Fixed handling for SMIRKS/SMARTS, adjusted test values as they are now cleaned, refactored logic for object update

utilities/chem.py

@@ -255,6 +255,30 @@ class FormatConverter(object):
         except Exception:
             return False
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def is_valid_smarts(smarts: str) -> bool:
+        """
+        Checks whether a given string is a valid SMARTS pattern.
+
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+        smarts : str
+            The SMARTS string to validate.
+
+        Returns
+        -------
+        bool
+            True if the SMARTS string is valid, False otherwise.
+        """
+        if not isinstance(smarts, str) or not smarts.strip():
+            return False
+
+        try:
+            mol = Chem.MolFromSmarts(smarts)
+            return mol is not None
+        except Exception:
+            return False
+
     @staticmethod
     def apply(
         smiles: str,