Add API for checking for model consistency?

[f4lco]

I'd consider adding an API for extensive consistency checks in the model definitions. The annotations like @FixedField or @FixedFormat leave room for errors and inconsistencies. For example:

1. All @FixedField annotations together do not describe the dataset exhaustively, meaning there are gaps in the data which do not map onto a @FixedField.
2. The length of a format pattern exceeds the length allocated by @FixedField.
3. The length of the @FixedField is too small to accommodate the nested @FixedObject.
4. ...

I have already prototyped the first rule - all fields must be 'contiguous' / 'gapless' - and found it to be very useful, because the check already identified a typo in one of my model objects.

Mind that this is not only about detectable error conditions, but also about heuristics. As a result, one could have different severity levels like 'error', or 'warning'.

What do you think? Does such a feature fit the scope of your project?

[joutvhu]

I think these rules are unnecessary.

Users don't need to create fields they don't want.

• Can skip a part of the input string to get only what they want.
• Can override the position of another field when they want to parse it to another data type.

[joutvhu]

However in the case of writing these rules can be checked and given as a warning.