fix: use object dtype for ARRAY columns in to_pandas() with pandas …

…1.x (#329)

* fix: use object dtype for ARRAY columns in `to_pandas()` with pandas 1.x

* fix tests

* simplify dtype logic

bigframes/features.py

@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+# Copyright 2024 Google LLC
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from typing import Tuple
+
+
+class PandasVersions:
+    """Version comparisons for pandas package"""
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        self._installed_version = None
+
+    @property
+    def installed_version(self) -> Tuple[str, ...]:
+        """pandas version"""
+        if self._installed_version is None:
+            import pandas
+
+            self._installed_version = tuple(pandas.__version__.split("."))
+        return self._installed_version
+
+    @property
+    def is_arrow_list_dtype_usable(self):
+        """True if pandas.ArrowDtype is usable."""
+        version = self.installed_version
+        return version[0] != "1"
+
+
+PANDAS_VERSIONS = PandasVersions()

bigframes/session/_io/pandas.py

@@ -19,8 +19,33 @@
 import pandas.arrays
 import pyarrow  # type: ignore
 import pyarrow.compute  # type: ignore
+import pyarrow.types  # type: ignore
 
 import bigframes.constants
+import bigframes.features
+
+
+def _arrow_to_pandas_arrowdtype(
+    column: pyarrow.Array, dtype: pandas.ArrowDtype
+) -> pandas.Series:
+    if (
+        pyarrow.types.is_list(dtype.pyarrow_dtype)
+        and not bigframes.features.PANDAS_VERSIONS.is_arrow_list_dtype_usable
+    ):
+        # This version of pandas doesn't really support ArrowDtype
+        # well. See internal issue 321013333 where array type has
+        # several problems converting a string.
+        return pandas.Series(
+            column.to_pylist(),  # type: ignore
+            dtype="object",
+        )
+
+    # Avoid conversion logic if we are backing the pandas Series by the
+    # arrow array.
+    return pandas.Series(
+        pandas.arrays.ArrowExtensionArray(column),  # type: ignore
+        dtype=dtype,
+    )
 
 
 def arrow_to_pandas(
@@ -75,12 +100,7 @@ def arrow_to_pandas(
             )
             series = pandas.Series(pd_array, dtype=dtype)
         elif isinstance(dtype, pandas.ArrowDtype):
-            # Avoid conversion logic if we are backing the pandas Series by the
-            # arrow array.
-            series = pandas.Series(
-                pandas.arrays.ArrowExtensionArray(column),  # type: ignore
-                dtype=dtype,
-            )
+            series = _arrow_to_pandas_arrowdtype(column, dtype)
         else:
             series = column.to_pandas(types_mapper=lambda _: dtype)