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Placement Validation Debugging Summary - August 7, 2025

Issues Resolved

1. Critical Validation Logic Bug ✅ FIXED

File: placement_validator.gd
Issue: _setup_rules method was checking failing_rules.size() == 0 but failing_rules was never populated
Impact: Setup always appeared successful even when rules had issues, leaving active_rules empty
Fix: Changed to problem_dictionary.is_empty() which correctly checks for rule setup issues

2. Inconsistent Terminology ✅ FIXED

Files: Multiple system files
Issue: Mixed usage of "problems" vs "issues" for validation failures
Impact: Inconsistent codebase terminology
Fix: - Standardized on "issues" throughout the codebase - Updated PlacementValidator: problem_dictionary → issues_dictionary, rule_problems → rule_issues - Updated all system files: BuildingSystem, ManipulationSystem, GridTargetingSystem, GridTargetingState - Created Terminology Conventions for future enforcement

3. Cross-Platform Path Handling ✅ DOCUMENTED

Issue: Windows paths with backslashes get corrupted when passed through Git Bash
Impact: Test execution fails with path errors
Solution: Use forward slashes in environment variables: C:/path/to/godot not C:\path\to\godot
Documentation: See Cross-Platform Path Handling guide

Root Cause Analysis

The original issue "placement validation always fails even if all rules should validate" was caused by:

  1. Missing validate_build method in BuildingSystemLogic (resolved earlier)
  2. Critical logic error in PlacementValidator setup validation
  3. Empty active_rules array due to incorrect success detection

Files Modified

Core Logic Fixes

  • placement_validator.gd: Fixed setup validation logic, updated terminology
  • building_system_logic.gd: Added missing validate_build method (previous session)

System-Wide Terminology Updates

  • building_system.gd: problems → issues
  • manipulation_system.gd: problems → issues
  • grid_targeting_system.gd: problems → issues, state_problems → state_issues
  • grid_targeting_state.gd: problems → issues

Documentation Added

  • .github/docs/project/terminology-conventions.md: Standardized terminology rules
  • .github/docs/testing/cross-platform-path-handling.md: Windows path handling guide
  • Updated test-execution-guide.md and copilot-instructions.md with references

Testing Status

Path Issue: Environment variable needs forward slashes for proper execution: 

# ✅ CORRECT
GODOT=C:/Users/chris/AppData/Roaming/godotenv/godot/bin/godot

# ❌ INCORRECT (gets corrupted)  
GODOT=C:\Users\chris\AppData\Roaming\godotenv\godot\bin\godot

Validation Logic: Should now work correctly with the setup validation bug fixed.

Impact Assessment

Before Fix

  • Setup validation always passed even with rule failures
  • Active rules array remained empty
  • Validation always returned "No active rules. Setup must be called first."
  • Indicators not showing proper collision states

After Fix

  • Setup validation correctly detects rule failures
  • Active rules properly populated when setup succeeds
  • Validation can proceed with actual rule checking
  • Should resolve indicator color/collision display issues

Next Steps

  1. Test Execution: Set GODOT environment variable with forward slashes and run tests
  2. Validation Verification: Confirm placement validation now works correctly
  3. Indicator Colors: Verify rule check indicators show proper invalid colors for collisions

Architecture Notes

The fix maintains proper encapsulation: - BuildingSystem calls PlacementManager.validate_placement() - PlacementManager handles PlacementValidator internally - No direct access to PlacementValidator from BuildingSystem

This debugging session resolved the core placement validation issue and established better coding standards for the project.