Fix minor bugs

- add TODO for issue found with post and patch requesr #525

Author: joshdimanteto

datagateway_api/src/common/date_handler.py

@@ -15,13 +15,22 @@ class DateHandler:
     def is_str_a_date(potential_date):
         """
         This function identifies if a string contains a date. This function doesn't
-        detect which format the date is, just if there's a date or not.
+        detect which format the date is, just if there's a date or not. An additional
+        check is performed to ensure purely numeric strings (e.g. "5", "20200101") are
+        not incorrectly treated as dates.
+
 
         :param potential_date: String data that could contain a date of any format
         :type potential_date: :class:`str`
         :return: Boolean to signify whether `potential_date` is a date or not
         """
 
+        text = potential_date.strip()
+
+        # Reject if the string is just digits (like "5" or "20200101")
+        if text.isdigit():
+            return False
+
         try:
             # Disabled fuzzy to avoid picking up dates in things like descriptions etc.
             parse(potential_date, fuzzy=False)

datagateway_api/src/datagateway_api/build_models.py

@@ -144,18 +144,16 @@ def build_datagateway_api_model(**kwargs):
                     post_type = ICATId
 
                 patch_type = Optional[post_type]
+                rel_type_str = f"Optional[{rel_type_str}]"
                 if not field.notNullable:
-                    rel_type_str = f"Optional[{rel_type_str}]"
                     post_type = Optional[post_type]
 
                 description = getattr(field, "comment", None)
                 field_metadata = Field(description=description)
                 annotated_type = Annotated[rel_type_str, field_metadata]
                 post_annotated_type = Annotated[post_type, field_metadata]
                 patch_annotated_type = Annotated[patch_type, field_metadata]
-                fields[field.name] = (
-                    (annotated_type, None) if not field.notNullable else annotated_type
-                )
+                fields[field.name] = (annotated_type, None)
                 post_fields[field.name] = (
                     (post_annotated_type, None)
                     if not field.notNullable
@@ -165,7 +163,7 @@ def build_datagateway_api_model(**kwargs):
 
         model = create_model(name, __base__=ICATBaseEntity, **fields)
         post_model = create_model(post_name, **post_fields)
-        patch_model = create_model(patch_name, **patch_fields)
+        patch_model = create_model(patch_name, __base__=ICATId, **patch_fields)
         datagateway_api_models[name] = model
         datagateway_api_models[post_name] = post_model
         datagateway_api_models[patch_name] = patch_model

datagateway_api/src/datagateway_api/icat/helpers.py

@@ -573,7 +573,24 @@ def create_entities(client, entity_type, data):
                 else:
                     # This means the attribute has a relationship with another object
                     try:
-                        related_object = client.get(entity_info.type, value)
+                        # TODO:
+                        # The field "value" can be either List[{"id": 1}] or {"id": 1},
+                        # but only the single-object case works correctly.
+                        #
+                        # When a field requires a list of objects, the API fails
+                        # because the list type is not handled during creation.
+                        #
+                        # Even when forcing it to work by using the wrong type, the
+                        # GET request still does not return the one-to-one related
+                        # values (e.g. "Facility f INCLUDE f.parameterTypes").
+                        #
+                        # After attempting to fix the GET behaviour, the create
+                        # operation now throws a duplicate reference error when
+                        # saving related entities.
+                        #
+                        # Fix list handling, one-to-one include behaviour, and
+                        # duplicate reference errors.
+                        related_object = client.get(entity_info.type, value["id"])
                     except ICATNoObjectError as e:
                         raise BadRequestError(e) from e
                     if entity_info.relType.lower() == "many":