## Summary
Many tests proved a specific change when it landed but don't need to run on every CI build forever. This removes **202 test methods and 9 files: 313 test cases, 2,247 → 1,934**. UOContent.Tests drops from about 14s to about 5s locally.
Removed:
- **Tautologies.** Asserting a constant, a constructor readback or a trivial getter, or testing BCL behavior.
- **Exact duplicates** of a surviving test on the same code path.
- **Obsolete regressions** whose failure can no longer be expressed.
- **Game-content values** shard owners customize (era drop rates, loot and skill tables, single-creature tuning). Each customization would otherwise force a test fix.
## How it was decided
1. Every test was classified, with a reason, by a per-shard sweep over all 287 test files.
2. Each proposed deletion was then checked by a second, adversarial reviewer against the surviving tests and the production code.
3. Anything that was the only coverage of a separate code path was **kept**, even where it looked like a duplicate. Examples: the unsigned `SpanReader`/`SpanWriter` methods, the at-location versus bounds enumerators, null-map enumerables, the security filters, archive-journal state transitions. About 130 proposed deletions were rejected this way.
Whole files removed:
- `FishingTests`, apart from 3 tests: the map-edge scan, serpent cleanup, and SOS chest consumption. The SOS test now stops at the first chest instead of measuring a catch rate. The multi-million-cast rate simulations are gone.
- `LordOaksTests` and `MeerEnragedTests` (single-creature tests).
- `AutoArchiveHelperTests`, `JsonDiscoverableTypeAttributeTests`, `DecimalSerializationTests` and `EnumConversionTests` (tautologies, or tests of their own local helpers).
- `NetworkStatsTests`.
- `MigratedDataLoadTests` (a subset of `AllSpawnFilesLoadTests`).
- `SpawnerFixtureCapture`: a capture tool, not a test, and its `version == 12` assert can no longer pass. The `.bin` fixtures it produced stay.
## Tests
- Server.Tests: 811 pass.
- UOContent.Tests: 1,123 pass.
A follow-up PR, stacked on this one, fixes how the remaining tests behave: shared state, CI-vacuous tests, harness duplication.
## 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
- [X] Cleans up gump packets
- [X] Adds event loop task synchronization
- [X] Moves timer pause and cleans up the delay task timer class
- [X] Cleans up the conserve cpu
- [X] Renames variables to make them consistent with the new style
- [X] Removes process delta recursion checking.
- [X] Properly diposes net states. This fixes edge cases that may cause hanging connections to stay open longer than they should.
- [X] Fixes an issue with gump items not compiling properly
Users can now utilize `Timer.Pause()` since the code will be executed on the proper thread.
```cs
public void async void Talk()
{
_canTalk = false;
await Timer.Pause(Utility.RandomMinMax(5000, 8000)); // Talk after 5-8 seconds
DoTalk();
await Timer.Pause(Utility.RandomMinMax(12000, 25000)); // Reset ability to talk after 12-25 seconds
_canTalk = true;
}
```
- [X] Removes some string allocations (e.g. split)
- [X] Optimizes some collections
- [X] Converts insensitive to extension methods of built-ins.
- [X] Adds ordinal (case sensitive) string helpers
- [X] Fixes conditionals for in-game commands so they use Ordinal comparisons.
- [X] Replaces ToLower.Contains with InsensitiveContains
- [X] Adds ValueStringBuilder
- [X] Implements ValueStringBuilder in a few places where it makes sense
- [X] Removes the redundant Wrap function and replaces it with an optimized version
- [X] Fixes list conversions in Utility
Closes#351
Bumps release version
