Fix case when not properly considering missing xmp entry

[LonelyMidoriya]

Summary by CodeRabbit

• Bug Fixes
  • Date-field validation now correctly handles mismatches between PDF metadata sources: when a creation or modification date is present in one metadata format but absent in the other, the validator reports the mismatch rather than treating it as unknown. This improves accuracy and reduces false/ambiguous validation outcomes.

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[coderabbitai]

Walkthrough

The change adjusts null-handling in two date-comparison methods in GFCosInfo.java: when the primary (COS) date exists but the corresponding XMP date is null, the methods now return false instead of null.

Changes

Cohort / File(s)	Summary
Date comparison null handling validation-model/src/main/java/org/verapdf/gf/model/impl/cos/GFCosInfo.java	Modified getdoCreationDatesMatch() and getdoModDatesMatch() to first check the COS date locally and return null if that COS date is absent; if the COS date is present but the XMP date is null, the methods now return false rather than null.

Estimated code review effort

🎯 1 (Trivial) | ⏱️ ~3 minutes

• Very small, localized null-check changes in two closely related methods
• No signature or API changes; limited logic to verify

Poem

🐇 In code I nibble, hop, and peep,

Dates once murky, now less deep.
If XMP hides where COS does gleam,
I answer false — no silent scheme.
A rabbit cheers the clearer stream.

Pre-merge checks and finishing touches

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Docstring Coverage	⚠️ Warning	Docstring coverage is 0.00% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%.	You can run @coderabbitai generate docstrings to improve docstring coverage.

✅ Passed checks (2 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Description Check	✅ Passed	Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check	✅ Passed	The title accurately describes the main fix: improved handling of missing XMP entries in date comparison methods by adding null checks.

✨ Finishing touches

• 📝 Generate docstrings

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests
• Post copyable unit tests in a comment
• Commit unit tests in branch xmp-entry

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Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between f600ab9 and df3305d.

📒 Files selected for processing (1)

• validation-model/src/main/java/org/verapdf/gf/model/impl/cos/GFCosInfo.java (1 hunks)

⏰ Context from checks skipped due to timeout of 90000ms. You can increase the timeout in your CodeRabbit configuration to a maximum of 15 minutes (900000ms). (2)

• GitHub Check: Quality Assurance
• GitHub Check: Codacy Static Code Analysis

🔇 Additional comments (2)

validation-model/src/main/java/org/verapdf/gf/model/impl/cos/GFCosInfo.java (2)

226-241: The implementation is consistent with getdoCreationDatesMatch().

Both methods follow the same pattern: returning null when the COS date is absent, false when the COS date exists but the XMP date is missing, and true only when both dates exist and match. The logic is sound.

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206-221: Method implementations are correct; verify downstream module callers handle the new semantics.

Both getdoCreationDatesMatch() and getdoModDatesMatch() correctly implement the intended behavior: when a COS date exists but the corresponding XMP date is missing, the methods now return false (mismatch) instead of null (unknown). The null check for the COS date is properly placed as an early return.

This is a semantic change that aligns with the PR intent to "properly consider missing xmp entry" cases. Callers in downstream modules (outside validation-model) that depend on these methods should verify they handle the distinction between null (no COS date to compare) and false (mismatch or missing XMP date).

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[coderabbitai]

Actionable comments posted: 0

🧹 Nitpick comments (1)

validation-model/src/main/java/org/verapdf/gf/model/impl/cos/GFCosInfo.java (1)

234-241: Mod date logic consistent with creation date; consider small refactor

The modification-date logic mirrors the creation-date behavior (null only when trailer ModDate is missing, false when trailer date is present but XMP modify date is missing), which keeps things consistent and fixes the missing-XMP case.

Given the near-duplication between getdoCreationDatesMatch and getdoModDatesMatch, you could optionally extract a small private helper that takes the trailer date string and a supplier of the corresponding XMP Calendar, to reduce repetition and keep the matching semantics in one place. Not required, but would tighten maintainability if these rules evolve further.

📜 Review details

Configuration used: CodeRabbit UI

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 1ded55c and f600ab9.

📒 Files selected for processing (1)

• validation-model/src/main/java/org/verapdf/gf/model/impl/cos/GFCosInfo.java (2 hunks)

⏰ Context from checks skipped due to timeout of 90000ms. You can increase the timeout in your CodeRabbit configuration to a maximum of 15 minutes (900000ms). (2)

• GitHub Check: Quality Assurance
• GitHub Check: Codacy Static Code Analysis

🔇 Additional comments (1)

validation-model/src/main/java/org/verapdf/gf/model/impl/cos/GFCosInfo.java (1)

214-221: Creation date tri‑state behavior change looks correct; confirm asymmetric handling is intended

The new logic (return null only when creationDate is missing, and false when creationDate is present but XMP create date is missing) matches the PR goal and avoids silently returning null in the “missing XMP entry” case. This will change rule outcomes for files where only the trailer creation date is present.

One thing to double‑check: when XMP create date exists but trailer CreationDate is missing, the method still returns null rather than false. If the intended semantics are “PDF date present but no XMP → mismatch (false)” and “XMP present but no PDF → also mismatch”, you might want to mirror that here; if not, the current asymmetric behavior is fine but should be deliberate.