python-attrs / python-attrs/attrs

Wrong error message for inner validators

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Description

This is a copy of the third issue collected in https://github.com/python-attrs/attrs/issues/1206 to enable separate tracking of the bug.

The issue

When a validation error in one of the inner validators of deep_iterable or deep_mapping occurs, an exception is thrown but the contained message is wrong. For example, using the following code:

@define
class A:
    x: List[str] = field(
        validator=deep_iterable(
            member_validator=[instance_of(str), min_len(1)],
            iterable_validator=and_(instance_of(list), min_len(1)),
        ),
    )

and calling A(["abc", ""]), you get the following error:

ValueError: Length of 'x' must be => 1: 0

It rightfully complains about the length of the second item in the list, but note that the message refers to attribute name x, which is incorrect, since it's not x that is too short but one of its items.

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 by running the Python reproduction in the issue with deep_iterable and deep_mapping, especially A(["abc", ""]). Trace how the inner validator constructs its ValueError message and verify that the reported name identifies the failing item rather than the outer attribute x; add coverage for this example if the project’s existing validator tests provide a suitable location.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
backend
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
48/100

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