Marshal.GetNativeVariantForObject throws ComException for various objects

[hughbe]

No failures with msbuild /T:BuildAndTest /P:TargetGroup=netfx

But with msbuild /T:BuildAndTest /P:TargetGroup=netcoreapp

  xUnit.net console test runner (64-bit .NET Core)
  Copyright (C) 2014 Outercurve Foundation.

  Discovering: System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests
  Discovered:  System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests
  Starting:    System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests
     System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObjectTests.GetNativeVariantForObject_RoundtrippingPrimiti
  ves_Success(primitive: [00:00:00.0000010], expectedVarType: 8228, expectedValue: -1) [FAIL]
        System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException : Unspecified error (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80004005 (E_FAIL))
        Stack Trace:
              at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.GetNativeVariantForObject(Object obj, IntPtr pDstNativeVariant)
           C:\Users\hughb\Documents\GitHub\corefx\src\System.Runtime.InteropServices\tests\System\Runtime\InteropServic
  es\Marshal\GetNativeVariantForObjectTests.cs(194,0): at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObjec
  tTests.GetNativeVariantForObject_ValidObject_Success(Object primitive, VarEnum expectedVarType, IntPtr expectedValue,
   Object expectedRoundtripValue)
           C:\Users\hughb\Documents\GitHub\corefx\src\System.Runtime.InteropServices\tests\System\Runtime\InteropServic
  es\Marshal\GetNativeVariantForObjectTests.cs(87,0): at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObject
  Tests.GetNativeVariantForObject_RoundtrippingPrimitives_Success(Object primitive, VarEnum expectedVarType, IntPtr exp
  ectedValue)
     System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObjectTests.GetNativeVariantForObject_RoundtrippingPrimiti
  ves_Success(primitive: System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObjectTests+StructWithValue, expectedV
  arType: VT_RECORD, expectedValue: -1) [FAIL]
        System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException : Unspecified error (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80004005 (E_FAIL))
        Stack Trace:
              at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.GetNativeVariantForObject(Object obj, IntPtr pDstNativeVariant)
           C:\Users\hughb\Documents\GitHub\corefx\src\System.Runtime.InteropServices\tests\System\Runtime\InteropServic
  es\Marshal\GetNativeVariantForObjectTests.cs(194,0): at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObjec
  tTests.GetNativeVariantForObject_ValidObject_Success(Object primitive, VarEnum expectedVarType, IntPtr expectedValue,
   Object expectedRoundtripValue)
           C:\Users\hughb\Documents\GitHub\corefx\src\System.Runtime.InteropServices\tests\System\Runtime\InteropServic
  es\Marshal\GetNativeVariantForObjectTests.cs(87,0): at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObject
  Tests.GetNativeVariantForObject_RoundtrippingPrimitives_Success(Object primitive, VarEnum expectedVarType, IntPtr exp
  ectedValue)
     System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObjectTests.GetNativeVariantForObject_RoundtrippingPrimiti
  ves_Success(primitive: [System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObjectTests+StructWithValue, null], e
  xpectedVarType: 8204, expectedValue: -1) [FAIL]
        System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException : Unspecified error (Exception from HRESULT: 0x80004005 (E_FAIL))
        Stack Trace:
              at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.GetNativeVariantForObject(Object obj, IntPtr pDstNativeVariant)
           C:\Users\hughb\Documents\GitHub\corefx\src\System.Runtime.InteropServices\tests\System\Runtime\InteropServic
  es\Marshal\GetNativeVariantForObjectTests.cs(194,0): at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObjec
  tTests.GetNativeVariantForObject_ValidObject_Success(Object primitive, VarEnum expectedVarType, IntPtr expectedValue,
   Object expectedRoundtripValue)
           C:\Users\hughb\Documents\GitHub\corefx\src\System.Runtime.InteropServices\tests\System\Runtime\InteropServic
  es\Marshal\GetNativeVariantForObjectTests.cs(87,0): at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObject
  Tests.GetNativeVariantForObject_RoundtrippingPrimitives_Success(Object primitive, VarEnum expectedVarType, IntPtr exp
  ectedValue)
     System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObjectTests.GetNativeVariant_NotInteropCompatible_ThrowsAr
  gumentException(obj: [System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.Common.GenericStruct`1[System.String]]) [FAIL]
        Assert.Throws() Failure
        Expected: typeof(System.ArgumentException)
        Actual:   typeof(System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException): Unspecified error (Exception from HRESULT: 0x800
  04005 (E_FAIL))
        Stack Trace:
              at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.GetNativeVariantForObject(Object obj, IntPtr pDstNativeVariant)
           C:\Users\hughb\Documents\GitHub\corefx\src\System.Runtime.InteropServices\tests\System\Runtime\InteropServic
  es\Marshal\GetNativeVariantForObjectTests.cs(343,0): at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObjec
  tTests.<>c__DisplayClass21_0.<GetNativeVariant_NotInteropCompatible_ThrowsArgumentException>b__0()
     System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObjectTests.GetNativeVariant_NotInteropCompatible_ThrowsAr
  gumentException(obj: []) [FAIL]
        Assert.Throws() Failure
        Expected: typeof(System.ArgumentException)
        Actual:   typeof(System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException): Unspecified error (Exception from HRESULT: 0x800
  04005 (E_FAIL))
        Stack Trace:
              at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.GetNativeVariantForObject(Object obj, IntPtr pDstNativeVariant)
           C:\Users\hughb\Documents\GitHub\corefx\src\System.Runtime.InteropServices\tests\System\Runtime\InteropServic
  es\Marshal\GetNativeVariantForObjectTests.cs(343,0): at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObjec
  tTests.<>c__DisplayClass21_0.<GetNativeVariant_NotInteropCompatible_ThrowsArgumentException>b__0()
     System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObjectTests.GetNativeVariant_NotInteropCompatible_ThrowsAr
  gumentException(obj: [System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.Common.GenericStruct`1[System.String]]) [FAIL]
        Assert.Throws() Failure
        Expected: typeof(System.ArgumentException)
        Actual:   typeof(System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException): Unspecified error (Exception from HRESULT: 0x800
  04005 (E_FAIL))
        Stack Trace:
              at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.GetNativeVariantForObject(Object obj, IntPtr pDstNativeVariant)
           C:\Users\hughb\Documents\GitHub\corefx\src\System.Runtime.InteropServices\tests\System\Runtime\InteropServic
  es\Marshal\GetNativeVariantForObjectTests.cs(343,0): at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObjec
  tTests.<>c__DisplayClass21_0.<GetNativeVariant_NotInteropCompatible_ThrowsArgumentException>b__0()
     System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObjectTests.GetNativeVariant_NotInteropCompatible_ThrowsAr
  gumentException(obj: []) [FAIL]
        Assert.Throws() Failure
        Expected: typeof(System.ArgumentException)
        Actual:   typeof(System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException): Unspecified error (Exception from HRESULT: 0x800
  04005 (E_FAIL))
        Stack Trace:
              at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.GetNativeVariantForObject(Object obj, IntPtr pDstNativeVariant)
           C:\Users\hughb\Documents\GitHub\corefx\src\System.Runtime.InteropServices\tests\System\Runtime\InteropServic
  es\Marshal\GetNativeVariantForObjectTests.cs(343,0): at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObjec
  tTests.<>c__DisplayClass21_0.<GetNativeVariant_NotInteropCompatible_ThrowsArgumentException>b__0()
     System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObjectTests.GetNativeVariant_NotInteropCompatible_ThrowsAr
  gumentException(obj: [Color [A=0, R=0, G=0, B=10]]) [FAIL]
        Assert.Throws() Failure
        Expected: typeof(System.ArgumentException)
        Actual:   typeof(System.Runtime.InteropServices.COMException): Unspecified error (Exception from HRESULT: 0x800
  04005 (E_FAIL))
        Stack Trace:
              at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.GetNativeVariantForObject(Object obj, IntPtr pDstNativeVariant)
           C:\Users\hughb\Documents\GitHub\corefx\src\System.Runtime.InteropServices\tests\System\Runtime\InteropServic
  es\Marshal\GetNativeVariantForObjectTests.cs(343,0): at System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests.GetNativeVariantForObjec
  tTests.<>c__DisplayClass21_0.<GetNativeVariant_NotInteropCompatible_ThrowsArgumentException>b__0()
  Finished:    System.Runtime.InteropServices.Tests

[jkotas]

cc @AaronRobinsonMSFT

[hughbe]

0x80004005	E_FAIL	Unspecified failure

[AaronRobinsonMSFT]

@hughbe These are failing on corefx or some other flavor? How are you running the tests to cause the failure?

Thanks.

[hughbe]

In this PR: dotnet/corefx#31057 I added a bunch of GetNativeVariantForObject tests. They pass with netfx but fail with netcoreapp.

[AaronRobinsonMSFT]

@hughbe You are doing some wonderful work here. Please keep it up and thanks for helping!

TL;DR All are the same issue and adding support for the ITypeLib and ITypeInfo interfaces will unlock this scenario - along with a few of the other bugs filed.

The issue is related to ITypeLib support. Without getting too much into the details and sadness of how this works, the reason marshaling fails for TimeSpan and StructWithValue is because those types of are VT_RECORD and in order to determine the type's layout for marshalling, the type's ITypeInfo instance must be retrieved, but this requires the ITypeLib to be created - see GetITypeLibForAssembly() in coreclr/src/vm/stdinterfaces.cpp where E_FAIL is returned.

The 5 other failures are for the same underlying reason (i.e. need an ITypeInfo), but the route to make that check is a bit longer because they are VARIANTs in an array which means the array must be interrogated which indicates its contents are VARIANT at which point the logic basically resolves to the issue above with TimeSpan and StructWithValue.

cc @jeffschwMSFT @luqunl

[AaronRobinsonMSFT]

This is similar to #27015. Closing here until we get feedback from additional users.

[jkotas]

We should remove ActiveIssue on the test before closing this.