Fix false "start_url is missing" validation error for manifests without name field

[Copilot]

Problem

When opening the "Edit your manifest" modal for certain websites (e.g., SoundCloud), the Settings tab incorrectly displayed an error message "start_url is required and is missing from your manifest" even though the start_url field was present and populated in the input field.

Screenshots showing the issue:

Root Cause

The issue was caused by two related bugs in the manifest editor:

1. Conditional Validation Trigger (Primary Issue)

All manifest form components had faulty hasChanged logic that only triggered validation when the manifest had a truthy name field:

// BEFORE (buggy)
hasChanged(value: Manifest, oldValue: Manifest) {
  if(value !== oldValue && value.name){  // ❌ Required name field
    manifestInitialized = true;
    return value !== oldValue;
  }
  return value !== oldValue;
}

For manifests without a name field (or with an empty name removed by removeEmptyFields), the manifestInitialized flag was never set to true, so validation never executed during component initialization. This led to the form rendering with populated input fields but incorrect validation states.

2. Object Mutation (Secondary Issue)

The removeEmptyFields method created a reference instead of a copy, mutating the original manifest object:

// BEFORE (buggy)
private removeEmptyFields(manifest: Manifest): Manifest {
  var new_manifest = manifest;  // ❌ Creates reference, not copy
  for(const key in manifest) {
    // ... deletes from both objects
  }
}

Solution

Fixed Validation Trigger

Simplified the hasChanged logic to trigger validation for all manifests:

// AFTER (fixed)
hasChanged(value: Manifest, oldValue: Manifest) {
  if(value !== oldValue){  // ✅ Works for all manifests
    manifestInitialized = true;
    return true;
  }
  return false;
}

Applied this fix to all 6 form components:

• manifest-settings-form.ts (where the error appeared)
• manifest-info-form.ts
• manifest-icons-form.ts
• manifest-platform-form.ts
• manifest-screenshots-form.ts
• manifest-share-form.ts

Fixed Object Mutation

Changed removeEmptyFields to create a proper copy:

// AFTER (fixed)
private removeEmptyFields(manifest: Manifest): Manifest {
  var new_manifest = {...manifest};  // ✅ Creates a copy
  for(const key in new_manifest) {
    // ... only deletes from the copy
  }
}

Impact

Before:

• ❌ Manifests without name field showed false validation errors
• ❌ Confused users with contradictory UI (populated field + error message)
• ⚠️ Original manifest objects could be unintentionally mutated

After:

• ✅ All manifests validate correctly regardless of structure
• ✅ No false error messages
• ✅ Original manifest objects preserved
• ✅ Improved user experience

Testing

• ✅ TypeScript compilation successful
• ✅ Manifest-validation library tests pass
• ✅ Created test cases demonstrating bug and verifying fix
• ✅ No regressions in existing functionality

Files Changed

• 7 TypeScript files with minimal, surgical changes
• Changes follow existing code patterns and style
• No breaking changes to public APIs

Fixes #[issue number]

Warning

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Original prompt

---

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>[Bug Bash 8-25] "Edit your manifest" says "start_url" is missing when it is present in the manifest</issue_title>
<issue_description>The "Edit your manifest" popup says "start_url" is missing when it is present in the manifest. Encountered this issue using https://soundcloud.com/

</issue_description>

<agent_instructions>In app-report.ts, clicking "Edit Manifest" executes the openManifestEditorModal method. It appears there's a bug in the field validation of that modal, as we prepopulate some fields including start_url, but our modal shows that the start_url is missing. </agent_instructions>

Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)

Fixes #5075

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Thanks @Copilot for opening a Pull Request! The reviewers will test the PR and highlight if there is any conflict or changes required. If the PR is approved we will proceed to merge the pull request 🙌