Fix transpiler validation and improve error messages

[sensei-hacker]

User description

Summary

Improves JavaScript Programming transpiler validation to catch invalid code with helpful error messages instead of silently dropping code or failing with cryptic messages.

Changes

Validation Improvements:

• Invalid function calls now generate clear parser errors (e.g., inav.override.flightAxis(180))
• Intermediate object usage detected at semantic analysis stage
• Category-only access caught (e.g., inav.flight without a property)

Error Message Enhancements:

• Shows available properties for intermediate objects
• Provides actionable suggestions (e.g., "Did you mean: inav.override.vtx.power, inav.override.vtx.band, ...")
• Differentiates between simple and deeply nested objects

Test Coverage:

• Added test_examples.mjs - regression test for all 22 examples
• Added test_validation_fixes.mjs - tests for new validation features
• All 28 existing test suites still pass

i18n Fixes:

• Fixed missing introductory text in JavaScript Programming tab
• Fixed paragraph spacing for warning text

Files Changed

• js/transpiler/transpiler/parser.js - Invalid function call detection
• js/transpiler/transpiler/analyzer.js - Improved error messages for assignments
• js/transpiler/transpiler/property_access_checker.js - Enhanced intermediate object detection
• js/transpiler/transpiler/index.js - Fail transpilation on parser errors
• tabs/javascript_programming.js & .html - i18n display fixes
• locale/en/messages.json - i18n text
• test_examples.mjs & test_validation_fixes.mjs - New test files

Testing

• ✅ All 28 existing transpiler test suites pass
• ✅ All 22 example code snippets compile without errors
• ✅ All 8 validation test cases pass
• ✅ Manually tested in Configurator UI

Examples

Before: inav.override.vtx = 3; silently fails or shows "Cannot assign to 'inav.override.vtx'. Not a valid INAV writable property."

After: Clear error: "Cannot assign to 'inav.override.vtx' - it's an object, not a property. Available properties: inav.override.vtx.power, inav.override.vtx.band, inav.override.vtx.channel"

---

PR Type

Bug fix, Enhancement

---

Description

This description is generated by an AI tool. It may have inaccuracies

• Detects invalid function calls and intermediate object usage with clear error messages instead of silently dropping code

• Improves error messages by showing available properties for nested objects and suggesting correct access patterns

• Fails transpilation when parser errors occur, preventing invalid code from compiling

• Adds comprehensive test coverage with regression tests for all 22 examples and 8 validation scenarios

• Fixes missing i18n localization in JavaScript Programming tab and improves paragraph spacing

---

Diagram Walkthrough

flowchart LR
  Parser["Parser detects<br/>invalid function calls"]
  Analyzer["Analyzer checks<br/>intermediate objects"]
  PropertyChecker["PropertyAccessChecker<br/>validates property paths"]
  ErrorMessages["Generate helpful<br/>error messages"]
  Transpiler["Transpiler fails<br/>on parser errors"]
  Tests["Regression tests<br/>validate fixes"]
  
  Parser -->|"extractCalleeNameForError"| ErrorMessages
  Analyzer -->|"getImprovedWritabilityError"| ErrorMessages
  PropertyChecker -->|"isPropertyAnObject"| ErrorMessages
  ErrorMessages -->|"categorizeWarnings"| Transpiler
  Transpiler -->|"throw on errors"| Tests

Loading

File Walkthrough

	Relevant files
Bug fix	4 files parser.js Detect invalid function calls with error reporting              +37/-0    index.js Fail transpilation when parser errors present                        +12/-1    javascript_programming.js Add i18n localization to tab initialization                            +5/-0      javascript_programming.html Fix paragraph spacing in warning text                                        +4/-0
Enhancement	2 files analyzer.js Improve error messages for invalid assignments                      +110/-3  property_access_checker.js Detect intermediate objects and nested property validation +126/-6
Documentation	1 files messages.json Update JavaScript beta warning message text                            +1/-1
Tests	2 files test_examples.mjs Add regression test for all 22 examples                                    +61/-0    test_validation_fixes.mjs Add validation test suite for error detection                        +117/-0

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[qodo-code-review]

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[qodo-code-review]

PR Compliance Guide 🔍

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[qodo-code-review]

High-level Suggestion

Refactor the new validation logic to use the existing processed API structure instead of directly importing raw API definitions. This will prevent inconsistencies by ensuring all components rely on a single source for API information. [High-level, importance: 8]

Solution Walkthrough:

Before:

// property_access_checker.js
import apiDefinitions from '../api/definitions/index.js'; // Raw definitions

class PropertyAccessChecker {
  constructor(context) {
    this.inavAPI = context.inavAPI; // Processed structure
  }

  isPropertyAnObject(category, parentProp, childProp) {
    // Bypasses processed structure and uses raw definitions directly
    const categoryDef = apiDefinitions[category];
    // ... logic using raw definitions
  }
  // ... other methods use this.inavAPI (processed)
}

After:

// api_mapping_utility.js
function buildAPIStructure(apiDefinitions) {
  // ... existing processing
  // Enhance the structure to include original hierarchy or metadata
  // needed for validation.
  processedStructure.rawHierarchy = apiDefinitions; // or some other form
  return processedStructure;
}

// property_access_checker.js
class PropertyAccessChecker {
  constructor(context) {
    this.inavAPI = context.inavAPI; // Processed structure with extra metadata
  }

  isPropertyAnObject(category, parentProp, childProp) {
    // Uses the enhanced processed structure, no direct import of raw definitions
    const categoryDef = this.inavAPI.rawHierarchy[category];
    // ... logic using the single source of truth
  }
}

[qodo-code-review]

Suggestion: In getImprovedWritabilityError, check that nested.properties is not empty before accessing its first key to prevent generating error suggestions containing undefined. [possible issue, importance: 6]

Suggested change

	const nestedPropKeys = Object.keys(firstProp.properties);
	const suggestions = propKeys.slice(0, 2).flatMap(p => {
	const nested = categoryDef.properties[p];
	if (nested && nested.properties) {
	const firstNestedProp = Object.keys(nested.properties)[0];
	return [`inav.override.${parts[1]}.${p}.${firstNestedProp}`];
	}
	return [];
	}).join(', ');
	const nestedPropKeys = Object.keys(firstProp.properties);
	const suggestions = propKeys.slice(0, 2).flatMap(p => {
	const nested = categoryDef.properties[p];
	if (nested && nested.properties) {
	const nestedKeys = Object.keys(nested.properties);
	if (nestedKeys.length > 0) {
	const firstNestedProp = nestedKeys[0];
	return [`inav.override.${parts[1]}.${p}.${firstNestedProp}`];
	}
	}
	return [];
	}).join(', ');

[qodo-code-review]

Suggestion: Update extractCalleeNameForError to correctly handle computed properties in MemberExpression (e.g., inav.rc[0]) to generate more accurate error messages. [possible issue, importance: 7]

Suggested change

	extractCalleeNameForError(callee) {
	if (callee.type === 'Identifier') {
	return callee.name;
	}
	if (callee.type === 'MemberExpression') {
	// Try to reconstruct the full path
	const parts = [];
	let current = callee;
	while (current) {
	if (current.type === 'MemberExpression') {
	if (current.property) {
	parts.unshift(current.property.name || current.property.value);
	}
	current = current.object;
	} else if (current.type === 'Identifier') {
	parts.unshift(current.name);
	break;
	} else {
	break;
	}
	}
	return parts.join('.');
	}
	return '<unknown>';
	}
	extractCalleeNameForError(callee) {
	if (callee.type === 'Identifier') {
	return callee.name;
	}
	if (callee.type === 'MemberExpression') {
	// Try to reconstruct the full path
	const parts = [];
	let current = callee;
	while (current && current.type === 'MemberExpression') {
	if (current.property) {
	if (current.property.type === 'Identifier') {
	parts.unshift(current.property.name);
	} else if (current.property.type === 'Literal') {
	parts.unshift(`[${current.property.raw}]`);
	}
	}
	current = current.object;
	}
	if (current && current.type === 'Identifier') {
	parts.unshift(current.name);
	}
	return parts.join(''); // Use join('') for bracket notation
	}
	return '<unknown>';
	}

[qodo-code-review]

Suggestion: Avoid duplicating raw apiDefinitions traversal in the analyzer; reuse PropertyAccessChecker’s object/children introspection helpers so “what is an object vs leaf” logic stays consistent in one place. [Learned best practice, importance: 5]

Suggested change

	getImprovedWritabilityError(target, line) {
	// Strip 'inav.' prefix if present
	const normalizedTarget = target.startsWith('inav.') ? target.substring(5) : target;
	const parts = normalizedTarget.split('.');
	// Only applies to override namespace for now
	if (parts[0] !== 'override') {
	return null;
	}
	// Check if trying to assign to a 3-level intermediate object
	// E.g., override.flightAxis.yaw (should be override.flightAxis.yaw.angle or .rate)
	if (parts.length === 3) {
	const overrideDef = this.getOverrideDefinition(parts[1], parts[2]);
	if (overrideDef && overrideDef.type === 'object' && overrideDef.properties) {
	const availableProps = Object.keys(overrideDef.properties);
	const suggestions = availableProps.map(p => `inav.override.${parts[1]}.${parts[2]}.${p}`).join(', ');
	return `Cannot assign to '${target}' - it's an object, not a property. Available properties: ${suggestions}`;
	}
	}
	// Check if trying to assign to a 2-level intermediate object
	// E.g., override.vtx (should be override.vtx.power, etc.)
	// or override.flightAxis (should be override.flightAxis.roll.angle, etc.)
	if (parts.length === 2) {
	const categoryDef = this.getOverrideCategoryDefinition(parts[1]);
	if (categoryDef && categoryDef.type === 'object' && categoryDef.properties) {
	const propKeys = Object.keys(categoryDef.properties);
	// Check if properties are simple (like vtx.power) or nested (like flightAxis.roll.angle)
	const firstProp = categoryDef.properties[propKeys[0]];
	if (firstProp && firstProp.type === 'object' && firstProp.properties) {
	// Deeply nested (like flightAxis.roll.angle)
	const nestedPropKeys = Object.keys(firstProp.properties);
	const suggestions = propKeys.slice(0, 2).flatMap(p => {
	const nested = categoryDef.properties[p];
	if (nested && nested.properties) {
	const firstNestedProp = Object.keys(nested.properties)[0];
	return [`inav.override.${parts[1]}.${p}.${firstNestedProp}`];
	}
	return [];
	}).join(', ');
	return `Cannot assign to '${target}' - it's an object, not a property. Examples: ${suggestions}, ...`;
	} else {
	// Simple properties (like vtx.power, vtx.band, vtx.channel)
	const suggestions = propKeys.map(p => `inav.override.${parts[1]}.${p}`).join(', ');
	return `Cannot assign to '${target}' - it's an object, not a property. Available properties: ${suggestions}`;
	}
	}
	}
	return null;
	}
	/**
	* Get override definition for a specific property
	* @private
	*/
	getOverrideDefinition(category, property) {
	try {
	// Access raw API definitions, not processed structure
	const overrideDefs = apiDefinitions.override;
	if (!overrideDefs) return null;
	// For nested objects like flightAxis, check if the property itself has properties
	if (overrideDefs[category] && overrideDefs[category].properties) {
	return overrideDefs[category].properties[property];
	}
	return null;
	} catch (error) {
	return null;
	}
	}
	getImprovedWritabilityError(target, line) {
	const normalizedTarget = target.startsWith('inav.') ? target.substring(5) : target;
	const parts = normalizedTarget.split('.');
	if (parts[0] !== 'override') return null;
	// override.flightAxis.yaw -> suggest deeper props using the checker’s source-of-truth helpers
	if (parts.length === 3) {
	const [_, parentProp, childProp] = parts;
	if (this.propertyAccessChecker.isPropertyAnObject('override', parentProp, childProp)) {
	const deeperProps = this.propertyAccessChecker.getNestedObjectProperties('override', parentProp, childProp) || [];
	if (deeperProps.length > 0) {
	const suggestions = deeperProps.map(p => `inav.override.${parentProp}.${childProp}.${p}`).join(', ');
	return `Cannot assign to '${target}' - it's an object, not a property. Available properties: ${suggestions}`;
	}
	}
	}
	...
	return null;
	}