pybind / pybind/pybind11

[BUG]: "Already defined" import error when reusing a value name in different enums

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Description

Required prerequisites
What version (or hash if on master) of pybind11 are you using?

v3.0.3

Problem description

native_enum value names seem to have global collision scope. When adding a value with a name which was already used in another enum, it compiles successfully, but an ImportError is raised when importing.

Reproducible example code
#include <pybind11/pybind11.h>
#include <pybind11/native_enum.h>

namespace py = pybind11;

enum class SomeEnum { value, another_value };  
enum class AnotherEnum { first_value, second_value, another_value };

PYBIND11_MODULE(enum_collision_test, mod) {

    py::native_enum<SomeEnum>(mod, "SomeEnum", "enum.Enum")
        .value("VALUE", SomeEnum::value)
        // First definition which uses "ANOTHER_VALUE"
        .value("ANOTHER_VALUE", SomeEnum::another_value)
        .export_values()
        .finalize();

    py::native_enum<AnotherEnum>(mod, "AnotherEnum", "enum.Enum")
        .value("FIRST_VALUE", AnotherEnum::first_value)
        .value("SECOND_VALUE", AnotherEnum::second_value)
        // Causes ImportError: pybind11::native_enum<...>("AnotherEnum").value("ANOTHER_VALUE"): an object with that name is already defined
        .value("ANOTHER_VALUE", AnotherEnum::another_value)
        .export_values()
        .finalize();
}
Is this a regression? Put the last known working version here if it is.

Not a regression

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with the native_enum usage in the reproducible C++ example and trace how value names are registered during finalize(). Verify the behavior with two enums that reuse ANOTHER_VALUE, then add coverage for the expected import behavior. Done means distinct enums can reuse a value name without an ImportError.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
cpp, python
Domain
api
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
55/100

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