Bugfix — Issue #1858: POST /api/requirements/assign-reqs fatals HTTP 500 for a test case with no active version

Status: Fixed (PHP 8.3.35) — duplicate of the already-landed #1861 fix Issue: #1858 — the BFF write POST /api/requirements/assign-reqs (used by assignReqs.html:411, tcEdit.html:1041, testSpec.html) returned HTTP 500 with 0 bytes — an uncaught fatal — whenever the target test case had no active version (tcversions.active = 0 for every version). Nothing was linked and nothing was written to the Event Viewer.

Relationship to #1861

#1858 reports the BFF-facing symptom (HTTP 500 from assign-reqs); #1861 reports the same root cause at the same call site (requirement_mgr::assign_to_tcase()). They are duplicates. #1861 was fixed by commit 7d7dbb0e5 on the default branch; that single change also removes the #1858 symptom. This issue was left open by accident and is closed here with measured before/after evidence (see Regression — Issue #1858 in tmp/TLU_Test_Cases.md).

Root cause

• testcase::get_last_active_version($id) filters tcversions.active = 1 and returns a map via fetchRowsIntoMap(). With all versions deactivated the query returns 0 rows → fetchRowsIntoMap() returns null (lib/functions/database.class.php:666).
• requirement_mgr::assign_to_tcase() at lib/functions/requirement_mgr.class.php ran current($tcMgr->get_last_active_version($testcase_id)) with no cast/guard. On PHP 8 current(null) throws TypeError: current(): Argument #1 ($array) must be of type array, null given before the intended refusal if ($tcv == null) { return $output; } ("Latest version is Inactive => operation not allowed") could execute — so the "not allowed" branch was dead code.
• The uncaught fatal propagates through the BFF (api/requirements/index.php:2578) as HTTP 500 / 0 bytes and through the legacy CLI path (lib/requirements/reqCommands.class.php:943) as a CLI fatal.
• On PHP 7 current(null) returned false and the guard worked by accident — a PHP-8-only regression, same family as #1708.

Fix (already landed as 7d7dbb0e5)

lib/functions/requirement_mgr.class.php (:1132), the current((array)...) + existing-guard pattern already applied to the requirement_spec_mgr siblings by #1708:

if ($testcase_id && $req_id) {
  // get_last_active_version() returns null when the test case has no active
  // version at all; current(null) raises a PHP 8 TypeError, so cast to array.
  $tcv = current((array)$tcMgr->get_last_active_version($testcase_id));
  if ($tcv == null) {
    return $output;   // Latest version is Inactive => operation not allowed
  }
}

null → (array)null = [] → current([]) = false → the refusal runs and returns 0; false (the #1708 case) also keeps false == null true. The BFF then turns the 0 return into a clean HTTP 200.

Why this method

The (array) cast is the minimal, already-proven pattern used by the two sibling call sites (requirement_spec_mgr.class.php:2668, :2792) and by the #1861/#1859 fixes. Rejected alternatives: @/error_reporting() suppression (hides real bugs), a new 409/404 response (the legacy contract is return 0, and the caller already maps 0 → failed:[...]), and a base-class refactor (scope creep with redeclaration risk).

Evidence (measured, A/B on the live server)

State	Code at the call site	BFF POST /api/requirements/assign-reqs {"tcase_id":3,"req_ids":[11]}	php_server.log
PRE-FIX (guard temporarily reverted on a scratch branch)	current($tcMgr->get_last_active_version(...))	HTTP 500, SIZE=0	Uncaught TypeError: current(): Argument #1 ($array) must be of type array, null given … requirement_mgr.class.php:1136
POST-FIX (landed code, git diff clean)	current((array)$tcMgr->get_last_active_version(...))	HTTP 200 {"status":"ok","failed":[11],"assigned_qty":0}	[200]: POST /api/requirements/assign-reqs

• CLI: php tmp/repro_1859_req.php → assign_to_tcase returned: 0, NO FATAL - survived.
• Happy path (test case with an active version): POST … {"tcase_id":6,"req_ids":[11]} → HTTP 200 {"status":"ok","failed":[],"assigned_qty":1}.
• Event Viewer / events table: 3 rows, all log_level=16 (INFO/audit) — no new Error/Warning.

Regression test suite

Added Regression — Issue #1858: POST /api/requirements/assign-reqs fatals HTTP 500 for a test case with no active version (duplicate of #1861, same call site) to tmp/TLU_Test_Cases.md. Gate: TLU_REQUIRE_SUITE="Issue #1858" bash ai/verify_test_suites.sh → 7 PASS / 0 FAIL, exit 0.

Files touched by this run: tmp/TLU_Test_Cases.md (appended suite), docs/Bugfix-Issue-1858-… + wiki page (documentation), CHANGELOG (one line). No code change — the fix was already on sebiboga (7d7dbb0e5); this run verified the symptom is gone and closed the still-open duplicate.