matten-ndarray

Production-ready (0.29.x family). A small conversion bridge between matten::Tensor and ndarray::ArrayD<f64>. The scope is closed and the API is stable; still pre-1.0, so pin the minor version.

Part of the matten workspace — see it for the full family.

Overview

matten-ndarray converts between matten's numeric Tensor and ndarray's dynamic-dimension ArrayD<f64>, and nothing else. It is the first companion crate in the matten workspace and exists to let you hand data off to the ndarray ecosystem when you outgrow matten's family-car scope.

It adds no dependency to core matten, wraps none of the ndarray API, and exposes no view or lifetime types.

Quick start

use matten::Tensor;
use matten_ndarray::{from_arrayd, to_arrayd};

let t = Tensor::new(vec![1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0], &[2, 2]);

let arr = to_arrayd(&t)?;        // Tensor      -> ArrayD<f64>
let back = from_arrayd(arr)?;     // ArrayD<f64> -> Tensor
# Ok::<(), matten_ndarray::MattenNdarrayError>(())

Dependency style. This crate depends on matten, but official examples import Tensor (and other core types) from matten directly:
use matten::Tensor;
use matten_ndarray::to_arrayd;
This keeps ownership and feature selection clear: Tensor belongs to matten, and core features (e.g. dynamic) are enabled on the matten dependency. Declare both matten and this crate in your Cargo.toml (RFC-032).

Design notes

Both directions copy. No zero-copy is claimed; that would need layout guarantees out of scope for a copy-based bridge.
Logical order is preserved. from_arrayd converts a non-standard-layout ArrayD (transposed / sliced) by its logical element order, never the raw backing buffer.
Zero-sized axes are rejected. Core matten does not support zero-length dimensions, so from_arrayd returns an error for them.
Dynamic tensors are rejected, not panicked. Passing a dynamic (Element) tensor returns MattenNdarrayError::DynamicTensor regardless of whether the companion dynamic feature is enabled (RFC-031); convert it with Tensor::try_numeric() first.
Supported ndarray: the 0.17 minor (CI targets 0.17.2).

Conversion contract

matten-ndarray follows the bridge conversion-contract template. The full contract:

Dimension	`matten-ndarray`
Source / target	`matten::Tensor` ↔ `ndarray::ArrayD<f64>`
Direction	Bidirectional: `to_arrayd(&Tensor)`, `from_arrayd(ArrayD<f64>)`
Copy / view	Copies both directions; no zero-copy
Shape / rank	Shape preserved; rank bounded by core `matten` (over-rank → `Matten` error); a zero-length axis is rejected (→ `ZeroSizedAxis`)
Memory order	Row-major logical order both ways; `from_arrayd` honors non-standard layouts
Dynamic tensors	Rejected → `DynamicTensor` (unconditional; not a panic)
NaN	Passed through as ordinary `f64`
Missing values	Not reachable (numeric-only; dynamic rejected first)
Integer / text / bool	Not reachable (`f64`-only; dynamic element kinds rejected)
Errors	`Result<_, MattenNdarrayError>`; variants `DynamicTensor`, `ZeroSizedAxis`, `NdarrayShape`, `Matten`
Performance	Allocates and copies — convert once at the boundary, not in a hot loop

Compatibility

SemVer: pre-1.0 (0.x). A 0.x minor bump may contain breaking changes; patch releases are additive only. Pin the prerelease explicitly (matten-ndarray = "0.29.0-pre.2").
MSRV: Rust 1.85 (edition 2024).
matten: shares the 0.29.x family version (RFC-030).
ndarray: supports the 0.17 minor (requirement "0.17"; CI targets 0.17.2). Because to_arrayd/from_arrayd use ndarray::ArrayD<f64>, the supported ndarray minor is part of the bridge's public type identity — build against ndarray 0.17. ndarray 0.17.0 is yanked; use a non-yanked 0.17 patch. An ndarray minor bump is a compatibility event handled by a matten-ndarray minor bump (RFC-025 §6).
A 1.0 release requires explicit maintainer confirmation.

More detail

See the workspace ROADMAP.md, RFC-025 (bridge policy), and RFC-027 (this crate's design) under rfcs/.

matten-ndarray 0.29.0-pre.2