feat: support modifying field metadata in lancedb python (#2178)

python/python/lancedb/table.py

@@ -2405,6 +2405,19 @@ class LanceTable(Table):
         """
         LOOP.run(self._table.migrate_v2_manifest_paths())
 
+    def replace_field_metadata(self, field_name: str, new_metadata: Dict[str, str]):
+        """
+        Replace the metadata of a field in the schema
+
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+        field_name: str
+            The name of the field to replace the metadata for
+        new_metadata: dict
+            The new metadata to set
+        """
+        LOOP.run(self._table.replace_field_metadata(field_name, new_metadata))
+
 
 def _handle_bad_vectors(
     reader: pa.RecordBatchReader,
@@ -3635,6 +3648,21 @@ class AsyncTable:
         """
         await self._inner.migrate_manifest_paths_v2()
 
+    async def replace_field_metadata(
+        self, field_name: str, new_metadata: dict[str, str]
+    ):
+        """
+        Replace the metadata of a field in the schema
+
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+        field_name: str
+            The name of the field to replace the metadata for
+        new_metadata: dict
+            The new metadata to set
+        """
+        await self._inner.replace_field_metadata(field_name, new_metadata)
+
 
 @dataclass
 class IndexStatistics:

python/python/tests/test_table.py

@@ -1481,3 +1481,12 @@ async def test_optimize_delete_unverified(tmp_db_async: AsyncConnection, tmp_pat
         cleanup_older_than=timedelta(seconds=0), delete_unverified=True
     )
     assert stats.prune.old_versions_removed == 2
+
+
+def test_replace_field_metadata(tmp_path):
+    db = lancedb.connect(tmp_path)
+    table = db.create_table("my_table", data=[{"x": 0}])
+    table.replace_field_metadata("x", {"foo": "bar"})
+    schema = table.schema
+    field = schema[0].metadata
+    assert field == {b"foo": b"bar"}

python/src/table.rs

@@ -10,12 +10,13 @@ use lancedb::table::{
     Table as LanceDbTable,
 };
 use pyo3::{
-    exceptions::{PyRuntimeError, PyValueError},
+    exceptions::{PyKeyError, PyRuntimeError, PyValueError},
     pyclass, pymethods,
     types::{IntoPyDict, PyAnyMethods, PyDict, PyDictMethods},
     Bound, FromPyObject, PyAny, PyRef, PyResult, Python, ToPyObject,
 };
 use pyo3_async_runtimes::tokio::future_into_py;
+use std::collections::HashMap;
 
 use crate::{
     error::PythonErrorExt,
@@ -486,6 +487,37 @@ impl Table {
             Ok(())
         })
     }
+
+    pub fn replace_field_metadata<'a>(
+        self_: PyRef<'a, Self>,
+        field_name: String,
+        metadata: &Bound<'_, PyDict>,
+    ) -> PyResult<Bound<'a, PyAny>> {
+        let mut new_metadata = HashMap::<String, String>::new();
+        for (column_name, value) in metadata.into_iter() {
+            let key: String = column_name.extract()?;
+            let value: String = value.extract()?;
+            new_metadata.insert(key, value);
+        }
+
+        let inner = self_.inner_ref()?.clone();
+        future_into_py(self_.py(), async move {
+            let native_tbl = inner
+                .as_native()
+                .ok_or_else(|| PyValueError::new_err("This cannot be run on a remote table"))?;
+            let schema = native_tbl.manifest().await.infer_error()?.schema;
+            let field = schema
+                .field(&field_name)
+                .ok_or_else(|| PyKeyError::new_err(format!("Field {} not found", field_name)))?;
+
+            native_tbl
+                .replace_field_metadata(vec![(field.id as u32, new_metadata)])
+                .await
+                .infer_error()?;
+
+            Ok(())
+        })
+    }
 }
 
 #[derive(FromPyObject)]