fix: array field types persist + Field.time accepts time-of-day

Two field-type runtime gaps found driving the showcase field-zoo (which had
no seed data, so neither was ever exercised at runtime).

1. Array/object fields broke every write (driver-sql). multiselect/checkboxes/
   tags/repeater/vector were missing from the SQL driver's JSON-field
   classification, so their arrays reached the better-sqlite3 binder
   un-serialized → "SQLite3 can only bind numbers, strings, bigints, buffers,
   and null" 500 on insert/update (incl. task.labels on a normal object). The
   DDL column-type switch and isJsonField had drifted into two lists; unified
   into one JSON_COLUMN_TYPES source covering the array/object types, plus a
   formatInput safety net that serializes any stray array/object so an
   unclassified field degrades to a stored string instead of crashing.

2. Field.time rejected every valid value (objectql). The validator reused the
   date/datetime Date.parse branch, which is NaN for any bare time string, so
   `time` could never accept 14:30 / 09:05:30. Now validates HH:MM / HH:MM:SS
   (optional fractional seconds + Z/offset), still accepts a full ISO datetime;
   date/datetime unchanged. (Date.parse('14:60') returns a bogus number, so the
   fallback requires a real date component — malformed times are rejected.)

Verified live on app-showcase: full field-zoo specimen now persists +
round-trips. Tests: driver-sql array round-trip (155 green) + time validator
(objectql 652 green).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

Author: os-zhuang

.changeset/field-type-persistence.md

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+---
+"@objectstack/driver-sql": minor
+"@objectstack/objectql": patch
+---
+
+fix: array-valued field types persist, and `Field.time` accepts time-of-day — two field-type runtime gaps found driving the showcase field-zoo (which had no seed data, so neither was ever exercised).
+
+**Array/object fields broke every write (driver-sql).** `multiselect` / `checkboxes` / `tags` / `repeater` / `vector` were absent from the SQL driver's JSON-field classification, so their array values reached the better-sqlite3 binder un-serialized and threw *"SQLite3 can only bind numbers, strings, bigints, buffers, and null"* — a 500 on insert/update for common field types (even `task.labels` on a normal object). The DDL column-type switch and `isJsonField` had drifted into two separate lists; they now share one `JSON_COLUMN_TYPES` source that includes the array/object types, so these columns are created as JSON and round-trip as arrays/objects. A `formatInput` safety net additionally serializes any stray array/object value so an unclassified field degrades to a stored string instead of crashing.
+
+**`Field.time` rejected every valid value (objectql).** The validator reused the date/datetime branch (`Date.parse`), which is `NaN` for any bare time string — so a `time` field could never accept `14:30` or `09:05:30`. `time` now validates a time-of-day (`HH:MM` / `HH:MM:SS`, optional fractional seconds and `Z`/offset) and still accepts a full ISO datetime; `date`/`datetime` are unchanged.
+
+Verified live on app-showcase: the full field-zoo specimen (all input-able field types) now persists and round-trips. Regression tests added for both.

packages/objectql/src/validation/record-validator.test.ts

@@ -33,3 +33,35 @@ describe('validateRecord — required + autonumber exemption', () => {
     ).not.toThrow();
   });
 });
+
+/**
+ * `Field.time` is a wall-clock time-of-day, not an instant. The old validator
+ * reused the date/datetime branch (`Date.parse`), which is `NaN` for every
+ * bare time string — so a `time` field rejected ALL valid values (found
+ * driving the showcase field-zoo). It must accept `HH:MM` / `HH:MM:SS`.
+ */
+describe('validateRecord — time field accepts time-of-day', () => {
+  const schema = { fields: { at: { type: 'time' } } };
+
+  for (const v of ['14:30', '09:05:30', '23:59', '00:00:00', '14:30:00Z', '14:30:00.500', '08:15:00+02:00']) {
+    it(`accepts ${v}`, () => {
+      expect(() => validateRecord(schema, { at: v }, 'insert')).not.toThrow();
+    });
+  }
+
+  it('accepts a full ISO datetime for a time field (lenient)', () => {
+    expect(() => validateRecord(schema, { at: '2026-06-17T14:30:00Z' }, 'insert')).not.toThrow();
+  });
+
+  for (const v of ['25:00', '14:60', 'not-a-time', '14']) {
+    it(`rejects ${v}`, () => {
+      expect(() => validateRecord(schema, { at: v }, 'insert')).toThrow(/invalid_time/i);
+    });
+  }
+
+  it('does NOT regress date/datetime (still ISO-parsed)', () => {
+    const ds = { fields: { d: { type: 'date' }, dt: { type: 'datetime' } } };
+    expect(() => validateRecord(ds, { d: '2026-06-17', dt: '2026-06-17T10:00:00Z' }, 'insert')).not.toThrow();
+    expect(() => validateRecord(ds, { d: 'not-a-date' }, 'insert')).toThrow(/invalid_date/i);
+  });
+});

packages/objectql/src/validation/record-validator.ts

@@ -65,6 +65,7 @@ export interface FieldValidationError {
     | 'invalid_number'
     | 'invalid_boolean'
     | 'invalid_date'
+    | 'invalid_time'
     | 'invalid_option'
     // Object-level validation rules (ADR-0020, see rule-validator.ts)
     | 'invalid_transition'
@@ -173,12 +174,31 @@ function validateOne(name: string, def: FieldDef, value: unknown): FieldValidati
   }
 
   // ── date/datetime ───────────────────────────────────────────────
-  if (t === 'date' || t === 'datetime' || t === 'time') {
+  if (t === 'date' || t === 'datetime') {
     if (value instanceof Date) return null;
     if (typeof value === 'string' && !Number.isNaN(Date.parse(value))) return null;
     return { field: name, code: 'invalid_date', message: `${name} must be a valid ${t} (ISO-8601)` };
   }
 
+  // ── time (time-of-day) ──────────────────────────────────────────
+  // A `Field.time` is a wall-clock time, NOT an instant — `Date.parse('14:30')`
+  // is NaN, so reusing the date branch rejected every valid time. Accept
+  // `HH:MM`, `HH:MM:SS`, optional fractional seconds and an optional Z/offset;
+  // also accept a Date or a full ISO datetime (callers that send a timestamp
+  // for a time field).
+  if (t === 'time') {
+    if (value instanceof Date) return null;
+    if (typeof value === 'string') {
+      const timeOfDay = /^([01]\d|2[0-3]):[0-5]\d(:[0-5]\d(\.\d+)?)?(Z|[+-]([01]\d|2[0-3]):?[0-5]\d)?$/;
+      // Accept a valid time-of-day, OR a full datetime that carries a real date
+      // component. NOT a bare `Date.parse` check — `Date.parse('14:60')` returns
+      // a (bogus) number in Node, which would let malformed times through.
+      const hasDate = /\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}/.test(value);
+      if (timeOfDay.test(value.trim()) || (hasDate && !Number.isNaN(Date.parse(value)))) return null;
+    }
+    return { field: name, code: 'invalid_time', message: `${name} must be a valid time (HH:MM or HH:MM:SS)` };
+  }
+
   // ── select / multiselect / radio ────────────────────────────────
   if (t === 'select' || t === 'radio') {
     const allowed = optionValues(def.options);

packages/plugins/driver-sql/src/sql-driver-array-fields.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2025 ObjectStack. Licensed under the Apache-2.0 license.
+
+/**
+ * Array/object-valued field types must be stored as JSON columns and
+ * round-tripped as arrays/objects. Regression: `multiselect`/`checkboxes`/
+ * `tags`/`repeater`/`vector` were absent from the driver's JSON-field
+ * classification, so their array values reached the better-sqlite3 binder
+ * un-serialized and crashed with "SQLite3 can only bind numbers, strings,
+ * bigints, buffers, and null" — breaking common field types on every write
+ * (found driving the showcase field-zoo, which had no seed data to surface it).
+ *
+ * The classification (`isJsonField`) and the DDL column-type switch now share
+ * one `JSON_COLUMN_TYPES` source, plus a `formatInput` safety net stringifies
+ * any stray array/object so an unclassified field degrades to a stored string
+ * instead of a 500.
+ */
+
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest';
+import { SqlDriver } from '../src/index.js';
+
+describe('SqlDriver array/object field persistence', () => {
+  let driver: SqlDriver;
+
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    driver = new SqlDriver({
+      client: 'better-sqlite3',
+      connection: { filename: ':memory:' },
+      useNullAsDefault: true,
+    });
+    await driver.initObjects([
+      {
+        name: 'zoo',
+        fields: {
+          name: { type: 'string' },
+          tags: { type: 'tags' },
+          ms: { type: 'multiselect' },
+          cbs: { type: 'checkboxes' },
+          rep: { type: 'repeater' },
+          vec: { type: 'vector' },
+          comp: { type: 'composite' },
+          loc: { type: 'location' },
+        },
+      },
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  afterEach(async () => {
+    await driver.disconnect();
+  });
+
+  it('persists and round-trips array-valued fields as arrays', async () => {
+    await driver.create(
+      'zoo',
+      {
+        id: 'z1', name: 'Specimen',
+        tags: ['x', 'y'],
+        ms: ['red', 'green'],
+        cbs: ['email', 'push'],
+        rep: [{ a: 1 }, { a: 2 }],
+        vec: [0.1, 0.2, 0.3],
+        comp: { k: 'v' },
+        loc: { lat: 1.5, lng: 2.5 },
+      },
+      { bypassTenantAudit: true },
+    );
+    const row = await driver.findOne('zoo', 'z1', { bypassTenantAudit: true });
+    expect(row.tags).toEqual(['x', 'y']);
+    expect(row.ms).toEqual(['red', 'green']);
+    expect(row.cbs).toEqual(['email', 'push']);
+    expect(row.rep).toEqual([{ a: 1 }, { a: 2 }]);
+    expect(row.vec).toEqual([0.1, 0.2, 0.3]);
+    expect(row.comp).toEqual({ k: 'v' });
+    expect(row.loc).toEqual({ lat: 1.5, lng: 2.5 });
+  });
+
+  it('updates an array field to a new array', async () => {
+    await driver.create('zoo', { id: 'z2', name: 'B', tags: ['a'] }, { bypassTenantAudit: true });
+    await driver.update('zoo', 'z2', { tags: ['a', 'b', 'c'] }, { bypassTenantAudit: true });
+    const row = await driver.findOne('zoo', 'z2', { bypassTenantAudit: true });
+    expect(row.tags).toEqual(['a', 'b', 'c']);
+  });
+
+  it('does not crash on an empty array', async () => {
+    await driver.create('zoo', { id: 'z3', name: 'C', ms: [] }, { bypassTenantAudit: true });
+    const row = await driver.findOne('zoo', 'z3', { bypassTenantAudit: true });
+    expect(row.ms).toEqual([]);
+  });
+});

packages/plugins/driver-sql/src/sql-driver.ts

@@ -34,6 +34,23 @@ const SEQUENCES_TABLE = '_objectstack_sequences';
  */
 const GLOBAL_TENANT = '__global__';
 
+/**
+ * Field types whose value is an array or object and must be stored as a JSON
+ * column (and JSON-(de)serialized at the driver boundary). SINGLE SOURCE for
+ * both the DDL column-type switch and `isJsonField` so the two can't drift —
+ * the drift between them is exactly what let array-valued fields (multiselect/
+ * checkboxes/tags/repeater/vector) reach the SQLite binder un-serialized and
+ * crash with "SQLite3 can only bind numbers, strings, bigints, buffers, and
+ * null" (#field-zoo). `image`/`file`/`avatar` hold structured upload metadata;
+ * `composite`/`address`/`location` are objects; the rest are arrays.
+ */
+const JSON_COLUMN_TYPES = new Set<string>([
+  'json', 'object', 'array',
+  'image', 'file', 'avatar',
+  'location', 'address', 'composite',
+  'multiselect', 'checkboxes', 'tags', 'repeater', 'vector',
+]);
+
 // ── Introspection Types ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 export interface IntrospectedColumn {
@@ -1845,6 +1862,13 @@ export class SqlDriver implements IDataDriver {
       case 'file':
       case 'avatar':
       case 'location':
+      case 'address':
+      case 'composite':
+      case 'multiselect':
+      case 'checkboxes':
+      case 'tags':
+      case 'repeater':
+      case 'vector':
         col = table.json(name);
         break;
       case 'lookup':
@@ -1976,7 +2000,7 @@ export class SqlDriver implements IDataDriver {
   }
 
   protected isJsonField(type: string, field: any): boolean {
-    return ['json', 'object', 'array', 'image', 'file', 'avatar', 'location'].includes(type) || field.multiple;
+    return JSON_COLUMN_TYPES.has(type) || !!field.multiple;
   }
 
   // ── SQLite serialisation ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -2022,12 +2046,25 @@ export class SqlDriver implements IDataDriver {
     if (!this.isSqlite) return copy;
 
     const fields = this.jsonFields[object];
-    if (!fields || fields.length === 0) return copy;
+    if (fields && fields.length > 0) {
+      if (!copied) { copy = { ...copy }; copied = true; }
+      for (const field of fields) {
+        if (copy[field] !== undefined && typeof copy[field] === 'object' && copy[field] !== null) {
+          copy[field] = JSON.stringify(copy[field]);
+        }
+      }
+    }
 
-    if (!copied) { copy = { ...copy }; copied = true; }
-    for (const field of fields) {
-      if (copy[field] !== undefined && typeof copy[field] === 'object' && copy[field] !== null) {
-        copy[field] = JSON.stringify(copy[field]);
+    // Safety net: better-sqlite3 can only bind numbers/strings/bigints/buffers/
+    // null. Any value still an array or plain object here (a field type not
+    // classified as JSON, a `Field.multiple` we didn't catch, or an ad-hoc
+    // payload) would otherwise throw a raw TypeError mid-insert. Serialize it
+    // to JSON so the write degrades to a stored string instead of a 500.
+    for (const key of Object.keys(copy)) {
+      const v = copy[key];
+      if (v !== null && typeof v === 'object' && !(v instanceof Date) && !Buffer.isBuffer(v)) {
+        if (!copied) { copy = { ...copy }; copied = true; }
+        copy[key] = JSON.stringify(v);
       }
     }
     return copy;