add "ignore" function to set key's status to "ignore" in jobs table

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 - Deprecated - `table._update()` PR [#1073](https://github.com/datajoint/datajoint-python/pull/1073)
 - Deprecated - old-style foreign key syntax PR [#1073](https://github.com/datajoint/datajoint-python/pull/1073)
 - Deprecated - `dj.migrate_dj011_external_blob_storage_to_dj012()` PR [#1073](https://github.com/datajoint/datajoint-python/pull/1073)
+* Added - Method to set job keys to "ignore" status - PR [#1068](https://github.com/datajoint/datajoint-python/pull/1068)
 
 ### 0.13.8 -- Sep 21, 2022
 - Added - New documentation structure based on markdown PR [#1052](https://github.com/datajoint/datajoint-python/pull/1052)

datajoint/jobs.py

@@ -87,6 +87,37 @@ def reserve(self, table_name, key):
             return False
         return True
 
+    def ignore(self, table_name, key):
+        """
+        Set a job to be ignored for computation.  When a job is ignored, the job table contains an entry for the
+        job key, identified by its hash, with status "ignore".
+
+        Args:
+        table_name:
+            Table name (str) - `database`.`table_name`
+        key:
+            The dict of the job's primary key
+
+        Returns:
+            True if ignore job successfully. False = the jobs is already taken
+        """
+        job = dict(
+            table_name=table_name,
+            key_hash=key_hash(key),
+            status="ignore",
+            host=platform.node(),
+            pid=os.getpid(),
+            connection_id=self.connection.connection_id,
+            key=key,
+            user=self._user,
+        )
+        try:
+            with config(enable_python_native_blobs=True):
+                self.insert1(job, ignore_extra_fields=True)
+        except DuplicateError:
+            return False
+        return True
+
     def complete(self, table_name, key):
         """
         Log a completed job.  When a job is completed, its reservation entry is deleted.

tests/test_autopopulate.py

@@ -60,14 +60,10 @@ def test_populate_exclude_error_and_ignore_jobs(self):
 
         keys = self.experiment.key_source.fetch("KEY", limit=2)
         for idx, key in enumerate(keys):
-            schema.schema.jobs.insert1(
-                {
-                    "table_name": self.experiment.table_name,
-                    "key_hash": dj.hash.key_hash(key),
-                    "status": "error" if idx == 0 else "ignore",
-                    "key": key,
-                }
-            )
+            if idx == 0:
+                schema.schema.jobs.ignore(self.experiment.table_name, key)
+            else:
+                schema.schema.jobs.error(self.experiment.table_name, key, "")
 
         self.experiment.populate(reserve_jobs=True)
         assert_equal(