Microflow roundtrip stabilization for large-project audit findings

[hjotha]

Summary

While running describe/exec/describe audits against large Mendix projects and validating round-tripped MPRs with mx check, I found a second batch of related microflow roundtrip gaps. Several small fixes are already open as focused PRs; the remaining items are tracked below and staged in draft PR #346 while they are extracted into reviewable changes.

Opening this as an umbrella issue, following the pattern from #257, so the remaining work has one tracker while each PR stays focused and reviewable.

Already submitted focused PRs

• fix: drop empty else branch from describer output #305: drop empty else branch emitted by the microflow describer
• fix: do not emit annotations before unsupported-action comments #307: skip activity-bound annotations before unsupported-action comments
• fix: preserve commit error handling through describe/exec/describe #309: preserve default commit rollback error handling
• fix: honor branch anchor destination on split-to-merge flows #311: preserve branch anchor direction pairs when writing microflow flows
• fix: skip reference checks for excluded microflows #313: ignore excluded microflows during project validation
• feat(executor): allow MXCLI_EXEC_TIMEOUT to override the per-statement timeout #315: make executor timeout configurable for long-running project checks
• fix(writer): drop synthetic trailing newline from EndEvent ReturnValue #317: avoid trailing newline after microflow end events
• feat: support free microflow annotations #319: preserve free-standing microflow annotations
• fix: suppress default anchor fragments in describe #321: suppress default anchor fragments in microflow descriptions
• fix: preserve multiline source expression whitespace #323: preserve multiline source expressions without treating string punctuation as structure
• refactor: extract microflow anchor selection helpers #325: extract branch anchor helper logic in the microflow builder
• fix: pair microflow splits with nearest merge #327: stop branch traversal at the nearest split merge
• fix: preserve nested loop body flow traversal #329: keep nested loop body flows inside their owning branch
• fix: preserve annotations attached inside loop bodies #331: preserve loop body annotations during roundtrip
• feat: support microflow download file statement #333: support microflow download file statements
• feat: support legacy microflow call web service statement #334: support legacy microflow call web service statements
• feat: support ellipsis placeholder expression #336: support ellipsis placeholder expressions
• fix: preserve duplicate implicit output aliases #337: preserve duplicate implicit output aliases
• fix: write valid show-page parameter mappings #338: write valid show-page parameter mappings
• fix: refresh empty change-object actions #340: preserve validity for empty change-object actions
• fix: preserve microflow-call BSON field order #342: preserve Studio Pro-compatible microflow-call BSON field order
• fix: preserve attribute-based list operations #344: preserve attribute-based find/filter list operations

Staging PR

• draft: stage remaining microflow roundtrip audit fixes #346: draft staging branch for remaining local all-fixes work. This is not intended to merge as-is; it exists so the remaining behavior is visible while focused extraction continues.

Remaining focused issues

• Preserve enum split microflow roundtrips #347 / feat: support enum split microflow statements #364: preserve enum split microflow roundtrips
• Preserve inheritance split and cast-action microflow roundtrips #348 / feat: support inheritance split and cast statements #365: preserve inheritance split and cast-action microflow roundtrips
• Preserve custom error-handler routing during microflow roundtrip #349 / fix: preserve custom error handler continuations #366: preserve custom error-handler routing during microflow roundtrip
• Preserve refresh-in-client on change-object actions with member assignments #345 / feat: preserve change object refresh modifier #363: preserve refresh-in-client on change-object actions with member assignments
• Preserve manual while-true retry-loop roundtrips #350 / fix: preserve manual while-true loop roundtrips #354: preserve manual while-true retry-loop roundtrips
• Preserve nested branch tails and split-join continuations #351 / fix: preserve no-merge branch continuations #355: preserve nested branch tails and split-join continuations
• Preserve microflow type and cardinality inference during rebuild #352 / fix: preserve compact reverse-association retrieves #356 / fix: infer java action result variable types #357 / fix: register import mapping result variable types #360 / feat: allow expressions in add-to-list statements #362: preserve microflow type and cardinality inference during rebuild
• Preserve validation feedback object and association targets #358 / fix: preserve validation feedback targets #359: preserve validation feedback object and association targets

Proposed PR workflow

• Each merge-ready PR should stay one concern or one tightly coupled feature/fix.
• New syntax PRs include proposal docs, mdl-examples/doctype-tests, quick reference, and skill notes.
• PRs use synthetic fixtures only; no private project names or microflow names.
• Validation per PR: make build, make lint-go, make test; make test-integration and/or mx check where behavior touches MPR validity.

Notes

This issue is a tracker, not a request to merge one large PR. Draft PR #346 intentionally does not close this issue.

Additional focused extractions

• Preserve indirect entity references in retrieve sort items #367 / fix: preserve indirect sort entity references #370: preserve indirect entity references in retrieve sort items

• Preserve void EndEvent returns during microflow describe #368 / fix: preserve void EndEvent returns in describe #371: preserve void EndEvent returns during microflow describe

• Preserve mapping result range cardinality during roundtrip #369 / fix: preserve mapping result range cardinality #372: preserve mapping result range cardinality during roundtrip

• Writer emits invalid ChangeActionItem list markers for object changes #373 / fix: write valid change-action item storage lists #374: write valid change-action item storage lists

• Writer serializes REST HttpResponse result handling as string #375 / fix: write REST HttpResponse result variable type #376: write REST HttpResponse result variable types

[github-actions]

Issue Triage

Summary:
The issue serves as an umbrella tracker for a series of focused PRs that improve microflow round‑trip stability and MDL syntax coverage in mxcli.

Checklist of required information (based on issue type):

• This is a tracker/umbrella issue, not a bug report or feature request, so the specific fields listed for bug reports or feature requests are not applicable.
• No missing information is needed for the purpose of tracking the related PRs.

Comment:
The issue clearly outlines the scope, links to existing PRs, lists remaining work, and proposes a workflow. It is complete as a tracker issue. Thank you for organizing the work in this way!

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