Several comments still described an Argon2-only worker: the class summary,
the thread name, the log message, and the dev-docs entry. The worker runs
whichever protection an account stores.
Trimmed the rest to the fact a reader cannot recover from the code, and
dropped the narration around it.
Adds a sixth worker rule to the threading model, which is the one this branch
actually learned: everything a worker calls must itself be safe off-thread,
and a process-wide singleton is not automatically safe. HashAlgorithm carries
the running digest across HashCore/HashFinal, and Utility's RNG is a shared
System.Random and game state besides. Both were reasons the worker had been
narrowed to Argon2, and both were better fixed at the source.
SetPassword derives a full Argon2 hash, so the [password command, the admin
gump, account creation and the XML import each cost ~8.9 ms of frozen world.
Only the login verify had been moved.
DRY-ing the two paths surfaced a correctness trap rather than just shared
code. ApplyPasswordUpgrade guarded by comparing the stored hash, which is
right for a login rehash -- do not clobber a newer password with a rehash of
the one it superseded -- but wrong for an explicit change: two changes
dispatched before either landed would drop the second and silently keep the
older password. Ordering is now a per-account dispatch sequence claimed on
the loop, which gives "newest wins" for both callers through one mechanism.
SetPassword bumps it as well, so an inline write also supersedes an in-flight
one.
One job type serves both: PasswordJob carries an optional verify phrase and
an optional hash phrase plus an OnComplete that runs on the loop, so a login
verifies and may rehash while a password change only hashes. The class is
PasswordWorker now, since verification no longer describes what it does.
PasswordWorker.SetPassword is the single entry point and falls back to
hashing inline when the gate is off or the queue is saturated -- unlike a
login, a password change must never be silently dropped, and it is rare
enough that the loop can absorb one.
The [password confirmation moves into the callback, because off the loop it
has not happened when the call returns. Account creation stays inline: it
gates the login flow, so deferring it restructures the accept path.
The threading model's forbidden-patterns table bans new Thread,
ConcurrentQueue, Interlocked, Semaphore and volatile in UOContent, and its
exceptions list covered only Projects/Server. Both the new password
verification worker and the existing Advanced Search fan-out already sat
outside it, so the rule as written flagged working code.
Adds a vetted-workers section that leads with proving the need rather than
listing primitives: measure on-loop time rather than wall-clock, gate on core
count because off-loading creates no CPU, and account for what stays behind.
Game logic is still never threaded -- if it is too slow for one tick it gets
chunked across ticks, and that is spelled out with an example so the
distinction is not left implicit. Then the five rules a worker must satisfy,
and the hand-off protocol in both directions, including that the continuation
must re-validate anything that could have moved and that a failure must still
post a verdict.
Both vetted workers are listed with their justification, so a future reader
can tell whether either still earns its complexity.
CLAUDE.md rule #10 gains the same "prove it first" clause. Rules #3 and #10
already covered chunking, yielding to saves, and both hand-back routes.
Also trims the implementation comments: the measurement narrative belongs in
the handoff document, not in a class header.
## The bug
Any property getter reached from `GetProperties` that calls `InvalidateProperties` takes the tooltip build down with it:
```
System.ArgumentNullException: Value cannot be null. (Parameter 'array')
at Server.ObjectPropertyList.AppendStringDirect(String value)
at Server.Mobiles.PlayerMobile.GetProperties(IPropertyList list)
```
`InvalidateProperties` rebuilds **in place** — `Reset()`, then `GetProperties()` again on the same instance — and `Reset()` does two destructive things to a build already in flight:
1. **It returns the pooled interpolation buffer.** The compiler rents it in the handler ctor and returns it in the closing `Add`, so *every hole is evaluated while it is live*:
```csharp
var handler = new InterpolatedStringHandler(1, 2, list); // InitializeInterpolation() RENTS
handler.AppendFormatted(pl.Rank.Title); // <-- getter runs HERE
handler.AppendLiteral("\t");
handler.AppendFormatted(faction.Definition.PropName);
list.Add(1060776, ref handler); // consumes span, RETURNS
```
```
GetProperties(list)
├─ InitializeInterpolation() -> _arrayToReturnToPool = Rent(256) buffer LIVE
├─ « hole 1: pl.Rank.Title »
│ └─ PlayerState.Rank.get (lazy recompute)
│ └─ Invalidate() -> InvalidateProperties() -> m_PropertyList.Reset()
│ └─ Dispose(): Return(buf); _arrayToReturnToPool = null buffer GONE
└─ handler.AppendFormatted("Knight")
└─ _arrayToReturnToPool.AsSpan(_pos..)
└─ ArgumentNullException (Parameter 'array')
```
It surfaces as `ArgumentNullException` rather than `NullReferenceException` because the `Range` overload of `AsSpan` must read `array.Length`, so the BCL null-checks and names the parameter `array`.
2. **It rewinds the packet cursor**, so properties already written are overwritten by the nested pass — a silently corrupted tooltip even where the buffer survives.
## The fix: refuse, don't recover
There is no correct recovery, and retrying the build would only hide the defect. A nested invalidation now logs an error with a stack trace, **throws in `DEBUG`** so it gets found and fixed, and in `RELEASE` returns without touching the list — a possibly stale tooltip, but no crash, no corrupted packet, and nothing leaked back to the pool. Getters that genuinely must invalidate should defer:
```csharp
Timer.DelayCall(InvalidateProperties);
```
The guard flag lives on the `ObjectPropertyList`, not the entity: it is that list's own lifecycle, it costs nothing (both `Item` and `ObjectPropertyList` absorb it in existing padding, and the list is allocated lazily), and it stays correct when builds for different entities nest.
Base instance sizes are unchanged from `main`: Item 128 B, Mobile 792 B, ObjectPropertyList 72 B, PlayerMobile 1216 B.
`PropertyList` also publishes the list into `m_PropertyList` **before** building it rather than assigning through `??=` afterwards, so a nested `InvalidateProperties` sees the build in progress instead of recursing into a second throwaway list whose work is discarded.
`ObjectPropertyList` re-rents its scratch buffer instead of spanning a null array, so a stray `Reset()` from any other caller degrades rather than aborting `GetProperties`.
## Factions `PlayerState`: maintained, not lazily computed
The getter that surfaced this is now a plain field read — the whole `if (m_InvalidateRank)` block and the flag itself are gone:
```csharp
public RankDefinition Rank => m_Rank;
```
`UpdateRank()` recomputes at each point an input actually changes:
| Site | Why |
|---|---|
| `RankIndex` setter | this player's index changed |
| end of `KillPoints` setter | two paths write `m_RankIndex` directly, bypassing the setter; runs once the swap bookkeeping and `ZeroRankOffset` have settled |
| `Faction.AddMember` | *after* the insert — the member count is not settled during the ctor |
| `FactionState` load | once ordering and `ZeroRankOffset` are final |
Supporting fixes this forced out:
- **Both ctors seed the lowest rank.** Nothing recomputes on read any more, so `Rank` has to be usable immediately — including for members that never get a `RankIndex` assigned, which is *every member with no kill points*. Without this, `Rank.Title` NREs.
- **`Rank` always resolves.** Ranks are ordered by `Required` descending ending at `0`, so a *negative* percent (`RankIndex` out of sync with `ZeroRankOffset`) matched nothing and left `m_Rank` null. It no longer divides by a zero `ZeroRankOffset` either.
- **A pre-existing staleness bug.** The `KillPoints` setter writes `m_RankIndex` directly in two places, so the cached rank was never refreshed when a player crossed zero kill points.
All six readers of `Rank` were checked; none relied on the old side effect.
One behaviour change worth flagging: rank refreshes are now **eager** where they used to be lazy, so a `KillPoints` change invalidates each swapped player as it happens. The swap loops break as soon as ordering is satisfied — typically 0–2 swaps — but it is on the path that runs on every faction kill.
## Documentation
The rule is written down so it is enforceable rather than folklore:
- **CLAUDE.md** audit rule 19
- **`dev-docs/property-lists.md`** — new "Never Invalidate From Inside `GetProperties`" section with the failing/passing pattern
- **`dev-docs/claude-skills/modernuo-property-lists.md`** — key rule + anti-pattern
- **`dev-docs/claude-skills/modernuo-code-audit.md`** — rule 19, ERROR severity
## Tests
- `ObjectPropertyListReentrancyTests` — `Reset()` and `Dispose()` re-entered mid-hole (both red against `main` with the exact exception above), nesting behaviour, and the new contract: `DEBUG` throws, `RELEASE` survives, and the build is never retried into a loop.
- `FactionRankTests` — `Rank` is populated before anything reads it, tracks `RankIndex` without a read, is stable across reads, and still resolves when `RankIndex` is out of sync with `ZeroRankOffset`. Red-verified: removing the ctor seed fails the first one.
793/793 `Server.Tests` and 608/608 `UOContent.Tests` pass.
## Noted, not addressed here
`~ObjectPropertyList()` returns the rented array to `STArrayPool<char>.Shared` from the **finalizer thread**, and that pool is single-threaded by design. Left alone as a separate concern.
## At a glance
```csharp
public override void GetProperties(IPropertyList list)
{
base.GetProperties(list);
// Accumulate any number of free-text lines. On dispose the block flushes via
// AddChunked, splitting across as many OPL properties as needed so none can
// overflow the legacy 2D client's per-property buffer (which would crash it).
using var block = list.TextBlock();
if (luck > 0)
{
block.Add($"Luck Bonus: +{luck}%"); // zero-alloc interpolation
}
block.Add("Cannot be repaired".AsSpan()); // plain text, no string allocation
// Already holding a '\n'-joined string? Skip the builder and chunk directly:
// list.AddChunked(description);
}
```
## What
Adds a safe path for emitting **variable-length, free-form (non-cliloc) tooltip text**:
- **`ObjectPropertyList.Add(ReadOnlySpan<char>)`** overloads — append raw text with no string allocation. Makes the old single-arg `Add(string)` redundant (a `string` binds to the span overload implicitly), so it's dropped.
- **`AddChunked(ReadOnlySpan<char>)`** on `IPropertyList` — splits newline-joined text at `\n` boundaries across as many passthrough-cliloc properties as needed, so no single property exceeds the cap.
- **`OplTextBlock`** (`ref struct`) + **`IPropertyList.TextBlock()`** — an ergonomic builder that accumulates `\n`-joined lines (with a zero-alloc interpolated `Add($"...")` overload) and flushes via `AddChunked` on dispose. Usage: `using var block = list.TextBlock();`.
- **`MaxArgumentLength` (504)** — per-property cap with a hard backstop that clamps + logs anything that slips through.
## Why
The legacy 2D client copies each OPL property's text into a fixed ~512-char (1024-byte) buffer. A single property longer than that smashes an adjacent world object's vtable on the client heap and crashes the client. `AddChunked`/`OplTextBlock` keep multi-line content safely under the cap instead of risking one oversized `Add`.
## Docs
- `dev-docs/property-lists.md` — new "Multi-Line Free Text" deep-dive section; corrected the stale `IPropertyList` listing.
- `dev-docs/claude-skills/modernuo-property-lists.md` — condensed pattern + anti-pattern.
## Tests
9 tests pass (`OplTextBlockTests`, `ObjectPropertyListSpanAddTests`): line joining, empty-line skipping, no-line no-op, zero-alloc interpolation, and long-content chunking staying under `MaxArgumentLength`. Full `UOContent` build is green, confirming dropping `Add(string)` breaks no call sites.
## Summary
Captures the durable learnings from the message-interpolation work (PRs #2434, #2436, #2437, #2438, #2440) as reference documentation. **Doc-only PR — no code changes.**
The original Phase 2 audit (PR #2435) was development scaffolding and was closed unmerged once Phase 3 consumed it. This PR replaces it with proper reference docs that future authors can consult.
## What's added
### `dev-docs/string-handling.md`
- Promote `RawInterpolatedStringHandler` from a one-line note to a proper section listing all APIs that accept it (messages, OPL, gumps, packets).
- Document the `:L` lowercase format specifier.
- New comprehensive **"Interpolation Anti-Patterns"** section covering 8 patterns with before/after examples — applies to any handler-aware API:
1. Ternary with interpolated branches
2. Switch expression with interpolated arms
3. Pre-built local typed as `string`
4. `.ToString()` (or any string-returning method) inside a hole
5. String concatenation inside a hole
6. `string.Format` feeding a handler-aware API
7. LINQ-built strings inside a hole
8. Pre-built concat var
### `dev-docs/networking-packets.md`
- Add **"Player-Facing Message APIs"** section listing `Mobile` / `Item` / `NetState` message methods with their handler overloads.
- Note the `IBroadcastFilter` pattern for new spatial-broadcast helpers.
### `dev-docs/property-lists.md`, `dev-docs/gump-system.md`
- Cross-reference the new anti-patterns section.
- Add explicit `.ToString()` inside holes warning to property-lists (it had no such guidance before).
### `dev-docs/claude-skills/`
- Mirror the same content (condensed) in `modernuo-string-handling.md`, `modernuo-networking.md`, `modernuo-property-lists.md`, `modernuo-gump-system.md`.
- Add audit rule #17 to `modernuo-code-audit.md` covering all 8 anti-patterns with severity WARNING, plus the `:L` format spec.
### `CLAUDE.md`
- Add audit rule #18 summarizing the interpolation anti-patterns + `:L`, pointing to `dev-docs/string-handling.md` for details.
## Why this matters
Before this PR there was no documentation explaining when an interpolated string call site silently allocates a string despite the receiving API providing a handler overload. The Phase 3 cleanup (PRs #2436/#2437/#2438) discovered ~28 such sites in the codebase; without these docs the same patterns would re-emerge. The new audit rule + CLAUDE.md entry will catch them at write time.
BaseCreatures are deleted on death (Mobile.OnDeath calls Delete for non-players), so after save/restart the corpse's _owner reference resolves to null. CorpseNotoriety gated its entire creature branch on `target.Owner is BaseCreature`, falling through to player-corpse logic once the reference vanished. That made monster corpses turn red (body.IsMonster -> Murderer) and innocent NPC corpses turn grey (null is not PlayerMobile -> CanBeAttacked) on the next restart.
Snapshots the relevant owner state into CorpseFlag at corpse creation: OwnerWasBaseCreature, OwnerWasSummoned, OwnerWasAnimatedDead. Folds the standalone _murderer bool into CorpseFlag.Murderer for consistency with Criminal. CorpseNotoriety now consults the flags so the creature branch stays correct without a live mobile reference.
Bumps Corpse serialization to v16 with a MigrateFrom(V15Content) that maps the old Murderer bool onto the new flag. Pre-fix corpses already on disk decay within 7 minutes; their first post-restart color may be wrong, which is acceptable.
Also documents that the schema generator must be run after every version bump (`dotnet tool run ModernUOSchemaGenerator -- ModernUO.slnx`) since `dotnet build` does not emit migration JSON files.
## Summary
- **Add a self-referencing `InterpolationHandler` to `ValueStringBuilder`** that writes directly into the builder's buffer — zero intermediate allocation, works with `stackalloc`-backed builders
- **Replace all `System.Text.StringBuilder` usage** across the codebase with `ValueStringBuilder`
- **Convert `ValueStringBuilder.Create()` to `stackalloc`** at 10 sites where output length is provably bounded
- **Convert manual `Dispose()` to `using var`** where possible, and hoist loop-scoped builders outside loops with `Reset()`
- **Convert verbose `Append()` chains to `Append($"...")`** interpolation for readability
- **Add comprehensive documentation** for string handling patterns
## InterpolationHandler Design
`ValueStringBuilder` is a `ref struct`, which creates challenges for C#'s interpolated string handler pattern:
- **`ref` fields to ref structs are not allowed** (CS9050)
- **`[InterpolatedStringHandlerArgument("")]` passes struct receivers by value**, not by ref
- **`ISelfInterpolatedStringHandler` requires boxing** ref structs into interface fields
**Solution: Copy-and-reconcile pattern.** The handler receives a value copy of the builder. The copy shares the same underlying `char` buffer (`Span` points to the same `stackalloc`/pooled memory), so writes go to the original buffer. `Append()` reconciles by `this = handler._builder`, updating `_length` and any buffer references changed by `Grow()`.
This is safe because:
- The game loop is single-threaded — no concurrent access between handler construction and reconciliation
- If `Grow()` occurs in the copy, the original's stale buffer isn't accessed until `Append()` replaces it
- `Dispose()` correctly returns the reconciled buffer to the pool
## Changes by Category
### ValueStringBuilder (`Projects/Server/Buffers/ValueStringBuilder.cs`)
- Added nested `InterpolationHandler` ref struct with copy-and-reconcile pattern
- Added `Append([InterpolatedStringHandlerArgument("")] scoped ref InterpolationHandler)` method
- Removed `RawInterpolatedStringHandler` overloads (new handler replaces them)
- All `AppendFormatted` overloads delegate to existing `Append` methods (no code duplication)
- Alignment support via direct private field access (nested type privilege)
### StringBuilder → ValueStringBuilder (15 files)
Replaced all `new StringBuilder()` with `ValueStringBuilder.Create()` or `stackalloc`:
- ConPVP games: KingOfTheHill, DoubleDom, CTF, BombingRun, TourneyMatch
- ConPVP infrastructure: Tournament, Participant, TourneyParticipant
- ConPVP gumps: ArenaGump, TournamentBracketGump, AcceptTeamGump, ConfirmSignupGump
- Commands: Handlers, Logging, Add
- Other: TownCrier, SpeechLogGump, TestCenter
Key patterns:
- `sb = new StringBuilder()` reassignment → `sb.Reset()`
- `sb.AppendFormat("{0:N0}", value)` → `sb.Append($"{value:N0}")`
- `sb.Append(x).Append(y)` chains → separate statements (VSB returns void)
### Create() → stackalloc (10 files)
Converted heap-allocated builders to stackalloc where output is bounded:
- ClientVersion (32), MapSelection (160), HouseRaffleStone (48)
- HolySense (96), UnholySense (96), ClientVerification (192)
- AcceptTeamGump (64), ConfirmSignupGump (64)
- BaseWeapon (160), BaseArmor (128)
### Loop optimizations (2 files)
Hoisted `ValueStringBuilder` creation outside loops with `Reset()` per iteration:
- TourneyMatch.cs: `using var` inside for loop → stackalloc before loop
- ArenaGump.cs: `Create()` + `Dispose()` per iteration → stackalloc before loop
### Append chain → interpolation (5 files)
Converted multi-line `Append()` chains to `Append($"...")`:
- BountyMessage.cs: title switch (6 cases), paragraph (15→1 Append), description lines, closing
- AcceptTeamGump, ConfirmSignupGump, TournamentBracketGump: tournament type strings
- AdminGump: comment/tag formatting in loops
### Documentation
- `dev-docs/string-handling.md`: Full reference — construction, interpolation, disposal, decision guide
- `dev-docs/claude-skills/modernuo-string-handling.md`: Claude skill with quick reference
- `CLAUDE.md`: Added rule 17 (no StringBuilder), dev-docs table entry, skills table entry
- `dev-docs/code-standards.md`: Updated memory management section
## Test Plan
- [x] `dotnet build` — 0 errors, 0 warnings
- [x] `dotnet test` — 940/940 tests pass
- [x] 28 ValueStringBuilder tests covering all reconciliation scenarios:
- Stackalloc no-grow, stackalloc with grow (→pool transition)
- Heap no-grow, heap with grow, heap double grow
- Pre-existing content with and without grow
- Sequential multiple `Append($"...")` calls
- Mixed plain + interpolated Append
- Empty interpolation, literal-only, format specifiers
- Null string holes, ISpanFormattable types
- Dispose after stackalloc→pool grow
Summary
- Adds CLAUDE.md at repo root with 14 terse code audit rules (always loaded, low token cost)
- Adds pointer files for other AI tools: AGENTS.md (Codex), GEMINI.md, .github/COPILOT-INSTRUCTIONS.md (Copilot), .cursorrules (Cursor) — all redirect to CLAUDE.md as single source of truth
- Gitignores /.claude so personal AI config isn't distributed
- Moves Claude skills to dev-docs/claude-skills/ (opt-in, not auto-loaded)
- Adds 14 dev-docs covering codebase conventions
Code Audit Rules (in CLAUDE.md)
1. LINQ tiered rules (Tier 1 free, Tier 2 warm, Tier 3 forbidden)
2. No Console.WriteLine — use LogFactory.GetLogger()
3. No concurrency primitives in game code
4. No World.Mobiles/World.Items iteration
5. Clean up refs in OnDelete()/OnAfterDelete()
6. Cancel timers in OnDelete()/OnAfterDelete()
7. STArrayPool<T>.Shared not ArrayPool<T>.Shared
8. PooledRefList<T> not new List<T>() on hot paths
9. Serialization: partial class, [Constructible], no serialized TimerExecutionToken
10. No Task.Run/new Thread() in game code
11. Never assume era — ask which expansion
12. _camelCase fields, PascalCase properties/methods
13. No empty gumps — use DisplayTo() pattern
14. PropertyList string literals must be {} holes, cliloc-as-argument uses :#
