Report file writes run one at a time (closes #150)

Two writes that failed at the same time put their reports back in the
wrong order when the older one failed first. A mutex is now held
across each write, from taking the waiting reports out of the buffer
to putting them back if the write fails, so the next write takes them
in order. The write Append starts at the 10 MiB threshold waits for
one under way, and Append starts no other while it waits. Files
written since the start are now deleted to make room in the order they
were written. A test that needed two writes at once is removed; new
tests cover the one waiting write and the order files are deleted in.

Model: opus-5-5

TODO.md

@@ -26,12 +26,21 @@ Run `make frontend-viewport-test` in CI as its own step; it is not part of
   failed writes are written in the order they arrived. Two writes that failed at
   the same time put their reports back in the wrong order when the older failed
   first. One write runs at a time, and each takes the waiting reports only when
-  it starts, after a failed write has put its own back. The write that 10 MiB
-  waiting starts waits for one under way, and only one such write waits at a
-  time. A unit test holds a write open, starts a second at 10 MiB, fails both
-  and checks the order in the next file. Files written since the start are
-  deleted to make room in the order they were written, after those found at
-  start
+  it starts, after a failed write has put its own back. The write `Append`
+  starts when 10 MiB are waiting waits for any write under way, and `Append`
+  starts no other while it waits. Files written since the start are deleted to
+  make room in the order they were written, after those found at start. A unit
+  test holds a write open, starts a second at 10 MiB, fails both and checks the
+  order in the next file. Others check that `Append` starts no second write at
+  10 MiB while one waits, that it starts one again the next time 10 MiB are
+  waiting, and that the first file written since the start is the first deleted
+- 2026-10-19: the three unit tests of a check whose result is discarded (its
+  round given up, the user paused, or the first round) also check that the
+  host's history is still empty, its status still `pending`, and nothing was
+  written to the console
+  ([#151](https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/netwatch/issues/151)). They checked only the
+  row, so a change that recorded the result and skipped only the row would have
+  kept them passing
 - 2026-10-18: when the backend runs on its own, a `DATA_DIR` that cannot be
   created or read, or where no file can be created, stops the start with an
   error naming `DATA_DIR` and its value, as the other settings' errors do

internal/reportbuf/reportbuf_test.go

@@ -581,6 +581,62 @@ func TestWrittenFilesDeletedToMakeRoom(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestWrittenFilesDeletedOldestFirst writes three report files, then
+// appends a report that fits only once one of them is deleted. The
+// first one written must be the one deleted.
+func TestWrittenFilesDeletedOldestFirst(t *testing.T) {
+	const maxBytes = 1000
+
+	report := map[string]string{"id": "written"}
+
+	t.Setenv("DATA_DIR", t.TempDir())
+	t.Setenv("DATA_DIR_MAX_BYTES", strconv.Itoa(maxBytes))
+
+	buf := startBuffer(t)
+
+	var written []string
+
+	buf.OnFileCreated(func(f *os.File) { written = append(written, f.Name()) })
+
+	for range 3 {
+		err := buf.Append(report)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("append report: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		err = buf.Flush()
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("flush: %v", err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// The three files hold the same report, so they are the same size.
+	info, err := os.Stat(written[0])
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("stat %s: %v", written[0], err)
+	}
+
+	// A report that fits beside two of the files, so deleting one makes
+	// exactly the room it needs.
+	pad := maxBytes - 2*int(info.Size()) -
+		lineBytes(t, map[string]string{"id": ""})
+
+	err = buf.Append(map[string]string{"id": strings.Repeat("a", pad)})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("report that needs room: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if exists(t, written[0]) {
+		t.Fatal("first report file written kept when room was needed")
+	}
+
+	for _, path := range written[1:] {
+		if !exists(t, path) {
+			t.Fatalf("%s deleted before the first report file written", path)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 // TestFailedDeletionStillCounts makes deleting the oldest report file
 // fail. It is still there, so it still takes room, and the next oldest
 // is deleted in its place.
@@ -1223,6 +1279,106 @@ func TestFlushAtSizeThreshold(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// TestEachSizeThresholdStartsAWrite reaches FlushSizeThreshold twice,
+// with no call to Flush and the periodic flush a minute away. Append
+// must start a write each time, so that the reports end up in two
+// report files. The test runs in a synctest bubble, so that
+// synctest.Wait returns once each write is done.
+func TestEachSizeThresholdStartsAWrite(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	t.Setenv("DATA_DIR", dir)
+
+	synctest.Test(t, func(t *testing.T) {
+		buf := startBuffer(t)
+
+		var appended string
+
+		for range 2 {
+			appended = appendToThreshold(t, buf)
+
+			synctest.Wait()
+		}
+
+		files, err := readReportFiles(dir)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("read report files: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		if !slices.Equal(files, []string{appended, appended}) {
+			t.Fatalf("%d report files, want two, each holding the %d "+
+				"bytes appended to reach the threshold",
+				len(files), len(appended))
+		}
+	})
+}
+
+// TestAppendStartsOneWaitingWrite holds a write open, then appends two
+// reports of FlushSizeThreshold bytes each. Append starts a write at
+// the first, which waits for the held one, and none at the second,
+// since that write is still waiting. Every write fails, so a write
+// started at the second report would find the reports back in the
+// buffer and try them again: once the held write is released, two
+// writes must have been started, the held one and one more.
+func TestAppendStartsOneWaitingWrite(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("DATA_DIR", t.TempDir())
+
+	synctest.Test(t, func(t *testing.T) {
+		buf := startBuffer(t)
+
+		var writes atomic.Int64
+
+		release := make(chan struct{})
+
+		// Each write is held until release is closed, then fails, as its
+		// file is closed under it.
+		buf.OnFileCreated(func(f *os.File) {
+			writes.Add(1)
+
+			<-release
+
+			_ = f.Close()
+		})
+
+		err := buf.Append(map[string]string{"id": "one-waiting"})
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("report of the held write: %v", err)
+		}
+
+		go func() { _ = buf.Flush() }()
+
+		// Wait returns once the flush's write is held.
+		synctest.Wait()
+
+		big := map[string]string{
+			"id": strings.Repeat("a", reportbuf.FlushSizeThreshold),
+		}
+
+		// Errorf, not Fatalf, until the held write is released, so that a
+		// failure here does not leave it held.
+		for range 2 {
+			err = buf.Append(big)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Errorf("report of FlushSizeThreshold bytes: %v", err)
+			}
+		}
+
+		close(release)
+
+		// Wait returns once every write started is done.
+		synctest.Wait()
+
+		started := writes.Load()
+
+		// Writes from here on, the final one at stop included, succeed.
+		buf.OnFileCreated(func(*os.File) {})
+
+		if started != 2 {
+			t.Fatalf("%d writes started, want 2: the held one and one "+
+				"at the threshold", started)
+		}
+	})
+}
+
 // appendToThreshold appends reports to buf until it holds
 // FlushSizeThreshold bytes, so that the last append starts writing them
 // to a report file, and returns the lines appended.

test/unit/main.test.js

@@ -83,6 +83,11 @@ function statusText(state, host) {
     return elements[`.status-text[data-host="${index}"]`]?.innerHTML;
 }
 
+// What this test wrote to the browser console with console[method].
+function consoleLines(method) {
+    return console[method].mock.calls.map((call) => call.arguments[0]);
+}
+
 // Mocks the clock for test t, so that a check lasting seconds takes no real
 // time, and replaces fetch with targets that each answer after
 // answerAfter(url) milliseconds of that clock, or never when that is
@@ -202,9 +207,10 @@ test("at a 30000ms interval, a target answering after 1000ms shows in its row wh
 });
 
 // In the next three tests, the answering target's check is still waiting
-// when something happens after which its result must not show.
+// when something happens after which its result must not be recorded or
+// show in its row, and the check must write nothing to the console.
 
-test("at a 30000ms interval, a check still waiting when its round is given up does not show in its row", async (t) => {
+test("at a 30000ms interval, a check still waiting when its round is given up is not recorded and does not show in its row", async (t) => {
     CONFIG.updateInterval = 30000;
     const state = new AppState([
         { name: "Answering", url: "https://answering.test" },
@@ -220,9 +226,13 @@ test("at a 30000ms interval, a check still waiting when its round is given up do
     roundChecks.abort();
     assert.notEqual(await settled(round), "still waiting");
     assert.equal(latencyFigure(state, answering), undefined);
+    assert.deepEqual(answering.history, []);
+    assert.equal(answering.status, "pending");
+    assert.deepEqual(consoleLines("error"), []);
+    assert.deepEqual(consoleLines("info"), []);
 });
 
-test("at a 30000ms interval, a check still waiting when the user pauses does not show in its row", async (t) => {
+test("at a 30000ms interval, a check still waiting when the user pauses is not recorded and does not show in its row", async (t) => {
     CONFIG.updateInterval = 30000;
     const state = new AppState([
         { name: "Answering", url: "https://answering.test" },
@@ -237,9 +247,13 @@ test("at a 30000ms interval, a check still waiting when the user pauses does not
     t.mock.timers.tick(500);
     assert.equal(await settled(round), "still waiting");
     assert.equal(latencyFigure(state, answering), undefined);
+    assert.deepEqual(answering.history, []);
+    assert.equal(answering.status, "pending");
+    assert.deepEqual(consoleLines("error"), []);
+    assert.deepEqual(consoleLines("info"), []);
 });
 
-test("at a 30000ms interval, a check in the first round does not show in its row", async (t) => {
+test("at a 30000ms interval, a check in the first round is not recorded and does not show in its row", async (t) => {
     CONFIG.updateInterval = 30000;
     const state = new AppState([
         { name: "Answering", url: "https://answering.test" },
@@ -251,6 +265,10 @@ test("at a 30000ms interval, a check in the first round does not show in its row
     t.mock.timers.tick(1000);
     assert.equal(await settled(round), "still waiting");
     assert.equal(latencyFigure(state, answering), undefined);
+    assert.deepEqual(answering.history, []);
+    assert.equal(answering.status, "pending");
+    assert.deepEqual(consoleLines("error"), []);
+    assert.deepEqual(consoleLines("info"), []);
 });
 
 test("at a 30000ms interval, after the user pauses and resumes during a round, no row reads paused once its last check ends", async (t) => {
@@ -300,11 +318,6 @@ function stateWithOneTarget() {
     return { state, target: state.local[0] };
 }
 
-// What this test wrote to the browser console with console[method].
-function consoleLines(method) {
-    return console[method].mock.calls.map((call) => call.arguments[0]);
-}
-
 test("a check that fails with a network error writes one console line with the target, the time, the error and how long the request took", async (t) => {
     const { state, target } = stateWithOneTarget();
     mockTargets(t, () => 23, target.url);