refactor(controllers): constructor-pass path, drop set_path()

[gilesknap]

Summary

Implements branch 2d from #373:

• path becomes a keyword-only constructor parameter on BaseController / Controller / ControllerVector; the launcher passes path=[entry.id] rather than calling set_path after construction.
• BaseController.set_path() is removed. add_sub_controller(name, sub) now sanity-asserts sub.path == parent.path + [name] instead of mutating sub._path. Parents construct subs with the full path baked in (e.g. Sub(path=self.path + [name])).
• _build_api() reads self._path directly; the parent-side path argument and recursive re-prefix are gone.
• Demo controllers, doc snippets and every test that previously did controller.set_path([id]) are updated to thread path=[...] through __init__.

Closes #373.

Notes on the open sub-decisions

• Positional vs keyword-only: path is keyword-only — keeps existing positional call-sites (description, ios, settings, …) intact.
• Default: path defaults to [] so direct/standalone construction (tests, embedded use) still works.
• add_sub_controller's residual role: strict sanity-assert (full path match), not just path[-1] == name. This catches the common mistake of forgetting to thread path end-to-end and is what every updated test relies on for diagnostics.

Test plan

• pytest tests/test_controllers.py tests/test_multi_controller.py tests/test_launch.py tests/test_attributes.py tests/test_methods.py tests/test_attribute_logging.py tests/test_control_system.py tests/test_util.py tests/test_ip_connection.py tests/transports/rest tests/transports/graphQL tests/transports/epics/test_emission.py tests/transports/epics/ca/test_gui.py tests/transports/epics/ca/test_softioc.py tests/transports/epics/ca/test_ca_util.py — all pass locally (one pre-existing flaky thread-cleanup failure in test_scan_exception_sets_disconnected_and_reconnect_resumes, order-dependent, passes when run alone).
• All doc snippets static04..15 and dynamic.py import and execute cleanly.
• CI: full suite including p4p / tango / softioc / docs-snippets (need a real env).

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

Summary by CodeRabbit

• Refactor

  • Controllers now accept an optional path at construction; the prior separate path-setting step has been removed. Controller APIs now derive paths from each controller’s stored path.

• Documentation

  • Examples and snippets updated to pass path during controller construction instead of configuring paths afterward.

• Tests

  • Test suites and fixtures updated to construct controllers with explicit paths at instantiation.

[coderabbitai]

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review. 🎉

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📒 Files selected for processing (1)

• tests/test_controllers.py

💤 Files with no reviewable changes (1)

• tests/test_controllers.py

---

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

Controllers now accept a path parameter in their constructors instead of using set_path() after instantiation. The set_path() method is removed, and add_sub_controller() validates that sub-controllers have been constructed with correct paths. The _build_api() method uses the controller's stored path instead of accepting it as a parameter.

Changes

Constructor-based path initialization

Layer / File(s)	Summary
BaseController path initialization contract src/fastcs/controllers/base_controller.py	BaseController.__init__ reorders parameters to make path keyword-only, initializes _path from the parameter, removes set_path() entirely, updates add_sub_controller() to validate sub-controller path correctness, and refactors _build_api() to use the stored _path instead of accepting a parameter.
Controller and ControllerVector accept path parameter src/fastcs/controllers/controller.py, src/fastcs/controllers/controller_vector.py	Controller.__init__ and ControllerVector.__init__ add keyword-only path parameters and forward them to BaseController. Controller.create_api_and_tasks() calls _build_api() without arguments.
Launcher and production demo controllers src/fastcs/launch.py, src/fastcs/demo/controllers.py	The launcher passes path=[entry.id] directly to controller constructors. Demo controllers accept path and thread it into sub-controller construction with hierarchical paths (self.path + [name]).
Documentation and example snippets docs/snippets/dynamic.py, docs/snippets/static04.py through docs/snippets/static15.py	All documentation examples construct controllers with path=[...] directly in the constructor instead of calling set_path() afterward. Examples progress from simple to hierarchical controller setups.
Test infrastructure and helper controllers tests/assertable_controller.py, tests/conftest.py, tests/test_launch.py	AssertableControllerAPI.__init__ no longer accepts a path parameter; it calls _build_api() with no arguments. Test helper controllers accept optional path parameters and forward them to base constructors.
Test suite updates across controllers and transports tests/test_controllers.py, tests/test_multi_controller.py, tests/example_*.py, tests/benchmarking/controller.py, tests/transports/*	All tests construct controllers with explicit path values at initialization time. Helper functions like _api_with_id() and fixtures initialize controllers with path directly. Function signatures that previously accepted path parameters (e.g., make_fastcs()) are simplified.

Estimated code review effort

🎯 4 (Complex) | ⏱️ ~60 minutes

Possibly related PRs

• DiamondLightSource/fastcs#332: Both PRs modify controller/API construction flow and task orchestration; changes are code-level related.
• DiamondLightSource/fastcs#360: Earlier refactor removing _id/set_id() and moving identification to path[0]; this PR continues that refactor by removing set_path() and making path a constructor parameter.

Suggested reviewers

• coretl

Poem

🐰 Paths planted at birth, not rearranged in haste,
Controllers know their place, no set_path() to chase,
Sub-controllers inherit from parent's embrace,
One truth, one time, no rootless state to erase. 🎉

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 4 | ❌ 1

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Docstring Coverage	⚠️ Warning	Docstring coverage is 3.88% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%.	Write docstrings for the functions missing them to satisfy the coverage threshold.

✅ Passed checks (4 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Description Check	✅ Passed	Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check	✅ Passed	The title clearly summarizes the main change: refactoring controllers to accept path as a constructor parameter and removing the set_path() method.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	All code changes implement proposal 2d from issue #373: path is now a keyword-only constructor parameter on BaseController/Controller/ControllerVector, set_path() is removed, add_sub_controller validates path consistency, _build_api() reads _path directly, and all demo/test code threads path through init.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	All changes are directly related to the path parameter refactoring objective; no unrelated modifications to features outside the scope of issue #373 were introduced.

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✨ Finishing Touches

📝 Generate docstrings

• Create stacked PR
• Commit on current branch

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests
• Commit unit tests in branch path-init

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[codecov]

Codecov Report

❌ Patch coverage is 85.71429% with 1 line in your changes missing coverage. Please review.
✅ Project coverage is 91.17%. Comparing base (c80a13c) to head (4228a7d).

Files with missing lines	Patch %	Lines
src/fastcs/launch.py	50.00%	1 Missing ⚠️

Additional details and impacted files

@@            Coverage Diff             @@
##             main     #382      +/-   ##
==========================================
- Coverage   91.20%   91.17%   -0.03%     
==========================================
  Files          72       72              
  Lines        2875     2867       -8     
==========================================
- Hits         2622     2614       -8     
  Misses        253      253              

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[coderabbitai]

🧹 Nitpick comments (1)

docs/snippets/static10.py (1)

76-76: 💤 Low value

Consider using unpacking syntax for list concatenation.

The expression self.path + [name] can be written more idiomatically as [*self.path, name].

♻️ Optional refactor

-            controller = TemperatureRampController(
-                index, self._connection, path=self.path + [name]
-            )
+            controller = TemperatureRampController(
+                index, self._connection, path=[*self.path, name]
+            )

🤖 Prompt for AI Agents

Verify each finding against current code. Fix only still-valid issues, skip the
rest with a brief reason, keep changes minimal, and validate.

In `@docs/snippets/static10.py` at line 76, Replace the list concatenation
expression used when passing the path parameter to the constructor/call
(currently written as self.path + [name]) with Python unpacking to produce the
same list more idiomatically (use [*self.path, name]); update the call that
constructs/passes path (the invocation that includes index, self._connection,
path=...) so it uses [*self.path, name] instead of self.path + [name] to keep
behaviour identical while improving readability.

🤖 Prompt for all review comments with AI agents

Verify each finding against current code. Fix only still-valid issues, skip the
rest with a brief reason, keep changes minimal, and validate.

Nitpick comments:
In `@docs/snippets/static10.py`:
- Line 76: Replace the list concatenation expression used when passing the path
parameter to the constructor/call (currently written as self.path + [name]) with
Python unpacking to produce the same list more idiomatically (use [*self.path,
name]); update the call that constructs/passes path (the invocation that
includes index, self._connection, path=...) so it uses [*self.path, name]
instead of self.path + [name] to keep behaviour identical while improving
readability.

---

ℹ️ Review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: defaults

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Run ID: c9ca75e8-d358-4607-b28c-109bce0905e5

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between c80a13c and a426cb4.

📒 Files selected for processing (33)

• docs/snippets/dynamic.py
• docs/snippets/static04.py
• docs/snippets/static05.py
• docs/snippets/static06.py
• docs/snippets/static07.py
• docs/snippets/static08.py
• docs/snippets/static09.py
• docs/snippets/static10.py
• docs/snippets/static11.py
• docs/snippets/static12.py
• docs/snippets/static13.py
• docs/snippets/static14.py
• docs/snippets/static15.py
• src/fastcs/controllers/base_controller.py
• src/fastcs/controllers/controller.py
• src/fastcs/controllers/controller_vector.py
• src/fastcs/demo/controllers.py
• src/fastcs/launch.py
• tests/assertable_controller.py
• tests/benchmarking/controller.py
• tests/conftest.py
• tests/example_p4p_ioc.py
• tests/example_softioc.py
• tests/test_controllers.py
• tests/test_launch.py
• tests/test_multi_controller.py
• tests/transports/epics/ca/test_gui.py
• tests/transports/epics/ca/test_initial_value.py
• tests/transports/epics/ca/test_softioc.py
• tests/transports/epics/pva/test_p4p.py
• tests/transports/epics/test_emission.py
• tests/transports/graphQL/test_graphql.py
• tests/transports/tango/test_dsr.py