List returns only header names (Windows 11 and WSL Ubuntu)

[leok610]

Issue

When running apy list with or without options, the output is only the header names. I tried on both Windows 11 and Ubuntu on WSL.
I tested using a query or not, and also removing the query line from my apy.json config file.
There is no error message and some commands work as expected, like apy info and apy add. So my database is being read fine, and can be added to and even synced, but the list output is not working.

Windows 11

Ubuntu on WSL

I'm willing to help debug this, but I could use some pointers on where to start. I'll fork the project and start exploring as I have time.

This is a great tool, thank you for making it! 😁

[leok610]

After testing, I found that the error is caused by spaces in the deck names. Since Anki supports spaces in deck names and the decks with spaces are retrieved fine by apy info, I think it's worth fixing.

How can I test what happens to the query as it's passed from cli.py list_cards to to the Anki.list_cards method? I got as far as seeing that your class imports the Collection.find_cards method from the main Anki package.

[lervag]

This is a great tool, thank you for making it! 😁

Glad you like it!

When running apy list with or without options, the output is only the header names. I tried on both Windows 11 and Ubuntu on WSL. I tested using a query or not, and also removing the query line from my apy.json config file.

This sounds like a bug.

I'm willing to help debug this, but I could use some pointers on where to start. I'll fork the project and start exploring as I have time.

Sounds great; I'm always happy to get help!

After testing, I found that the error is caused by spaces in the deck names. Since Anki supports spaces in deck names and the decks with spaces are retrieved fine by apy info, I think it's worth fixing.

Agreed!

How can I test what happens to the query as it's passed from cli.py list_cards to to the Anki.list_cards method? I got as far as seeing that your class imports the Collection.find_cards method from the main Anki package.

Good question. To be honest, this bug surprises me, so my first strategy here would be to properly reproduce the test.

I have a test_decks.py file in which I think we could try and reproduce the bug. However, it's not quite trivial. I tried to do it now like this:

1. Run anki -b /PATH/TO/APY/tests/data/test_base - add a new deck with spaces in the name. Add a card or two to that deck.

2. Adjust the test_decks.py to pass with the updated database.

3. inspect the results of a.list_cards and similar at the end of the test. Possibly with things like a.col.decks.set_current(a.deck_name_to_id["Deck with spaces"]) to set the current deck to the new one.

[lervag]

I don't think that the list_cards function really "cares" about the decks at all. It uses the anki.collection.find_cards function to find cards. Could it be that you are passing a query with a deck specified?

[lervag]

I pushed my attempt at reproducing to the branch test-deck-with-spaces. If you clone apy and check out that branch, then run poetry run pytest -s -k test_decks, you should see the output and result of that test. Notice that the find_cards function returns every card in the database, regardless of which deck is selected.

[leok610]

Thanks for making the test, I'll try it out later this week. From my debugging, I saw that my query "Deck:Debug Spaces" failed to return any cards when used directly in `self.col.find_cards()`, but "Deck:Default" returned those card ids. I wonder how the Browser UI processes queries with spaces in the deck name? It must somehow process them before using `Collection.find_cards()`, because the results are seamless.

…

On Sun, Jan 26, 2025 at 8:26 PM Karl Yngve Lervåg ***@***.***> wrote: I pushed my attempt at reproducing to the branch test-deck-with-spaces. If you clone apy and check out that branch, then run poetry run pytest -s -k test_decks, you should see the output and result of that test. Notice that the find_cards function returns every card in the database, regardless of which deck is selected. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#108 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AELXJ3BQWJMKXFKRJMR3F3L2MUZHJAVCNFSM6AAAAABV3M3MWKVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZDMMJUGU2TSOJWGQ> . You are receiving this because you authored the thread.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[lervag]

From my debugging, I saw that my query "Deck:Debug Spaces" failed to return any cards when used directly in self.col.find_cards(), but "Deck:Default" returned those card ids.

Can you explain how you are typing those queries? Are you running e.g. apy list deck:Debug Spaces or are you using a python debugger or interactive session and passing a string like self.col.find_cards("deck:Debug Spaces")?

I wonder how the Browser UI processes queries with spaces in the deck name? It must somehow process them before using Collection.find_cards(), because the results are seamless.

And again, can you be more specific/explicit about what you are doing in the browser UI when typing this query? Are you putting something in the search bar, or are you using the interactive menus somehow?

[leok610]

I used PDB to track what happened with the query variable from apy list when my default query was set to deck:Debug Spaces in apy.json as well as apy list "deck:Debug Spaces". I also tried "deck:Default" in both ways.

During the debug session I also tried changing inputs for self.col.find_cards interactively, using either query (which arrived at the function unchanged from the CLI input) or typing self.col.find_cards("deck:Debug Spaces") and self.col.find_cards("deck:Default"). I got no results with the space and all cards without a space.

Here's a screenshot of the browser query

How could we track down the functions that process this UI input?

After I have time to clone your test branch I'll check the behavior again, but that's what I remember.

[lervag]

I think it is important to escape the spaces somehow. On my end, I observe this behaviour:

> apy -b test_base list deck:"NewDeck"
 question
 Testing 3
 Testing x1 1
 Testing x1 2
 XXX 1
 XXX 2

> apy -b test_base list deck:Deck with spaces
 question

> apy -b test_base list deck:"Deck with spaces"
 question

> apy -b test_base list 'deck:"Deck with spaces"'
 question
 Foo

> apy -b test_base list deck:'"Deck with spaces"'
 question
 Foo

The point is, you need to specify the query in such a way that the backend understands that the deck name is a string with spaces.

IMHO, this is not a bug with apy. And it is hard to make this much easier, so I would strongly advice that you avoid using spaces in the deck names.

[leok610]

Ok, that makes sense, and it's good to know how to retain spaces with nested quotes. How about at least a note in the help for list and review to help users?

[lervag]

Ok, that makes sense, and it's good to know how to retain spaces with nested quotes.

👍

How about at least a note in the help for list and review to help users?

Yes, we can add that. Do you have a suggestion to get me started? Writing good docs is hard 😊

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By the way, notice that email replies to github issues is not fully compatible with the full formatting experience. I don't mind it too much, but for more "complex" replies I strongly suggest to use github directly.