prestodb/presto · error · TypeError

no abstract type ColumnHandle

Error message

 no abstract type ColumnHandle 

What it means

The to_json serializer for shared_ptr<ColumnHandle> dispatches on the handle's subclass key and only knows 'tpch'. If the runtime type discriminator is anything else (or the null/empty type of a default-constructed handle), serialization cannot proceed and a TypeError '<type> no abstract type ColumnHandle ' is thrown. Serialization is strict: unknown concrete types are never silently coerced.

Source

Thrown at presto-native-execution/presto_cpp/presto_protocol/connector/tpch/presto_protocol_tpch.cpp:109

      p.totalRows,
      "TpchPartitioningHandle",
      "int64_t",
      "totalRows");
}
} // namespace facebook::presto::protocol::tpch
namespace facebook::presto::protocol::tpch {
void to_json(json& j, const std::shared_ptr<ColumnHandle>& p) {
  if (p == nullptr) {
    return;
  }
  String type = p->_type;

  if (type == "tpch") {
    j = *std::static_pointer_cast<TpchColumnHandle>(p);
    return;
  }

  throw TypeError(type + " no abstract type ColumnHandle ");
}

void from_json(const json& j, std::shared_ptr<ColumnHandle>& p) {
  String type;
  try {
    type = p->getSubclassKey(j);
  } catch (json::parse_error& e) {
    throw ParseError(std::string(e.what()) + " ColumnHandle  ColumnHandle");
  }

  if (type == "tpch") {
    std::shared_ptr<TpchColumnHandle> k = std::make_shared<TpchColumnHandle>();
    j.get_to(*k);
    p = std::static_pointer_cast<ColumnHandle>(k);
    return;
  }

  throw TypeError(type + " no abstract type ColumnHandle ");

View on GitHub (pinned to 55bb57d202)

Solutions

1. Confirm the object passed to to_json is a TpchColumnHandle (or that its subclass key equals 'tpch')
2. Add the missing 'if (type == "<newtype>")' branch in to_json for the new concrete handle in presto_protocol_tpch.cpp
3. Ensure custom ColumnHandle subclasses implement getSubclassKey and initialize _type
4. Link the correct connector protocol module for the connector whose handle you are serializing

Example fix

// before: serializing a tpcds handle through the tpch serializer
std::shared_ptr<ColumnHandle> p = std::make_shared<TpcdsColumnHandle>();
to_json(j, p); // -> TypeError: tpcds no abstract type ColumnHandle
// after
std::shared_ptr<ColumnHandle> p = std::make_shared<TpchColumnHandle>();
to_json(j, p);

if (auto* t = dynamic_cast<TpchColumnHandle*>(p.get()); !t) {
  throw std::runtime_error("to_json(tpch) requires a TpchColumnHandle");
}

bool isTpchColumnHandle(const std::shared_ptr<ColumnHandle>& p) {
  return p && p->getSubclassKey(json::object()) == "tpch";
}

try {
  to_json(j, p);
} catch (const facebook::presto::protocol::TypeError& e) {
  LOG(ERROR) << "Cannot serialize ColumnHandle: " << e.what();
  throw;
}

When it happens

Trigger: Serializing a ColumnHandle whose getSubclassKey() returns a value other than 'tpch' — e.g. passing a TpcdsColumnHandle or a null/dispatch-failing handle into to_json for a tpch-registered protocol object, or serializing a handle whose subclass key field is uninitialized.

Common situations: Mixing connector handles across tpch/tpcds protocol translation units in tests or custom code; a custom ColumnHandle that does not override getSubclassKey; forgetting to register the new handle type in to_json's dispatch chain after adding a connector.

Related errors

• no abstract type FunctionHandle
• no abstract type RowExpression
• {type_error} {className} {typeName} {fieldName}
• ColumnHandle ColumnHandle
• ColumnHandle ColumnHandle

AI-assisted analysis of prestodb/presto@55bb57d202 (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/6a9686cb48b093bd. Report an issue: GitHub.