From ef681c0c30e97fa5d8886757bbeb7b2f6474e5a5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Jack Ye <yezhaoqin@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 2026 21:32:47 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] fix: tell a caller their view name is invalid, not their
 table name

`validate_view_reference` deferred to `validate_table_name`, so a view
name carrying a `$` came back as "Invalid table name" -- an object the
caller never named. Views get the treatment Secrets already have: a
validator worded for the object, in utils beside its siblings.
---
 rust/lancedb/src/connection.rs | 13 ++-----------
 rust/lancedb/src/remote/db.rs  |  9 +++++++--
 rust/lancedb/src/utils/mod.rs  | 21 +++++++++++++++++++++
 3 files changed, 30 insertions(+), 13 deletions(-)

diff --git a/rust/lancedb/src/connection.rs b/rust/lancedb/src/connection.rs
index 2e29e32a0..0a5ddbef5 100644
--- a/rust/lancedb/src/connection.rs
+++ b/rust/lancedb/src/connection.rs
@@ -38,7 +38,8 @@ use crate::remote::{
 };
 use crate::secrets::SecretInfo;
 use crate::utils::{
-    validate_namespace, validate_secret_component, validate_secret_reference, validate_table_name,
+    validate_namespace, validate_secret_component, validate_secret_reference,
+    validate_view_reference,
 };
 use crate::view::ViewDescription;
 use lance::io::ObjectStoreParams;
@@ -416,16 +417,6 @@ impl CloneTableBuilder {
     }
 }
 
-/// Validate a view name and every segment of the namespace path holding it.
-///
-/// A view is addressed by the two joined into one identifier, so a segment
-/// carrying the delimiter would split back apart as a different view. Neither
-/// name accepts one, which is what lets the join have one meaning.
-fn validate_view_reference(name: &str, namespace_path: &[String]) -> Result<()> {
-    validate_namespace(namespace_path)?;
-    validate_table_name(name)
-}
-
 /// A connection to LanceDB
 #[derive(Clone)]
 pub struct Connection {
diff --git a/rust/lancedb/src/remote/db.rs b/rust/lancedb/src/remote/db.rs
index 02a5b3b80..893c584e1 100644
--- a/rust/lancedb/src/remote/db.rs
+++ b/rust/lancedb/src/remote/db.rs
@@ -4073,9 +4073,14 @@ mod tests {
             ("", vec![]),
             ("..", vec![]),
         ] {
+            let error = match conn.describe_view(name, &namespace).await {
+                Ok(_) => panic!("accepted {name:?} in {namespace:?}"),
+                Err(error) => error.to_string(),
+            };
+            // A view is not a table, so the refusal says so.
             assert!(
-                conn.describe_view(name, &namespace).await.is_err(),
-                "accepted {name:?} in {namespace:?}"
+                error.contains("view name") || error.contains("view namespace path segment"),
+                "{error}"
             );
         }
     }
diff --git a/rust/lancedb/src/utils/mod.rs b/rust/lancedb/src/utils/mod.rs
index f80cc876a..52b7bd5e8 100644
--- a/rust/lancedb/src/utils/mod.rs
+++ b/rust/lancedb/src/utils/mod.rs
@@ -174,6 +174,27 @@ pub fn validate_secret_reference(name: &str, namespace_path: &[String]) -> Resul
     validate_secret_component("Secret name", name)
 }
 
+/// Validate a view name and every segment of the namespace path holding it.
+///
+/// Worded for a view rather than deferring to [`validate_table_name`]: a view
+/// is not a table, and a caller who mistypes one should not be told their
+/// table name is invalid. The rule is the same one every object name follows,
+/// which is what lets the `$`-joined identifier split back apart.
+pub fn validate_view_reference(name: &str, namespace_path: &[String]) -> Result<()> {
+    for segment in namespace_path {
+        validate_view_component("view namespace path segment", segment)?;
+    }
+    validate_view_component("view name", name)
+}
+
+/// Validate one component of a view identifier: a view name, or one segment of
+/// the namespace path holding it.
+pub fn validate_view_component(what: &str, value: &str) -> Result<()> {
+    check_object_name(value).map_err(|reason| Error::InvalidInput {
+        message: format!("invalid {what} '{value}': {reason}"),
+    })
+}
+
 /// Validate all components of a namespace
 ///
 /// Iterates through all namespace components and validates each one.