prior_session_test_harden_20260605 — Design

Date: 2026-06-05 Status: Draft Track: prior_session_test_harden_20260605 (sub-project of v2)

Problem Statement

tests/test_prior_session_no_pop_imbalance.py::test_no_extraneous_pop_when_prior_session_renders fails with TypeError: cannot unpack non-iterable NoneType object at src/gui_2.py:2333 (imscope.window(...) as (opened, visible):).

Root cause: the test mocks imscope.window's __enter__ to return a non-iterable MagicMock(), but the production code expects a 2-tuple. AND the test exercises gui_2.render_main_interface(app_instance), a kitchen-sink function that calls dozens of other render functions, each with their own mock-shape requirements. After fixing the imscope.window tuple-return, the next failure surfaces at src/gui_2.py:4496 (render_theme_panel: imgui.begin returning bool where 2-tuple expected). The test would need 50+ mocks to fully exercise render_main_interface.

Test's Actual Intent

The test's only assertion is assert push_count["n"] == pop_count["n"] — verify that imscope.style_color push and pop counts balance when the prior-session render runs. This is a narrow, well-defined contract.

The test does NOT need to exercise the entire render_main_interface. It only needs to exercise the prior-session render path.

Design

Approach: Call the narrow prior-session render function, not the kitchen sink

src/gui_2.py has a dedicated render_prior_session_view(app) function (line ~4400) that handles the prior-session rendering. It's a ~30-line function with a finite, mockable set of imgui/imscope calls.

Hypothetical refactor:

def test_no_extraneous_pop_when_prior_session_renders():
    from src import gui_2
    from unittest.mock import MagicMock, patch

    app_instance = MagicMock()
    app_instance.is_viewing_prior_session = True
    app_instance.perf_profiling_enabled = False
    app_instance.prior_disc_entries = [
        {"role": "User", "content": "test", "collapsed": False, "ts": "t1"}
    ]

    push_count = {"n": 0}
    pop_count = {"n": 0}
    def _track_push(*a, **k): push_count["n"] += 1
    def _track_pop(*a, **k): pop_count["n"] += 1

    with patch("src.gui_2.imgui") as mock_imgui, \
         patch("src.gui_2.imscope") as mock_imscope, \
         patch("src.gui_2.theme") as mock_theme, \
         patch("src.gui_2.markdown_helper") as mock_md:

        # Wire push/pop tracking on imscope.style_color
        mock_imscope.style_color.return_value.__enter__.side_effect = _track_push
        mock_imscope.style_color.return_value.__exit__.side_effect = lambda *a: (pop_count.__setitem__("n", pop_count["n"] + 1) or False)

        # Set up tuple-return for ALL imscope context managers (style_color, child, id, etc.)
        for sc in [mock_imscope.style_color, mock_imscope.child, mock_imscope.id]:
            sc.return_value.__enter__ = MagicMock()
            sc.return_value.__exit__ = MagicMock(return_value=False)

        # Mock the small finite set of imgui calls used by render_prior_session_view
        mock_imgui.Col_ = MagicMock()
        mock_imgui.button = MagicMock(return_value=False)
        mock_imgui.same_line = MagicMock()
        mock_imgui.text_colored = MagicMock()
        mock_imgui.separator = MagicMock()
        mock_imgui.get_content_region_avail = MagicMock(return_value=MagicMock(x=800.0, y=600.0))
        mock_imgui.ImVec2 = lambda *a: MagicMock(x=a[0], y=a[1])
        mock_imgui.WindowFlags_ = MagicMock()
        mock_imgui.text = MagicMock()

        mock_theme.get_color = MagicMock(return_value=MagicMock(x=0,y=0,z=0,w=0))
        mock_theme.ai_text_style.return_value.__enter__ = MagicMock()
        mock_theme.ai_text_style.return_value.__exit__ = MagicMock(return_value=False)

        mock_md.render = MagicMock()

        # Call the narrow function, NOT the kitchen sink
        gui_2.render_prior_session_view(app_instance)

    assert push_count["n"] == pop_count["n"], f"Push/pop imbalance: pushes={push_count['n']}, pops={pop_count['n']}"

This is ~30 mocks instead of 50+, scoped to what render_prior_session_view actually uses. The imscope mocks all return their own context-manager defaults (no need to return a tuple for style_color since with imscope.style_color(...) as c: doesn't unpack). The test's actual assertion (push/pop balance) is preserved.

Why this approach

Smallest change to the test: removes 50+ mocks, replaces with 30+ scoped mocks. Test runs faster.
Preserves test intent: the assertion is still about push/pop balance in the prior-session render.
Survives future refactors: as long as render_prior_session_view exists, the test is meaningful. If the function is renamed/restructured, the test is localized to that function.
Aligns with the live_gui test philosophy: tests should exercise narrow paths, not kitchen sinks. (This is consistent with the [docs/guide_testing.md Authoring Robust live_gui Tests] rules I just authored.)

Alternatives considered

A2: Add 50+ mocks to make render_main_interface work. Rejected: the test becomes a maintenance burden (any change to any sub-render function breaks the test). It also tests too much (push/pop balance in the entire GUI, not just prior-session).
A3: Skip the test entirely, mark as known-flake. Rejected: the test is meaningful and verifies a real contract. Better to make it work.

File Changes

Modify: `tests/test_prior_session_no_pop_imbalance.py`

Replace the render_main_interface(app_instance) call with render_prior_session_view(app_instance). Remove the mocks for the 50+ imgui methods that are NOT used by render_prior_session_view (e.g. selectable, tree_node, set_scroll_here_y, etc.). Keep the mocks for the 30+ methods that ARE used.

No production code changes

The test is rewritten; render_prior_session_view itself does not change.

Risk Assessment

Risk	Likelihood	Impact	Mitigation
`render_prior_session_view` signature/name changes	Low	Medium	The test is local to this function; future refactors will update both
Mocking too aggressively (mocking something the function actually uses)	Medium	Low	Run the test; if it fails, add the missing mock
Test was testing more than just push/pop balance (e.g. some side effect)	Low	Low	Read the original test docstring; the only assertion is push/pop balance

Out of Scope

State sync fix — separate track (live_gui_state_sync_20260605).
Wait-for-ready pattern — separate track (wait_for_ready_test_pattern_20260605).
undo_redo_lifecycle — separate track (undo_redo_lifecycle_fix_20260605).
Refactoring render_main_interface to be smaller — deferred; out of scope for this track.

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