Inline project creation slug checks

Author: alexeygrigorev

api/views/project_create.py

@@ -46,26 +46,15 @@ def project_create_instructions_url(project_data):
     return instructions_url, None
 
 
-def project_slug(project_data, name):
+def project_create_slug(course, project_data, name):
     slug = project_data.get("slug")
-    if slug:
-        return slug
-    generated_slug = slugify(name)
-    return generated_slug
-
+    if not slug:
+        slug = slugify(name)
 
-def project_duplicate_error(course, slug):
     matching_project = Project.objects.filter(course=course, slug=slug)
     slug_exists = matching_project.exists()
     if slug_exists:
-        return f"Project with slug '{slug}' already exists"
-    return None
-
-
-def project_create_slug(course, project_data, name):
-    slug = project_slug(project_data, name)
-    error = project_duplicate_error(course, slug)
-    if error:
+        error = f"Project with slug '{slug}' already exists"
         return None, error
 
     return slug, None

docs/refactoring-plan.md

@@ -2901,6 +2901,20 @@ Steps:
   append-construction, tuple-unpacking, and wide-positional-call cleanup gates
   report zero violations with the 30-line production threshold and 60-line test
   threshold, `uvx pyrefly check`, and `git diff --check`.
+- [x] 2026-07-02: Removed the single-use project creation slug and duplicate
+  error helpers. `project_create_slug` now derives the requested/generated slug
+  and performs the duplicate check directly, keeping the slug validation path
+  in one short function. Verification:
+  `uv run ruff check api/views/project_create.py docs/refactoring-plan.md`,
+  `python -m py_compile api/views/project_create.py`,
+  `uv run python manage.py test api.tests.test_project_creation api.tests.test_projects`,
+  removed-helper reference scan, touched-function line-threshold scan,
+  `uvx pyrefly check`, repository AST cleanup scan excluding migrations
+  (`forbidden_comprehensions=0`, `threshold_violations=0`,
+  `append_constructed=0`, `wide_tuple_unpacking=0`,
+  `wide_positional_calls=0`, `wide_function_args=0`,
+  `nested_wide_for_unpacking=0`, `range_len_loops=0`), and
+  `git diff --check`.
 - [x] Split Datamailer campaign action data construction out of the campaign
   action handler so the handler only resolves the client, builds action data,
   and runs the guarded action. Verification: