OpenBB-finance/OpenBB · error · ValueError

Invalid symbol format '{sym}'. Identifier cannot be empty. E

Error message

Invalid symbol format '{sym}'. Identifier cannot be empty. Expected 'dataflow::identifier'.

What it means

Error "Invalid symbol format '{sym}'. Identifier cannot be empty. Expected 'dataflow::identifier'." thrown in OpenBB-finance/OpenBB.

Source

Thrown at openbb_platform/providers/imf/openbb_imf/models/economic_indicators.py:338

            for s in self.symbol.split(",")  #  type: ignore  # pylint: disable=E1101
        ]
        tables: list[str] = []
        indicators: list[tuple[str, str]] = []
        dataflows_seen: set[str] = set()

        for sym in symbols:
            if "::" not in sym:
                raise ValueError(
                    f"Invalid symbol format '{sym}'. Expected 'dataflow::identifier'. "
                    "Use `available_indicators()` or `list_tables()` to find valid symbols."
                )

            parts = sym.split("::", 1)
            dataflow = parts[0].strip().upper()
            identifier = parts[1].strip()

            if not identifier:
                raise ValueError(
                    f"Invalid symbol format '{sym}'. Identifier cannot be empty. "
                    "Expected 'dataflow::identifier'."
                )

            dataflows_seen.add(dataflow)
            # Tables can start with H_ or be any valid hierarchy ID for the dataflow
            is_table = False

            if identifier.startswith("H_"):
                is_table = True
            else:
                metadata = ImfMetadata()
                try:
                    hierarchies = metadata.get_dataflow_hierarchies(dataflow)
                    hierarchy_ids = {h.get("id") for h in hierarchies}
                    if identifier in hierarchy_ids:
                        is_table = True
                except Exception:  # noqa

View on GitHub (pinned to 3e071fcc2c)

Solutions

1. Provide a non-empty identifier after the '::' separator.
2. Format the symbol as 'dataflow::identifier'.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at openbb_platform/providers/imf/openbb_imf/models/economic_indicators.py:338 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of OpenBB-finance/OpenBB@3e071fcc2c (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e9f7f2cba0002f69. Report an issue: GitHub.