fix(write.py): throw warning instead of error on conflicting bids ver…

…sions (#1147)

* fix(write.py): throw warning instead of error on conflicting bids versions in dataset description

* test(test_write.py): update verification test for make_dataset_description to check user warning

* update doc and citation page

* move citation info to correct authors section (software, not paper)

* fixing RST syntax

---------

Co-authored-by: Stefan Appelhoff <stefan.appelhoff@mailbox.org>

CITATION.cff

@@ -163,6 +163,10 @@ authors:
       family-names: Vanhoecke
       orcid: 'https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9857-1519'
       affiliation: 'Movement Disorder and Neuromodulation Unit, Department of Neurology, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany'
+    - given-names: Ford
+      family-names: McDonald
+      affiliation: 'Behavior and NeuroData Core, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA'
+      orcid: 'https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5099-7109'
     - given-names: Pierre
       family-names: Guetschel
       orcid: 'https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8933-7640'

doc/authors.rst

@@ -42,4 +42,5 @@
 .. _Moritz Gerster: http://moritz-gerster.com
 .. _Laetitia Fesselier: https://github.com/laemtl
 .. _Jonathan Vanhoecke: https://github.com/JonathanVHoecke
+.. _Ford McDonald: https://github.com/fordmcdonald
 .. _Pierre Guetschel: https://github.com/PierreGtch

doc/whats_new.rst

@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ The following authors contributed for the first time. Thank you so much! 🤩
 
 * `Laetitia Fesselier`_
 * `Jonathan Vanhoecke`_
+* `Ford McDonald`_
 * `Pierre Guetschel`_
 
 The following authors had contributed before. Thank you for sticking around! 🤘
@@ -63,6 +64,7 @@ Detailed list of changes
 - Fix :func:`~mne_bids.copyfiles.copyfile_eeglab` to prevent data type conversion leading to an ``eeg_checkset`` failure when trying to load the file in EEGLAB, by `Laetitia Fesselier`_ (:gh:`1126`)
 - Improve compatibility with latest MNE-Python, by `Eric Larson`_ (:gh:`1128`)
 - Working with :class:`~mne_bids.BIDSPath` would sometimes inadvertently create new directories, contaminating the BIDS dataset, by `Richard Höchenberger`_ (:gh:`1139`)
+- Fix thrown error if the ``BIDSVersion`` defined in ``dataset_description.json`` file does not match the MNE-BIDS compliant ``BIDSVersion``, ensuring backwards compatibility across BIDS complient tools, by `Ford McDonald`_ (:gh:`1147`)
 
 :doc:`Find out what was new in previous releases <whats_new_previous_releases>`
 

mne_bids/tests/test_write.py

@@ -414,7 +414,7 @@ def test_make_dataset_description(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
         make_dataset_description(path=tmp_path, name="tst", source_datasets=s_ds)
 
     monkeypatch.setattr(write, "BIDS_VERSION", "old")
-    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="Previous BIDS version used"):
+    with pytest.warns(UserWarning, match="Conflicting BIDSVersion found*"):
         make_dataset_description(path=tmp_path, name="tst")
 
 

mne_bids/write.py

@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 from datetime import datetime, timezone, timedelta
 import shutil
 from collections import defaultdict, OrderedDict
+import warnings
 
 from pkg_resources import parse_version
 
@@ -1324,11 +1325,13 @@ def make_dataset_description(
         with open(fname, "r", encoding="utf-8-sig") as fin:
             orig_cols = json.load(fin)
         if "BIDSVersion" in orig_cols and orig_cols["BIDSVersion"] != BIDS_VERSION:
-            raise ValueError(
-                "Previous BIDS version used, please redo the "
-                "conversion to BIDS in a new directory "
-                "after ensuring all software is updated"
+            warnings.warn(
+                "Conflicting BIDSVersion found in dataset_description.json! "
+                "Consider setting BIDS root to a new directory and redo "
+                "conversion after ensuring all software has been updated. "
+                "Original dataset description will not be overwritten."
             )
+            overwrite = False
         for key in description:
             if description[key] is None or not overwrite:
                 description[key] = orig_cols.get(key, None)