diff --git a/python/obitools3/dms/capi/obierrno.pxd b/python/obitools3/dms/capi/obierrno.pxd
index a0bf858..b67da92 100644
--- a/python/obitools3/dms/capi/obierrno.pxd
+++ b/python/obitools3/dms/capi/obierrno.pxd
@@ -6,3 +6,4 @@ cdef extern from "obierrno.h":
 
     extern int OBI_LINE_IDX_ERROR
     extern int OBI_ELT_IDX_ERROR
+    extern int OBIVIEW_ALREADY_EXISTS_ERROR
diff --git a/python/obitools3/uri/decode.pyx b/python/obitools3/uri/decode.pyx
index 863f040..0e5df55 100644
--- a/python/obitools3/uri/decode.pyx
+++ b/python/obitools3/uri/decode.pyx
@@ -22,6 +22,9 @@ from obitools3.apps.config import getConfiguration,logger
 from obitools3.apps.temp import get_temp_dms
 from obitools3.utils cimport tobytes  # TODO because can't read options as bytes
 
+from obitools3.dms.capi.obierrno cimport obi_errno, \
+                                         OBIVIEW_ALREADY_EXISTS_ERROR
+
 
 class MalformedURIException(RuntimeError):
     pass
@@ -219,10 +222,13 @@ def open_uri(uri,
                         type(resource[1]),
                         urlunparse(urip))
             except Exception as e:
+                global obi_errno
+                if obi_errno == OBIVIEW_ALREADY_EXISTS_ERROR:
+                    raise Exception("View name already exists in this DMS")
                 error=e
                    
     if scheme==b"dms" :
-        logger('Error','cannot open DMS: %s', uri)
+        logger('Error','Could not open DMS URI: %s', uri)
         raise FileNotFoundError('uri')
 
     if not urip.scheme:
diff --git a/src/obierrno.h b/src/obierrno.h
index d7cfe3a..49c9b63 100644
--- a/src/obierrno.h
+++ b/src/obierrno.h
@@ -128,6 +128,8 @@ extern int obi_errno;
  	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 */
 #define OBI_JSON_ERROR       		(34)    /** Error related to JSON operations.
  	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 */
+#define OBIVIEW_ALREADY_EXISTS_ERROR (35)   /** Tried to create a new view with a name already existing in the DMS.
+											 */
 /**@}*/
 
 #endif /* OBIERRNO_H_ */
diff --git a/src/obiview.c b/src/obiview.c
index 7ba74bf..19e669b 100644
--- a/src/obiview.c
+++ b/src/obiview.c
@@ -1496,8 +1496,8 @@ Obiview_p obi_new_view(OBIDMS_p dms, const char* view_name, Obiview_p view_to_cl
 	// Check uniqueness of name
 	if (view_exists(dms, view_name))
 	{
-		obi_set_errno(OBIVIEW_ERROR);
-		obidebug(1, "\nName of new view already exists");
+		obi_set_errno(OBIVIEW_ALREADY_EXISTS_ERROR);
+		obidebug(1, "\nName of new view ('%s') already exists", view_name);
 		return NULL;
 	}