raise an error when two classes have the same ambiguous attribute

Closes linkml/linkml#2403

Signed-off-by: Vincent Kelleher <[email protected]>

Author: Vincent Kelleher

linkml_runtime/utils/schemaview.py

@@ -607,8 +607,8 @@ def get_slot(self, slot_name: SLOT_NAME, imports=True, attributes=True, strict=F
             for c in self.all_classes(imports=imports).values():
                 if slot_name in c.attributes:
                     if slot is not None:
-                        # slot name is ambiguous: return a stub slot
-                        return SlotDefinition(slot_name)
+                        raise ValueError(f'Attribute "{slot_name}" is already defined in another class, please use a '
+                                         f'slot in that case')
                     slot = copy(c.attributes[slot_name])
                     slot.from_schema = c.from_schema
                     slot.owner = c.name

tests/test_utils/input/get_slot_with_ambiguous_attributes.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+id: https://examples.org/get-slot-with-attribute#
+name: get-slot-with-attribute
+
+prefixes:
+  test: https://examples.org/get-slot-with-attribute#
+
+default_prefix: test
+default_range: string
+
+classes:
+  ClassWithAttributes:
+    attributes:
+      randomAttribute:
+        description: "A random attribute for testing purposes"
+        range: integer
+        minimum_value: 0
+        maximum_value: 999
+
+  ImportantSecondClass:
+    description: "Important class to reproduce the error I got as the class loop needs to have at least a 
+              second iteration"
+    attributes:
+      randomAttribute:
+        description: "Now you see the ambiguity intensifying ?"
+        range: integer
+        minimum_value: 0
+        maximum_value: 111

tests/test_utils/test_schemaview.py

@@ -945,6 +945,13 @@ def test_is_inlined(self):
                 actual_result = sv.is_inlined(slot)
                 self.assertEqual(actual_result, expected_result)
 
+    def test_ambiguous_attribute_through_get_slot(self):
+        schema_path = os.path.join(INPUT_DIR, "get_slot_with_ambiguous_attributes.yaml")
+        sv = SchemaView(schema_path)
+        with self.assertRaisesRegex(ValueError, 'Attribute "randomAttribute" is already defined in another class, '
+                                                'please use a slot in that case'):
+            sv.get_slot("randomAttribute")
+
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     unittest.main()