Implement ObjectFinder with ambiguity resolution #294

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opened 2026-03-16 01:59:22 +00:00 by freemo · 0 comments

freemo commented

2026-03-16 01:59:22 +00:00

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Metadata

Key	Value
Branch	`feature/m1-object-finder`
Commit Message	`feat: implement ObjectFinder with ambiguity resolution`
Parent Epic	#291 — Input Validation Framework

Background and Context

In a MUD, players frequently refer to game objects by partial names ("sword", "red potion", "2nd bag"). The ObjectFinder is responsible for resolving these textual references to actual game objects within a given scope (room, inventory, equipment, etc.). When multiple objects match, it must prompt the player to disambiguate rather than silently picking one.

Expected Behavior

ObjectFinder takes a text reference, a scope (e.g., :room, :inventory, :equipment, :area), and a context (player, room). It searches the scope for matching objects and returns:

Single match: The resolved game object.
Multiple matches: An AmbiguityError containing numbered options for the player. Example prompt: "Which sword do you mean? 1) iron sword 2) rusty sword". The player's numeric reply resolves the ambiguity.
No match: An ObjectNotFoundError with a descriptive message.

finder = ObjectFinder.new(context)
result = finder.resolve("sword", scope: :room)
# => SingleMatch(object) | AmbiguityPrompt(matches) | NotFound(message)

Matching supports: exact name match, partial name match, ordinal prefixes ("2nd sword"), adjective+noun ("rusty sword"), and item keywords.

Acceptance Criteria

ObjectFinder#resolve accepts a text reference and scope.
Exact name matches are prioritized over partial matches.
Partial name matching works (e.g., "swo" matches "sword").
Ordinal prefixes work (e.g., "2nd sword" selects the second matching sword).
Adjective+noun matching works (e.g., "rusty sword" narrows to the correct item).
Single match returns the resolved object directly.
Multiple matches return an AmbiguityPrompt with numbered options.
No match returns an ObjectNotFoundError.
Scopes :room, :inventory, :equipment, and :area are supported.
Player can reply with a number to resolve ambiguity.

Subtasks

Code

Create ObjectFinder class with #resolve(text, scope:) method.
Implement scope searchers for :room, :inventory, :equipment, :area.
Implement matching strategies: exact, partial, ordinal, adjective+noun, keyword.
Implement match ranking (exact > keyword > adjective+noun > partial).
Create AmbiguityPrompt value object with match list and prompt text.
Create ObjectNotFoundError value object.
Implement disambiguation reply handler for numeric player responses.

Quality

Docs: Update YARD comments on affected classes and methods. Update relevant Docusaurus documentation pages if applicable.
Tests (Cucumber): Add tests/unit/object_finder.feature covering exact match, partial match, ordinal prefix, adjective+noun, multiple matches triggering disambiguation, no match error, disambiguation reply, scope filtering.
Tests (Cucumber Integration): Add integration feature in tests/integration/ for ObjectFinder resolving text references to game objects with ambiguity prompts.
Tests (Profiling): Run bundle exec rake unit_profile and verify no performance regressions.
Quality: Verify coverage >=97% via bundle exec rake unit. If coverage is <97% then review the current unit test coverage report at build/tests/unit/coverage/ and use it to write new Cucumber based unit tests to improve coverage. Specifically, write Cucumber/Gherkin style unit tests that are descriptively named and specifically improve coverage on whichever file has the most uncovered lines by writing tests that will target the uncovered lines in the report. Once that is done rerun bundle exec rake unit to verify all tests pass and coverage is above >=97%. Only mark this as complete once coverage is >=97%, if not repeat this task as many times as is needed until coverage reaches >=97%.
Quality: Run bundle exec rake (default task: unit tests with coverage) and bundle exec rake integration, fix any errors if needed ensuring both pass across entire code base, do not ignore any failure even if it seems unrelated to this commit, fix it.

Definition of Done

This issue is complete when:

All subtasks above are completed and checked off.
A Git commit is created where the first line of the commit message matches the Commit Message in Metadata exactly, followed by a blank line, then additional lines providing relevant details about the implementation.
The commit is pushed to the remote on the branch matching the Branch in Metadata exactly.
The commit is submitted as a pull request to master, reviewed, and merged before this issue is marked done.

## Metadata | Key | Value | |-----|-------| | **Branch** | `feature/m1-object-finder` | | **Commit Message** | `feat: implement ObjectFinder with ambiguity resolution` | | **Parent Epic** | #291 — Input Validation Framework | ## Background and Context In a MUD, players frequently refer to game objects by partial names ("sword", "red potion", "2nd bag"). The ObjectFinder is responsible for resolving these textual references to actual game objects within a given scope (room, inventory, equipment, etc.). When multiple objects match, it must prompt the player to disambiguate rather than silently picking one. ## Expected Behavior ObjectFinder takes a text reference, a scope (e.g., `:room`, `:inventory`, `:equipment`, `:area`), and a context (player, room). It searches the scope for matching objects and returns: - **Single match**: The resolved game object. - **Multiple matches**: An `AmbiguityError` containing numbered options for the player. Example prompt: "Which sword do you mean? 1) iron sword 2) rusty sword". The player's numeric reply resolves the ambiguity. - **No match**: An `ObjectNotFoundError` with a descriptive message. ```ruby finder = ObjectFinder.new(context) result = finder.resolve("sword", scope: :room) # => SingleMatch(object) | AmbiguityPrompt(matches) | NotFound(message) ``` Matching supports: exact name match, partial name match, ordinal prefixes ("2nd sword"), adjective+noun ("rusty sword"), and item keywords. ## Acceptance Criteria - [ ] `ObjectFinder#resolve` accepts a text reference and scope. - [ ] Exact name matches are prioritized over partial matches. - [ ] Partial name matching works (e.g., "swo" matches "sword"). - [ ] Ordinal prefixes work (e.g., "2nd sword" selects the second matching sword). - [ ] Adjective+noun matching works (e.g., "rusty sword" narrows to the correct item). - [ ] Single match returns the resolved object directly. - [ ] Multiple matches return an `AmbiguityPrompt` with numbered options. - [ ] No match returns an `ObjectNotFoundError`. - [ ] Scopes `:room`, `:inventory`, `:equipment`, and `:area` are supported. - [ ] Player can reply with a number to resolve ambiguity. ## Subtasks ### Code - [ ] Create `ObjectFinder` class with `#resolve(text, scope:)` method. - [ ] Implement scope searchers for `:room`, `:inventory`, `:equipment`, `:area`. - [ ] Implement matching strategies: exact, partial, ordinal, adjective+noun, keyword. - [ ] Implement match ranking (exact > keyword > adjective+noun > partial). - [ ] Create `AmbiguityPrompt` value object with match list and prompt text. - [ ] Create `ObjectNotFoundError` value object. - [ ] Implement disambiguation reply handler for numeric player responses. ### Quality - [ ] Docs: Update YARD comments on affected classes and methods. Update relevant Docusaurus documentation pages if applicable. - [ ] Tests (Cucumber): Add `tests/unit/object_finder.feature` covering exact match, partial match, ordinal prefix, adjective+noun, multiple matches triggering disambiguation, no match error, disambiguation reply, scope filtering. - [ ] Tests (Cucumber Integration): Add integration feature in `tests/integration/` for ObjectFinder resolving text references to game objects with ambiguity prompts. - [ ] Tests (Profiling): Run `bundle exec rake unit_profile` and verify no performance regressions. - [ ] Quality: Verify coverage >=97% via `bundle exec rake unit`. If coverage is <97% then review the current unit test coverage report at `build/tests/unit/coverage/` and use it to write new Cucumber based unit tests to improve coverage. Specifically, write Cucumber/Gherkin style unit tests that are descriptively named and specifically improve coverage on whichever file has the most uncovered lines by writing tests that will target the uncovered lines in the report. Once that is done rerun `bundle exec rake unit` to verify all tests pass and coverage is above >=97%. Only mark this as complete once coverage is >=97%, if not repeat this task as many times as is needed until coverage reaches >=97%. - [ ] Quality: Run `bundle exec rake` (default task: unit tests with coverage) and `bundle exec rake integration`, fix any errors if needed ensuring both pass across **entire** code base, do not ignore any failure even if it seems unrelated to this commit, fix it. ## Definition of Done This issue is complete when: - All subtasks above are completed and checked off. - A Git commit is created where the **first line** of the commit message matches the Commit Message in Metadata exactly, followed by a blank line, then additional lines providing relevant details about the implementation. - The commit is pushed to the remote on the branch matching the **Branch** in Metadata exactly. - The commit is submitted as a **pull request** to `master`, reviewed, and **merged** before this issue is marked done.