CBRAIN skips validation for single file tools

[MontrealSergiy]

CBRAIN support a number of validations for input file types, names. However some users discovered a way to circumvent this validation for single-input descriptors.

Many tools ( e.g eegml_alpha_rest ) have just only mandatory input file and users might skip selecting file in the task input form.

Such task could be submitted and executed, but validation of input file type, name pattern, etc is not performed

This even if type is not appropriate (e.g. BIDS rather than BIDS subject) user can submit task

[MontrealSergiy]

When adding ability to "Launching task array by selecting multiple files" for boutiques with a single file input, UI single file is treated similirly to file list, so much of validation is ignored (see commit 1bb303a )

I recall there could be issues with validation of long file list with default regex engine, so not yet entirely sure should be it addressed for all files in a list, but defenitely if there is not batch processing user should be required to select single file.

[prioux]

I have a prototype code change for this:

diff --git a/BrainPortal/app/controllers/tasks_controller.rb b/BrainPortal/app/controllers/tasks_controller.rb
index dad744a06..d183dbbd5 100644
--- a/BrainPortal/app/controllers/tasks_controller.rb
+++ b/BrainPortal/app/controllers/tasks_controller.rb
@@ -394,7 +394,7 @@ class TasksController < ApplicationController
       @task.errors.add(:tool_config_id, 'is on an Execution Server that is currently offline')
     end
 
-    unless @task.errors.empty? && @task.valid?
+    if @task.errors.any? || ! @task.valid?
       flash.now[:error] += messages
       initialize_common_form_values
       respond_to do |format|
@@ -406,15 +406,39 @@ class TasksController < ApplicationController
     end
 
     # Create a bunch of tasks and launch them, either in background or in foreground
-    tasklist,messages = create_tasklist_from_initial_task(@task)
+    tasklist,tl_messages = create_tasklist_from_initial_task(@task)
+
+    # Revalidate everything for all the tasks in the new tasklist
+    # This is kind of costly, but we have no choices if special validation
+    # modules have been loaded for after_form().
+    # As soon as any task in the task list is not valid, we stop checking and
+    # return to the form.
+    af_messages = ""
+    tasklist.each do |task|
+      af_messages += task.wrapper_after_form
+      if task.errors.any? || ! task.valid?
+        @task.errors.add(:base, "While creating a set of tasks, one of them was found to be invalid, probably because a file selected as input was not appropriate.")
+        flash.now[:error] += af_messages
+        respond_to do |format|
+          format.html { render :action => 'new' }
+          format.xml  { render :xml  => @task.errors, :status => :unprocessable_entity }
+          format.json { render :json => @task.errors, :status => :unprocessable_entity }
+        end
+        return
+      end
+    end
+
+    af_messages = af_messages.split("\n").uniq.join("\n") # remove duplicate messages, if any
 
     if tasklist.size == 1
       flash[:notice] += "Launching a #{@task.pretty_name} task in background."
     else
       flash[:notice] += "Launching #{tasklist.size} #{@task.pretty_name} tasks in background."
     end
-    flash[:notice] += "\n"            unless messages.blank? || messages =~ /\n$/
-    flash[:notice] += messages + "\n" unless messages.blank?
+    flash[:notice] += "\n"               unless tl_messages.blank? || tl_messages =~ /\n$/
+    flash[:notice] += tl_messages + "\n" unless tl_messages.blank?
+    flash[:notice] += "\n"               unless af_messages.blank? || af_messages =~ /\n$/
+    flash[:notice] += af_messages + "\n" unless af_messages.blank?
 
     # Increment the number of times the user has launched this particular tool
     tool_id                           = @task.tool.id

[prioux]

I will test this in the next few days.