neo/docs/OWNER_FIELD_VALIDATION_FIX.md

Owner Field Validation Fix - Complete Solution

Problem

When creating a record for a newly created object definition, users saw:

• "Owner is required"

Even though ownerId should be auto-managed by the system and never required from users.

Root Cause Analysis

The issue had two layers:

Layer 1: Existing Objects (Before Latest Fix)

Objects created BEFORE the system fields fix had:

• ownerId with isRequired: true and isSystem: null
• Frontend couldn't identify this as a system field
• Field was shown on edit form and validated as required

Layer 2: Incomplete Field Name Coverage

The frontend's system field list was missing ownerId and tenantId:

// BEFORE
['id', 'createdAt', 'updatedAt', 'created_at', 'updated_at', 'createdBy', 'updatedBy']
// Missing: ownerId, tenantId

Complete Fix Applied

1. Backend - Normalize All Field Definitions

File: backend/src/object/object.service.ts

Added normalizeField() helper function:

private normalizeField(field: any): any {
  const systemFieldNames = ['id', 'tenantId', 'ownerId', 'created_at', 'updated_at', 'createdAt', 'updatedAt'];
  const isSystemField = systemFieldNames.includes(field.apiName);
  
  return {
    ...field,
    // Ensure system fields are marked correctly
    isSystem: isSystemField ? true : field.isSystem,
    isRequired: isSystemField ? false : field.isRequired,
    isCustom: isSystemField ? false : field.isCustom ?? true,
  };
}

This ensures that:

• Any field with a system field name is automatically marked isSystem: true
• System fields are always isRequired: false
• System fields are always isCustom: false
• Works for both new and old objects (backward compatible)

Updated getObjectDefinition() to normalize fields before returning:

// Get fields and normalize them
const fields = await knex('field_definitions')...
const normalizedFields = fields.map((field: any) => this.normalizeField(field));

return {
  ...obj,
  fields: normalizedFields,  // Return normalized fields
  app,
};

2. Frontend - Complete System Field Coverage

File: frontend/composables/useFieldViews.ts

Updated field mapping to include all system fields:

// Define all system/auto-generated field names
const systemFieldNames = ['id', 'createdAt', 'updatedAt', 'created_at', 'updated_at', 'createdBy', 'updatedBy', 'tenantId', 'ownerId']
const isAutoGeneratedField = systemFieldNames.includes(fieldDef.apiName)

// Hide system fields and auto-generated fields on edit
const shouldHideOnEdit = isSystemField || isAutoGeneratedField

File: frontend/components/views/EditViewEnhanced.vue

Updated save handler system fields list:

const systemFields = ['id', 'tenantId', 'ownerId', 'created_at', 'updated_at', 'createdAt', 'updatedAt', 'createdBy', 'updatedBy']

How It Works Now

For New Objects (Created After Backend Fix)

1. Backend creates standard fields with:
   - ownerId: isRequired: false, isSystem: true ✓
   - created_at: isRequired: false, isSystem: true ✓
   - updated_at: isRequired: false, isSystem: true ✓

2. Backend's getObjectDefinition normalizes them (redundant but safe)

3. Frontend receives normalized fields
   - Recognizes them as system fields
   - Hides from edit form ✓

4. User creates record without "Owner is required" error ✓

For Existing Objects (Created Before Backend Fix)

1. Legacy data has:
   - ownerId: isRequired: true, isSystem: null

2. Backend's getObjectDefinition normalizes on-the-fly:
   - Detects apiName === 'ownerId'
   - Forces: isSystem: true, isRequired: false ✓

3. Frontend receives normalized fields
   - Recognizes as system field (by name + isSystem flag)
   - Hides from edit form ✓

4. User creates record without "Owner is required" error ✓

System Field Handling

Complete System Field List

Field Name      | Type      | Required | Hidden on Edit | Notes
────────────────┼───────────┼──────────┼────────────────┼──────────────────
id              | UUID      | No       | Yes            | Auto-generated
tenantId        | UUID      | No       | Yes            | Set by system
ownerId         | LOOKUP    | No       | Yes            | Set by userId
created_at      | DATETIME  | No       | Yes            | Auto-set
updated_at      | DATETIME  | No       | Yes            | Auto-set on update
createdAt       | DATETIME  | No       | Yes            | Alias for created_at
updatedAt       | DATETIME  | No       | Yes            | Alias for updated_at
createdBy       | LOOKUP    | No       | Yes            | Future use
updatedBy       | LOOKUP    | No       | Yes            | Future use

Backward Compatibility

✅ Fully backward compatible - Works with both:

• New objects: Fields created with correct isSystem flags
• Old objects: Fields normalized on-the-fly by backend

No migration needed. Existing objects automatically get normalized when fetched.

Validation Flow

User creates record:
  { customField: "value" }
        ↓
Frontend renders form:
  - Hides: id, tenantId, ownerId, created_at, updated_at (system fields)
  - Shows: customField (user-defined)
        ↓
Frontend validation:
  - Checks only visible fields
  - Skips validation for hidden system fields ✓
        ↓
Frontend filters before save:
  - Removes all system fields
  - Sends: { customField: "value" } ✓
        ↓
Backend receives clean data:
  - Validates against Objection model
  - Sets system fields via hooks
        ↓
Record created with all fields populated ✓

Files Modified

File	Changes	Status
backend/src/object/object.service.ts	Added normalizeField() helper, updated getObjectDefinition()	✅
frontend/composables/useFieldViews.ts	Added complete system field names list including ownerId, tenantId	✅
frontend/components/views/EditViewEnhanced.vue	Updated system fields list in handleSave()	✅

Testing

Test 1: Create New Object

POST /api/objects
{
  "apiName": "TestObject",
  "label": "Test Object"
}

✅ Should create with standard fields

Test 2: Create Record for New Object

Open UI for newly created TestObject
Click "Create Record"

✅ Should NOT show "Owner is required" error ✅ Should NOT show "Created At is required" error ✅ Should NOT show "Updated At is required" error

Test 3: Create Record for Old Object

Use an object created before the fix
Click "Create Record"

✅ Should NOT show validation errors for system fields ✅ Should auto-normalize on fetch

Test 4: Verify Field Hidden

In create form, inspect HTML/Console

✅ Should NOT find input fields for: id, tenantId, ownerId, created_at, updated_at

Test 5: Verify Data Filtering

In browser console:
- Set breakpoint in handleSave()
- Check saveData before emit()

✅ Should NOT contain: id, tenantId, ownerId, created_at, updated_at

Edge Cases Handled

1. Null/Undefined isSystem flag ✓

   • Backend normalizes: isSystem = null becomes true for system fields
   • Frontend checks both: field name AND isSystem flag

2. Snake_case vs camelCase ✓

   • Both created_at and createdAt handled
   • Both updated_at and updatedAt handled

3. Old objects without isCustom flag ✓

   • Backend normalizes: isCustom = false for system fields, true for others

4. Field retrieval from different endpoints ⚠️

   • Only getObjectDefinition normalizes fields
   • Other endpoints return raw data (acceptable for internal use)

Performance Impact

• Backend: Minimal - Single array map per getObjectDefinition call
• Frontend: None - Logic was already there, just enhanced
• Network: No change - Same response size

Summary

The fix ensures 100% coverage of system fields:

1. Backend: Normalizes all field definitions on-the-fly
2. Frontend: Checks both field names AND isSystem flag
3. Backward compatible: Works with both new and old objects
4. No migration needed: All normalization happens in code

Users will never see validation errors for system-managed fields again.