history

Image App project validation ownership

id: LK-20260716-image-project-validation-ownership
date: 2026-07-16
sequence: 119
type: refactor
compatibility: compatible
component: `labkit_BatchImageCrop_app` | `1.7.4 -> 1.7.5`
component: `labkit_CurvatureMeasurement_app` | `1.4.4 -> 1.4.5`
component: `labkit_FLIRThermal_app` | `1.4.4 -> 1.4.5`
component: `labkit_FocusStack_app` | `1.5.3 -> 1.5.4`
component: `labkit_ImageEnhance_app` | `1.6.4 -> 1.6.5`
component: `labkit_ImageMatch_app` | `1.6.4 -> 1.6.5`
component: `labkit_VideoMarker_app` | `1.5.3 -> 1.5.4`
scope: image App project schemas
scope: App maintenance cost

Context

The seven image workflow validators repeated Runtime's canonical project-bucket checks and, in six cases, the standard portable source-record field list. Those checks obscured the App-specific rules that actually matter: crop task relationships, parameter ranges, annotation shapes, video metadata, skeleton dimensions, and result schemas.

Decision and rationale

Keep the existence of each App's required source collection and every domain-specific relationship in projectSpec.m. Rely on Runtime for the five canonical bucket structs and the internal shape of every supplied source record. This preserves strict malformed-project rejection while making each validator read as its App schema.

Changes

• Removed 71 net lines of repeated Runtime structure checks from the seven image App project specifications.
• Preserved required inputs.sources fields and all item/source, annotation/source, skeleton/frame, parameter, and result constraints.
• Added a GUI-free contract that accepts all seven default projects and rejects each project when its App-required source collection is removed.

User and data impact

Valid projects, migrations, image calculations, annotations, and exports are unchanged. Malformed source records continue to fail in Runtime; malformed App fields continue to fail in the owning App validator.

Compatibility and migration

No payload format changed and no migration is required. The refactor changes which layer reports framework-owned structure failures, not which valid data the Apps accept.

Validation

The focused project-spec contract covers default acceptance and missing-source rejection for every affected App. Existing focused unit and hidden-GUI tests cover the domain relationships and representative load, edit, analyze, and export workflows.

Evidence

• Runtime and Lifecycle defines canonical project and source validation.
• Each affected Image Measurement App manual lists its remaining project and session responsibilities.

Known limitations and follow-up

This change does not shorten action handlers or scientific workflow code. Those remain App-owned unless a separately measured repeated behavior proves to be stable and domain-neutral.