SQLModel col() has unresolved attribute issue and no autocompletion

[fragfeaster777]

First Check

• I added a very descriptive title here.
• I used the GitHub search to find a similar question and didn't find it.
• I searched the SQLModel documentation, with the integrated search.
• I already searched in Google "How to X in SQLModel" and didn't find any information.
• I already read and followed all the tutorial in the docs and didn't find an answer.
• I already checked if it is not related to SQLModel but to Pydantic.
• I already checked if it is not related to SQLModel but to SQLAlchemy.

Commit to Help

• I commit to help with one of those options 👆

Example Code

from typing import Optional

from sqlmodel import Field, Session, SQLModel, create_engine, select, col


class Hero(SQLModel, table=True):
    id: Optional[int] = Field(default=None, primary_key=True)
    name: str
    secret_name: str
    age: Optional[int] = None


hero_1 = Hero(name="Deadpond", secret_name="Dive Wilson")

engine = create_engine("sqlite:///database.db", echo=True)


SQLModel.metadata.create_all(engine)


with Session(engine) as session:
    session.add(hero_1)

    session.commit()

    session.refresh(hero_1)

    hero_names = [
        "Beep",
        "Boop",
        "Deadpond",
        "Zorf",
    ]
    
    statement = select(Hero).where(col(Hero.name) == "Deadpond")
    results = session.exec(statement)
    for hero in results:
        print(hero)

Description

Importing and using the col() does not tell the editor (Pycharm in this case) that this class attribute is a SQLModel column.

The code does work however.

Operating System

macOS

Operating System Details

No response

SQLModel Version

0.0.25

Python Version

3.12

Additional Context

Pycharm: 2025.2.2
Pydantic: 2.11.9

[YuriiMotov]

Isn't it the same issue as #115 ?
From what I can see on the screenshot it's not related to col

[fragfeaster777]

@YuriiMotov, thanks for looking at this, much appreciated.

I don't think it's the same issue though, because it seems to me that one of the intended purposes of col() is to get around the editor's unresolved attribute issue.

From the docs:
"
But the editor doesn't know that it's a special class attribute, so it tries to help us preventing an error (that in this case is a false alarm).

Nevertheless, we can easily fix. 🎉

We can tell the editor that this class attribute is actually a special SQLModel column (instead of an instance attribute with a normal value).

To do that, we can import col() (as short for "column"):
...
And with that the editor knows this code is actually fine, because this is a special SQLModel column.
"

If one of the intended uses of col() was to prevent the editor from throwing attribute errors, then to me that feels that there's an issue with col() and not with SQLModel or Pydantic.

I could be completely misreading this though

[YuriiMotov]

col "fixes" the type of its argument (Hero.name), but Pycharm argues on not seeing name attribute in Hero class. Resolving this attribute access happens before passing it to col. So, col can't fix it (and it's not its purpose).

col casts the Hero.name from str type to column type.

[fragfeaster777]

@YuriiMotov thanks for explaining that in a crystal clear way.