[Bugfix:Forum] Fix invalid date exception by SohitBennett · Pull Request #12328 · Submitty/Submitty

SohitBennett · 2026-01-10T16:01:35Z

Why is this Change Important & Necessary?

Forum categories currently accept invalid date formats without proper
validation feedback. This adds server-side validation and a Cypress
end-to-end test to prevent regressions.

What is the New Behavior?

When an instructor edits a forum category date and enters an invalid
format, the server returns an error and a toast message
"Invalid date format provided." is displayed.

What steps should a reviewer take to reproduce or test the bug or new feature?

Log in as instructor
Navigate to the Discussion Forum
Click the "More" dropdown and select "Edit Categories"
Click the edit date icon on any category
Enter an invalid date string (e.g., "invalid-date")
Click the save button
Verify the error toast "Invalid date format provided." appears

Automated Testing & Documentation

Added Cypress end-to-end test in forums.spec.js covering invalid date input
Added data-testid attributes to forum category date editing elements in ShowCategories.twig
No documentation changes needed on submitty.org

Other information

Not a breaking change
No migrations required
No security concerns

williamjallen

How hard would it be to add a Cypress test for this case? Assuming it isn't overly difficult, it would be great to add one so this doesn't happen again.

codecov · 2026-01-11T03:31:20Z

Codecov Report

❌ Patch coverage is 0% with 3 lines in your changes missing coverage. Please review.
✅ Project coverage is 21.65%. Comparing base (b70fe3d) to head (aaabe76).
⚠️ Report is 48 commits behind head on main.

Additional details and impacted files

@@             Coverage Diff              @@
##               main   #12328      +/-   ##
============================================
- Coverage     21.66%   21.65%   -0.01%     
- Complexity     9639     9651      +12     
============================================
  Files           268      268              
  Lines         36226    36233       +7     
  Branches        487      487              
============================================
- Hits           7847     7846       -1     
- Misses        27896    27904       +8     
  Partials        483      483

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SohitBennett · 2026-01-11T06:09:21Z

@williamjallen I have updated the code to catch the specific \InvalidArgumentException as requested and fixed the brace style to satisfy the linter.

I also added a regression test in site/cypress/e2e/Cypress-Feature/forums.spec.js that sends an invalid date string to the categories/edit endpoint to ensure the system handles it gracefully without crashing.

williamjallen · 2026-01-17T20:17:56Z

@SohitBennett Please see failing CI.

Eli-J-Schwartz · 2026-02-01T18:17:37Z

On the main branch, I was able to recreate the error by making a new discussion forum category, and modifying the date to be an invalid format. When that happens, the server fails to parse and returns the error message. On this branch, the error is caught, and correctly returned as JSON with status set to fail.

However, in my testing, I discovered that a number of invalid dates are parsed and return a success, despite being impossible. These include: 2026-02-29 (leap day in a non leap year), 2026-02-31 (nonexistent day in month), 2026-02-0 (day 0 in month), 2026-0-1 (month 0 in year), 0-2-1 (year far too small), 1000000-2-1 (year far too big). This is due to the DateTime constructor in PHP automatically converting invalid dates to correct ones. Since this could cause confusion for the user, I recommend using the date dropdown for new categories everywhere a user can enter a date, to limit the possible issues this could cause.

SohitBennett · 2026-03-24T18:48:07Z

Hi @williamjallen, I've rebased on main and addressed all the feedback from earlier. The Cypress test is included and the CI lint issues are resolved. Could you re-review when you get a chance? Also, the workflows need maintainer approval to run. Thanks!

IDzyre · 2026-03-26T00:43:56Z

Please update your description to use our PR description template:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Submitty/Submitty/refs/heads/main/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md

IDzyre · 2026-03-26T00:45:10Z

+        cy.contains('Edit Categories').click();
+
+        cy.get('.edit-category-date-button').first().click();
+
+        cy.get('.edit-category-date-input').should('be.visible').first().as('dateInput');
+
+        cy.get('@dateInput').clear({ force: true });
+        cy.get('@dateInput').type('invalid-date', { force: true });
+
+        cy.get('.save-date-button').first().click();
+
+        cy.contains('Invalid date format provided.').should('be.visible');


Instead of getting ids or classes, you should add data-testid attributed wherever needed, and get those.

IDzyre · 2026-03-26T00:46:32Z

+        cy.get('@dateInput').clear({ force: true });
+        cy.get('@dateInput').type('invalid-date', { force: true });


Force should be used as a last resort, is there another way to do this without forcing it ?

IDzyre · 2026-03-26T00:46:51Z

+
+        cy.get('.save-date-button').first().click();
+
+        cy.contains('Invalid date format provided.').should('be.visible');


Can you check for a specific element having that message, instead of just any element?

…Submitty into fix-forum-date-bug

SohitBennett · 2026-03-26T03:59:35Z

Hey, made the changes that were requested switched to data-testid selectors, removed the force: true, and scoped the error check to the popup-message element. Also updated the PR description. Let me know if anything else needs fixing!

IDzyre · 2026-03-26T04:23:33Z

+
+    it('Should handle invalid date format when editing categories', () => {
+        cy.get('[data-testid="more-dropdown"]').click();
+        cy.contains('Edit Categories').click();


Is there a testid for this too ?

IDzyre · 2026-03-26T04:23:39Z

+    beforeEach(() => {
+        cy.login('instructor');
+        cy.visit(['sample', 'forum']);
+        cy.get('#nav-sidebar-collapse-sidebar').click();


Is there a testid for this?

bmcutler · 2026-04-30T15:32:31Z

closed due to inactivity

github-project-automation Bot added this to Submitty Development Jan 10, 2026

github-project-automation Bot moved this to Seeking Reviewer in Submitty Development Jan 10, 2026

williamjallen requested changes Jan 11, 2026

View reviewed changes

Comment thread site/app/controllers/forum/ForumController.php Outdated

github-project-automation Bot moved this from Seeking Reviewer to Work in Progress in Submitty Development Jan 11, 2026

SohitBennett requested a review from williamjallen January 11, 2026 11:47

automateprojectmangement Bot moved this from Work in Progress to In Review in Submitty Development Jan 11, 2026

williamjallen reviewed Jan 11, 2026

View reviewed changes

Comment thread site/cypress/e2e/Cypress-Feature/forums.spec.js Outdated

SohitBennett requested a review from williamjallen January 12, 2026 20:19

github-actions Bot added the Abandoned PR - Needs New Owner No activity on PR for more than 2 weeks -- seeking new owner to complete label Feb 16, 2026

SohitBennett added 7 commits March 20, 2026 13:12

Bugfix: Catch invalid date exception in ForumController to prevent crash

11d1680

Fix: Catch InvalidArgumentException and correct brace style

01f0ae8

Test: Add regression test for invalid forum dates

a8af5e6

Refactor: Switch to UI regression test and fix PHP lint formatting

a540b3b

Fix: Resolve JS lint chaining error and improve test wait time

f0015f6

Fix: Update test to click the edit button before typing the date

1477d3f

Fix: Remove extra space from cypress test for invalid date

0544f1f

SohitBennett force-pushed the fix-forum-date-bug branch from 8cfeb58 to aa40aec Compare March 20, 2026 07:44

Fix: Wrap Cypress test in describe block and add missing newline

4127cb0

SohitBennett force-pushed the fix-forum-date-bug branch from aa40aec to 4127cb0 Compare March 20, 2026 07:47

Merge branch 'main' into fix-forum-date-bug

db99059

IDzyre requested changes Mar 26, 2026

View reviewed changes

github-project-automation Bot moved this from In Review to Work in Progress in Submitty Development Mar 26, 2026

SohitBennett added 2 commits March 26, 2026 09:21

[Bugfix:Forum] Use data-testid selectors and remove force in date test

59016bb

Merge branch 'fix-forum-date-bug' of https://github.com/SohitBennett/…

aaabe76

…Submitty into fix-forum-date-bug

IDzyre requested changes Mar 26, 2026

View reviewed changes

Asterisk-Hunter mentioned this pull request Mar 28, 2026

[Bugfix:Forum] Handle invalid category date #12675

Closed

GarvitKhandelwal31 mentioned this pull request Mar 29, 2026

[Bugfix:Forum] Fix category release dates #12458

Merged

bmcutler closed this Apr 30, 2026

github-project-automation Bot moved this from Work in Progress to Done in Submitty Development Apr 30, 2026

		cy.get('@dateInput').clear({ force: true });
		cy.get('@dateInput').type('invalid-date', { force: true });


		cy.get('.save-date-button').first().click();

		cy.contains('Invalid date format provided.').should('be.visible');

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Why is this Change Important & Necessary?

What is the New Behavior?

What steps should a reviewer take to reproduce or test the bug or new feature?

Automated Testing & Documentation

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