Forwarding / delegation#

[<source-id> --> <target-id>]

A forwarding tag redirects the coverage obligation of the source item to the target item: instead of having to satisfy its own Needs, the source counts as shallow-covered exactly when the target exists, and as deep-covered exactly when the target is deep-covered. Spaces around --> are optional.

[req:login#1 --> dsn:auth#2]
[req:login#1-->dsn:auth#2]

Where it is recognized#

• Code files - inside comments, like the other tags (see Code tags). A forwarding tag defines no item and does not anchor [>>…] need tags.
• Markdown files - on a line containing nothing but the tag, optionally wrapped in backticks. It may appear anywhere, including inside an item's definition (there it is not part of the description).

A forwarding may be declared anywhere in the project; it does not have to sit next to the source item's definition.

Rules#

• The source ID must refer to an existing item; otherwise the forwarding is reported as a problem (with the usual revision-mismatch hint).
• If the target ID does not exist, the source item is uncovered (with the revision-mismatch hint).
• At most one forwarding per source ID; every further declaration flags the source item as duplicate. The first declaration stays in effect.
• Forwarding chains must be acyclic; a forwarding of an item to itself counts as a cycle too. Every forwarding on a cycle is reported as a problem and has no effect - the items on the cycle fall back to their own Needs.
• A forwarding target counts as demanded coverage: a code item referenced only as a forwarding target is not unwanted. Only a valid forwarding demands its target: one voided as invalid (non-existent source, cyclic chain) does not, so a code item referenced only by an invalid forwarding is flagged unwanted in addition to the problem.
• Forwarding only lifts the source's coverage obligation. Its literal Needs list still validates incoming Covers entries, and its own Covers entries are checked unchanged.