Wikibase API returns confusing error message when property does not exist
Open, Needs TriagePublicBUG REPORT
Actions

Assigned To

None

Authored By

	Ijon
	Oct 24 2023, 6:28 PM

Description

Steps to replicate the issue (include links if applicable):

try to create a claim with a property that doesn't exist. For example, on the Beta Wikidata as of right now, this request (in POST and with a fresh token) fails, because there is no P5831 on Beta Wikidata: https://wikidata.beta.wmflabs.org/w/api.php?action=wbcreateclaim&format=json&entity=Q12480&snaktype=value&property=P5831&value=%22itsastring%22&token=fbb1d314c907dc564cff2a46acffc1f6653800da%2B%5C&formatversion=2

What happens?:
The error message is "Could not find an entity with the ID \"$1\"." (sic, with the $1)

This is doubly confusing: first, it is unclear it is the property that doesn't exist, and not the entity (item etc.) passed in the 'entity' parameter. Secondly, the $1 instead of the value in the message makes one suspect the ID in the request was not parsed properly.

What should have happened instead?:
An error message specifically saying "Property P5831 doesn't exist".

Related Objects

Mentioned Here: T238409: Missleading error message when using wbcreateclaim with "novalue" and non existing property ID
P5831 Bryan's ~/.config/clustershell/clush.conf

Event Timeline

Ijon created this task.Oct 24 2023, 6:28 PM

Restricted Application added a subscriber: Aklapper. · View Herald TranscriptOct 24 2023, 6:28 PM

Pretty sure this is a bug in StatementModificationHelper::getSnakInstance() (code introduced in T238409):

		try {
			$snak = $this->snakFactory->newSnak( $propertyId, $params['snaktype'], $valueData );
			return $snak;
		} catch ( PropertyDataTypeLookupException $ex ) {
			$this->errorReporter->dieException( $ex, 'no-such-entity' );
		} catch ( InvalidArgumentException | OutOfBoundsException $ex ) {
			$this->errorReporter->dieException( $ex, 'invalid-snak' );
		}

It needs to pass the entity ID for the no-such-entity message. Right now I’m not 100% sure if dieException() supports that, though, or whether it needs to die slightly differently.

LucasWerkmeister edited projects, added Wikidata, MediaWiki-Action-API; removed API Platform.Oct 24 2023, 6:35 PM

Wikibase API returns confusing error message when property does not existOpen, Needs TriagePublicBUG REPORTActions

Description

Related Objects

Event Timeline

Wikibase API returns confusing error message when property does not exist
Open, Needs TriagePublicBUG REPORT
Actions