Indicator Setup Report

Summary

IndicatorManager.setup_indicators() now returns an IndicatorSetupReport instead of only an array of RuleCheckIndicator instances. The report encapsulates the produced indicators plus structured diagnostic metadata used by the updated test suite and for future debugging.

Motivation

Previously tests received only a raw Array[RuleCheckIndicator]. Deeper debugging (e.g., why zero indicators were produced) required ad‑hoc logging or re-walking scene trees. Returning a structured report provides:

• A stable contract for tests (no need to inspect internal manager state)
• Rich context (collision owners, mapped rule positions, tile counts) without recomputation
• Extensibility (add new fields without changing the return signature again)
• Reduced log noise: tests pull only what they need for assertions

Report Structure

The IndicatorSetupReport (see res://addons/grid_building/placement/manager/components/indicator_setup_report.gd) contains:

Field	Type	Description
indicators	Array[RuleCheckIndicator]	Generated indicators parented to the provided node
rules	Array[TileCheckRule]	Rules used for mapping positions
position_rules_map	Dictionary	Mapping Vector2i -> Array[TileCheckRule] for failing/checked tiles
owner_shapes	Dictionary	Collision owner (Node2D) -> array of shape nodes (CollisionShape2D / CollisionPolygon2D)
distinct_tile_positions	Array[Vector2i]	Computed unique tile coordinates occupied by indicators (filled during finalize())
owner_type_counts	Dictionary	Class name -> count summary derived from owner_shapes
centered_preview	bool	Whether the preview/test object was centered on the targeting positioner before mapping
notes	Array[String]	Supplemental flags (e.g., preview_centered, test_setups:<n>)
issues	Array[String]	Placeholder for future validation or anomaly messages

Helper methods:

• to_summary_string() – concise single line (used in assertion failure messages)
• to_verbose_string() – multiline debug oriented view
• finalize(targeting_state) – populates distinct_tile_positions & owner_type_counts

Usage Pattern

Before

var indicators = indicator_manager.setup_indicators(scene, rules, parent)
assert_int(indicators.size()).is_greater(0)

After

var report : IndicatorSetupReport = indicator_manager.setup_indicators(scene, rules, parent)
var indicators = report.indicators
assert_int(indicators.size())
  .append_failure_message("Summary=" + report.to_summary_string())
  .is_greater(0)

IndicatorManager Test Suite Updates

File: test/grid_building_test/placement/manager/placement_manager_test.gd

Changes:

• Each test captures IndicatorSetupReport and includes its to_summary_string() in failure messages.
• A strict physics body collision-layer prerequisite was relaxed: tests now warn (not fail) when only raw shapes exist (common for simple geometry scenes) while still asserting indicator generation.
• Added non-assert helper _collision_layer_overlaps() for optional precondition logic; original _assert_collision_layer_overlaps() retained for targeted strict checks if re-enabled.
• Distance and uniqueness tests now surface summary context for faster triage if they fail.

Backward Compatibility

Existing callers expecting an Array will break; the migration requires extracting .indicators. For a transitional period you can wrap:

# Transitional shim (if needed)
func setup_indicators_legacy(...):
    return setup_indicators(...).indicators

(Deliberately not included in core to encourage full migration.)

Extensibility Guidelines

When adding new diagnostic data:

1. Append fields to IndicatorSetupReport (avoid removing or renaming existing keys unless major version bump).
2. If the value is derivable and potentially expensive, compute lazily (pattern used by finalize).
3. Keep to_summary_string() concise: no more than ~120 chars typical.
4. Prefer adding structured fields over embedding new info into notes for machine-friendly assertions.

Logging Alignment

Current _log_setup_summary() in indicator_manager.gd replicates some summary math. Consider future refactor to:

_logger.log_verbose(self, report.to_summary_string())

This ensures a single source of truth and prevents divergence when fields evolve.

Potential Future Enhancements

• Populate issues with: missing rules, zero shapes, non-centered preview recovery, or collision mapper warnings.
• Add duration_ms captured around the generation window for performance tracking.
• Add tile_bounds (min/max) to avoid re-deriving in consumer code.
• Flag partial_generation if some rules rejected due to missing resources.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	How Report Helps
Zero indicators	Check owner_shapes size + notes for missing preview centering
Unexpected count	Inspect position_rules_map.size() vs distinct_tile_positions.size()
Performance spike	(Future) Inspect duration_ms once implemented
Shape-only scenes failing old assertions	Now downgraded to warnings; confirm via absence of physics body types in owner_type_counts

Related Docs

• systems/placement_chain.md – High-level placement flow
• systems/collision_mapping.md – Collision mapping internals

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Last updated: 2025-08-18