File Meta Source: Repeat does not work for detached headers

[nuena]

What happened?

Short description:

The File Meta Source block does not repeat the file, if a detached header is used.

System Information

OS: x86-64 Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

GR Installation Method: radioconda

GR version: 3.10.9.2
Python version: 3.11.8

GNU Radio Version

3.10 (maint-3.10)

Specific Version

3.10.9.2

Steps to Reproduce the Problem

1. Create any IQ file using the File Meta Sink block with Detached Header being set to “True”
2. Replay this file with File Meta Source block, Detached Header = True and Repeat = True, with the data being sent to any sink (e.g. Tag Debug)

Observed Behaviour:

The file’s contents are being loaded, but when EOF is reached no more samples are being produced, essentially stalling the flowgraph

Expected Behaviour:

The file should reset to the beginning and continue to produce samples indefinitely.

Other Notes:
• Replaying the IQ file without the information in the header using File Source and Repeat = True works as expected.
• Replaying a file using the File Meta Source with Repeat = True, but inline headers works as expected.
• The data type does not appear to have an influence (same behaviour for IShort and Complex Float)

Relevant log output

No response

[nuena]

See also mailing list (https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/discuss-gnuradio/2024-03/msg00032.html) for references by @marcusmueller to issues #3516 and #5568

[nuena]

To reproduce: This zip-file contains three flowgraphs, one that creates a inline and a detached header file. (file_sink_test.grc). The generated files can be replayed using replay_inline.py and replay_detached.py.

reproduce_file_meta.zip

Log output from replay_detached will looks something like this:

./replay_inline.py                                                                                                                                              
Press Enter to quit:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tag Debug:
Input Stream: 00
  Offset: 0  Source: file_meta_source0     Key: rx_time   Value: {0 0}
  Offset: 0  Source: file_meta_source0     Key: rx_rate   Value: 1000
----------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tag Debug:
Input Stream: 00
  Offset: 10000  Source: file_meta_source0     Key: rx_time   Value: {0 0}
  Offset: 10000  Source: file_meta_source0     Key: rx_rate   Value: 1000
----------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tag Debug:
Input Stream: 00
  Offset: 20000  Source: file_meta_source0     Key: rx_time   Value: {0 0}
  Offset: 20000  Source: file_meta_source0     Key: rx_rate   Value: 1000
----------------------------------------------------------------------

On the other hand, the detached output looks like this:

./replay_detatched.py                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
Press Enter to quit:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tag Debug:
Input Stream: 00
  Offset: 0  Source: file_meta_source0     Key: rx_time   Value: {0 0}
  Offset: 0  Source: file_meta_source0     Key: rx_rate   Value: 1000
----------------------------------------------------------------------

No further output is created until the task is killed.