
+			fieldName: "Title",
+			ok:        false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "embedded struct containing embedded interface with field",
+			input: EmbeddedStructWithInterface{
+				EmbeddedInterfaceOnly: EmbeddedInterfaceOnly{
+					Namer: ConcreteWithName{Title: "nested"},
+				},
+			},
+			fieldName: "Title",
+			want:      "nested",
+			ok:        true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "embedded interface whose concrete embeds another interface",
+			input: EmbeddedIntHolder{
+				IntHolder: ConcreteWithEmbeddedInterface{
+					Namer: ConcreteWithName{Title: "deep"},
+				},
+			},
+			fieldName: "Title",
+			want:      "deep",
+			ok:        true,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "embedded interface with non-struct concrete value",
+			input: EmbeddedIntHolder{
+				IntHolder: ConcreteInt(5),
+			},
+			fieldName: "Title",
+			ok:        false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "field is skipped via expr:\"-\" tag",
+			input: EmbeddedInterfaceOnly{
+				Namer: ConcreteWithSkippedField{Title: "hidden"},
+			},
+			fieldName: "Title",
+			ok:        false,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "embedded interface with empty concrete struct, recurses to nothing",
+			input: EmbeddedInterfaceOnly{
+				Namer: ConcreteEmptyStruct{},
+			},
+			fieldName: "Title",
+			ok:        false,
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got, ok := fetchFromEmbeddedInterfaces(reflect.ValueOf(tt.input), tt.fieldName)
+			require.Equal(t, tt.ok, ok)
+			if tt.ok {
+				require.Equal(t, tt.want, got)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}