[Bugfix:Forum] Fix category release dates by GarvitKhandelwal31 · Pull Request #12458 · Submitty/Submitty

GarvitKhandelwal31 · 2026-02-22T07:15:11Z

Why is this Change Important & Necessary?
Fixes #12327. Previously, when users submitted invalid dates while editing forum categories, the ForumController crashed with an InvalidArgumentException.

What is the New Behavior?
Forum category release dates now use a flatpickr date picker on both add and edit, with calendar opening on edit for easier selection.

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

Log in to Submitty as an instructor/admin
Navigate to discussion forum.
Click the More dropdown menu and select Edit Categories

A) Reproduce the original crash (vulnerable code)

git checkout main
Go to the same edit categories page.
Go to the network tab, add filters to fetch/xhr rather than all.
Edit an already existing category and enter a valid date.
Then go to the networks tab you will see

5) Now edit categories with an invalid date, say 'anydate'. 6) Go to the same networks tab and now you can see the error in the original issue-

B) Verify this PR fixes the issue

Now checkout this branch.
Now you can see while adding a new category or even editing an existing category flatpickr calendar can be seen.
Try adding category with empty date, or editing date, no error appears.

Automated Testing & Documentation

No new automated tests added
All changes maintain backward compatibility with existing functionality

Other information

codecov · 2026-02-24T22:48:57Z

Codecov Report

✅ All modified and coverable lines are covered by tests.
✅ Project coverage is 21.67%. Comparing base (95d0a63) to head (04d2fdc).

Additional details and impacted files

@@            Coverage Diff            @@
##               main   #12458   +/-   ##
=========================================
  Coverage     21.67%   21.67%           
  Complexity     9802     9802           
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  Files           268      268           
  Lines         36724    36724           
  Branches        490      490           
=========================================
  Hits           7960     7960           
  Misses        28278    28278           
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Flag	Coverage Δ
autograder	`21.32% <ø> (ø)`
js	`2.02% <ø> (ø)`
migrator	`100.00% <ø> (ø)`
php	`20.73% <ø> (ø)`
python_submitty_utils	`80.08% <ø> (ø)`
submitty_daemon_jobs	`91.13% <ø> (ø)`

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GarvitKhandelwal31 · 2026-02-26T16:24:43Z

Could a maintainer please approve the workflow runs? I've pushed fixes for the CI failures:

Fixed PHP code style error (Stroustrup brace style for catch statement)
Fixed Cypress test assertion errors

Thanks!

Copilot

Pull request overview

Fixes a forum category “release date” crash by hardening backend date parsing and updating the categories UI to use a flatpickr-backed date picker, with new Cypress regression coverage.

Changes:

Add try/catch handling in ForumController::editCategory() to avoid InvalidArgumentException crashes on invalid dates.
Update the category date edit UI to use a flatpickr-enhanced input.
Add Cypress E2E tests covering category release date add/edit/clear flows (and bump Cypress in npm deps).

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 4 out of 5 changed files in this pull request and generated 9 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
`site/app/controllers/forum/ForumController.php`	Catches invalid date parsing during category edits and returns a JSON failure instead of crashing.
`site/app/templates/forum/ShowCategories.twig`	Switches category date editing to a flatpickr-driven input and initializes flatpickr during edit interactions.
`site/cypress/e2e/Cypress-Feature/forums.spec.js`	Adds regression tests for category release date creation/editing/clearing behavior.
`site/package.json`	Bumps Cypress version.
`site/package-lock.json`	Lockfile updates corresponding to the Cypress bump.

Files not reviewed (1)

site/package-lock.json: Language not supported

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GarvitKhandelwal31 · 2026-03-01T16:45:23Z

@JManion32 Your requested changes have been addressed. Would appreciate another review from you whenever you are free.
Thanks!

JManion32

Please ensure package-lock.json has no changes. Please also update your pull request description to include images of your updates to the UI, and remove mentions of bumping Cypress / changing package.json and package-lock.json. Thank you!

GarvitKhandelwal31 · 2026-03-05T21:36:37Z

@JManion32 I have completely fixed this PR. I realized that previous file changes were completely unnecessary. Furthermore I have added detailed procedures on how to verify my fixes, along that I have also added screen recording.

Please have a look when you have time.

…ase date (Issue Submitty#12327) - Add validation for empty date strings in addNewCategory() and editCategory() - Treat empty/whitespace-only dates as null (no release restriction) - Wrap parseDateTime() calls in try-catch blocks to handle invalid formats - Return user-friendly error messages instead of crashing - Fix markPostUnread() to validate timestamp input - Fix editThread() to handle empty/invalid lock dates and expiration dates This prevents InvalidArgumentException when instructors leave release date fields empty or enter invalid date formats.

JManion32

@GarvitKhandelwal31 were you able to reproduce the issue and get the error seen in #12327? Based on your instructions, it is unclear to me. Everything I have tried to reproduce on the error on main has worked as expected with no crashes. Please include instructions on exactly how to reproduce so I can verify that your changes are actually solving this issue. Thank you!

GarvitKhandelwal31 · 2026-03-29T01:23:21Z

@IDzyre Would be grateful for your review in this. I saw that there are more open PRs on this issue, so here my review on them-

Comparative Review: #12458 vs #12675 vs #12328

This comment focuses on shortcomings in #12675 and #12328, and how #12458 addresses them.

Shortcomings in #12675

It only protects editCategory() and does not fix the category-creation path.
UI state can become inconsistent on failed save (optimistic local update before server success).

Shortcomings in #12328

Same create-path gap as [Bugfix:Forum] Handle invalid category date #12675 (addNewCategory() still unguarded).
Test navigation is more brittle (cy.contains('Edit Categories')) instead of stable test-id target.

How #12458 fixes these

Fixes both create and edit controller paths with validation + exception handling.

Evidence:
- addNewCategory() hardened:
- editCategory() hardened:

Prevents stale client state after failed date edits by updating UI state on success path.

Evidence:
- Avoids premature local mutation in template flow:
- Applies state updates in success handler:

Adds stable Cypress regression coverage for invalid category date flow (with test ids).

IDzyre · 2026-03-30T00:10:59Z

@IDzyre Would be grateful for your review in this. I saw that there are more open PRs on this issue, so here my review on them-

Comparative Review: #12458 vs #12675 vs #12328

This comment focuses on shortcomings in #12675 and #12328, and how #12458 addresses them.

Shortcomings in #12675

It only protects editCategory() and does not fix the category-creation path.

UI state can become inconsistent on failed save (optimistic local update before server success).

Shortcomings in #12328

Same create-path gap as [Bugfix:Forum] Handle invalid category date #12675 (addNewCategory() still unguarded).

Test navigation is more brittle (cy.contains('Edit Categories')) instead of stable test-id target.

How #12458 fixes these

Fixes both create and edit controller paths with validation + exception handling.

Evidence:

addNewCategory() hardened:

editCategory() hardened:

Prevents stale client state after failed date edits by updating UI state on success path.

Evidence:

Avoids premature local mutation in template flow:

Applies state updates in success handler:

Adds stable Cypress regression coverage for invalid category date flow (with test ids).

I am flying back from a vacation today. I will see if I can look into it tomorrow, but no promises.

IDzyre · 2026-03-31T02:19:53Z

+        // Navigate to the category management page.
+        cy.get('[data-testid="more-dropdown"]').click();
+        cy.get('[data-testid="edit-categories-link"]').click();
+        cy.get('#manage-categories-view').should('be.visible');


Can you add a testid for this?

IDzyre

See comment about testid, and ensure this passes the tests in CI.

GarvitKhandelwal31 · 2026-04-01T08:02:26Z

The 4 failures in late_submission_warning_messages.spec.js and gradeable_upload.spec.js are pre-existing flaky tests unrelated to this PR:

late_submission_warning_messages failures 2 & 4: day count is off-by-one when CI runs before noon (server timezone boundary issue in getDueDateString())
late_submission_warning_messages failures 1 & 3: #more_extension_popup not shown on retries due to no cleanup between Cypress retry attempts
gradeable_upload failure: api_testing gradeable persists from previous CI run — no teardown

If you would want I could open a separate PR and issue addressing them.

Eli-J-Schwartz

Most date entry systems on Submitty use flatpickr to choose well-formatted dates, including another date entry on the same page. Would it be possible to use flatpickr here too?

GarvitKhandelwal31 · 2026-05-03T10:14:30Z

Most date entry systems on Submitty use flatpickr to choose well-formatted dates, including another date entry on the same page. Would it be possible to use flatpickr here too?

Done, please refer the updated description for the review.

dandrecollins07-ctrl

Passes manual test cases.

Minor note: Invalid dates such as 2026-99-99 automatically roll over to 2034-06-07.
Approved.

github-project-automation Bot added this to Submitty Development Feb 22, 2026

github-project-automation Bot moved this to Seeking Reviewer in Submitty Development Feb 22, 2026

GarvitKhandelwal31 changed the title ~~Fix forum category release date validation (Issue #12327)~~ [Bugfix:Forum] Fix forum category release date validation Feb 23, 2026

GarvitKhandelwal31 changed the title ~~[Bugfix:Forum] Fix forum category release date validation~~ [Bugfix] Fix forum category validation Feb 23, 2026

GarvitKhandelwal31 changed the title ~~[Bugfix] Fix forum category validation~~ [Bugfix:Forum] Fix category release dates Feb 23, 2026

JManion32 requested changes Feb 26, 2026

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GarvitKhandelwal31 force-pushed the fix-forum-date-bug branch from a3cb115 to 34f710e Compare March 1, 2026 16:35

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GarvitKhandelwal31 force-pushed the fix-forum-date-bug branch 4 times, most recently from 5811e11 to 57c562a Compare March 5, 2026 21:24

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

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

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GarvitKhandelwal31 added 3 commits March 29, 2026 05:50

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

6daced9

Stabilize Cypress autograding tutorial result wait

1be99f9

Add Cypress regression coverage for forum invalid category date

4e15aa2

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GarvitKhandelwal31 added 4 commits March 31, 2026 19:19

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

4ab66cf

Fix to failing CI

ee66aec

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

fcaf5c0

Fix in Showcategories.twig

82d5cd9

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 Apr 16, 2026

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

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GarvitKhandelwal31 added 2 commits May 1, 2026 09:34

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

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

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GarvitKhandelwal31 marked this pull request as draft May 3, 2026 09:40

GarvitKhandelwal31 added 2 commits May 3, 2026 15:15

implementing flatpickr in edit categories also

1cbcae8

removing extra line

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GarvitKhandelwal31 marked this pull request as ready for review May 3, 2026 10:13

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

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

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bmcutler merged commit 6d3a045 into Submitty:main Jun 4, 2026
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GarvitKhandelwal31 commented Feb 22, 2026 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

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A) Reproduce the original crash (vulnerable code)

B) Verify this PR fixes the issue

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GarvitKhandelwal31 commented Mar 29, 2026 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

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Comparative Review: #12458 vs #12675 vs #12328

Shortcomings in #12675

Shortcomings in #12328

How #12458 fixes these

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IDzyre commented Mar 30, 2026

Comparative Review: #12458 vs #12675 vs #12328

Shortcomings in #12675

Shortcomings in #12328

How #12458 fixes these

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