[metadata] Skip null vtable entries when checking covariant return overrides (#76323)

* Add test for covariant reabstraction

* [metadata] Skip null vtable entires when checking covariant overrides

When there are covariant return overrides, we check the vtable slot in every
parent class for signature compatability with the proposed override.

However if one of the ancestor classes is abstract, it could have an
abstract override for hte method:

    class Base {
      public virtual Base Method() => this;
    }
    public abstract Intermediate : Base {
      public override abstract Base Method();
    }
    public Leaf : Intermediate {
      public override Leaf Method() => this;
    }

In this case when we're checking that Leaf.Method is compatible with
the vtable slot in Intermediate, we will see a null method (since
Intermediate is abstract).  In such cases we can skip over the class
and continue with its parent.

Fixes
https://github.com/dotnet/runtime/issues/76312

3 files changed, 64 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/src/mono/mono/metadata/class-setup-vtable.c b/src/mono/mono/metadata/class-setup-vtable.c
index bc949189a3c..e9dc6997d89 100644
--- a/src/mono/mono/metadata/class-setup-vtable.c
+++ b/src/mono/mono/metadata/class-setup-vtable.c
@@ -1656,6 +1656,10 @@ check_vtable_covariant_override_impls (MonoClass *klass, MonoMethod **vtable, in
 				break;
 			MonoMethod *prev_impl = cur_class->vtable[slot];
 
+			// if the current class re-abstracted the method, it may not be there.
+			if (!prev_impl)
+				continue;
+
 			if (prev_impl != last_checked_prev_override) {
 				/*
 				 * the new impl should be subsumed by the prior one, ie this
diff --git a/src/tests/Loader/classloader/MethodImpl/CovariantReturns/UnitTest/OverrideReabstracted.cs b/src/tests/Loader/classloader/MethodImpl/CovariantReturns/UnitTest/OverrideReabstracted.cs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f0f461777e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tests/Loader/classloader/MethodImpl/CovariantReturns/UnitTest/OverrideReabstracted.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+// Licensed to the .NET Foundation under one or more agreements.
+// The .NET Foundation licenses this file to you under the MIT license.
+
+using System;
+
+
+namespace ReproMAUI6811;
+
+public static class Program
+{
+    public static int Main()
+    {
+        Leaf l = new Leaf();
+
+        if (l.getI().ToString() != "Leaf")
+                return 1;
+        if (((Intermediate)l).getI().ToString() != "Leaf")
+                return 2;
+        if (((PseudoBase)l).getI().ToString() != "Leaf")
+                return 3;
+        if (((Base)l).getI().ToString() != "Leaf")
+                return 4;
+        return 100;
+    }
+}
+
+public abstract class Base {
+    public abstract I getI();
+}
+
+public class PseudoBase : Base {
+    public override I getI() => new C ("PseudoBase");
+}
+
+public abstract class Intermediate : PseudoBase {
+    public override abstract I getI();
+}
+
+public class Leaf : Intermediate {
+    public Leaf() {}
+    public override C getI() { return new C ("Leaf"); }
+}
+
+public interface I {}
+
+public class C : I {
+    private readonly string _repr;
+    public C(string s) { _repr = s; }
+    public override string ToString() => _repr;
+}
+
+
diff --git a/src/tests/Loader/classloader/MethodImpl/CovariantReturns/UnitTest/OverrideReabstracted.csproj b/src/tests/Loader/classloader/MethodImpl/CovariantReturns/UnitTest/OverrideReabstracted.csproj
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..570644f1dbc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/tests/Loader/classloader/MethodImpl/CovariantReturns/UnitTest/OverrideReabstracted.csproj
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+<Project Sdk="Microsoft.NET.Sdk">
+  <PropertyGroup>
+    <OutputType>Exe</OutputType>
+  </PropertyGroup>
+  <ItemGroup>
+    <Compile Include="$(MSBuildProjectName).cs" />
+  </ItemGroup>
+</Project>