Preserve nil-link items across pipeline rebuilds

doc/PLUGINS.md

@@ -313,9 +313,10 @@ Rules that follow from the shape:
 
 - **Return the shape, always.** Returning `nil`, a string or a bare array of
   items ends the pipeline for everything after it.
-- **`link` may be `nil`, and so may any other field.** Filters signal "not
-  applicable" by setting `link` to `nil`, so a plugin that dereferences a field
-  without checking will be handed `nil` sooner or later.
+- **`link` may be `nil`, and so may any other field.** A missing field is data,
+  not a framework-wide drop signal: `FeedMaker.create_pipeline` preserves an
+  item whose link is `nil`. A plugin that requires a link must check it itself;
+  a plugin that does not may keep processing the item.
 - **Guard the feed itself.** `@pipeline.each { |feeds| next if feeds.nil? }` is
   the prevailing idiom, because a subscription plugin that failed may have put a
   `nil` in the array.
@@ -950,9 +951,10 @@ plugin has done the work, so that later plugins publish nothing. No settings.
 
 #### FilterImage — **Supported**
 
-`filter/image.rb`. Sets `link` to `nil` unless it names an image. Note that it
-does not remove the items — it blanks their links, and the plugins after it
-skip items whose link is `nil`. No settings.
+`filter/image.rb`. Sets `link` to `nil` unless it names an image. It does not
+remove the item: a later plugin that requires a link skips it under that
+plugin's own rules, while a link-independent plugin may continue to use it. No
+settings.
 
 The extensions are `.jpg`, `.jpeg`, `.gif`, `.png`, `.tif`, `.tiff`, `.webp`
 and `.avif`, and the test is on the URL's **path**. Both of those changed:

doc/VERSIONS

@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ v26.09 (Release Date: TBD)
   make doc/PLUGINS.md section 6 the plugin catalogue's source of truth.
 - Harden the framework's execution boundary: fix CLI contract drift, distinguish
   dependency from load failures, and preflight-validate Recipe plugins.
+- Preserve nil-link pipeline items and remove SubscriptionText placeholder
+  title and link values.
 
 v26.08 (2026-08-22)
 -------------------

lib/automatic/feed_maker.rb

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 # License::     The GPL version 3, or LGPL version 3 (Dual License).
 # Contact::     idnanashi@gmail.com
 # Created::     Feb 21, 2014
-# Updated::     Sep  6, 2026
+# Updated::     Sep  7, 2026
 # Copyright::   Copyright (c) 2012-2026 Automatic Ruby Developers.
 
 module Automatic
@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@ module FeedMaker
     class FeedObject
       attr_accessor :title, :link, :description, :author, :comments
       def initialize
-        @link        = 'http://dummy'
-        @title       = 'dummy'
+        @link        = nil
+        @title       = nil
         @description = ''
         @author      = ''
         @comments    = ''
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ def self.generate_feed(feed)
     # Plain-value standard fields, copied onto the rebuilt item as-is when the
     # item being rebuilt carries them. See doc/REQUIREMENTS.md and
     # doc/PLUGINS.md for the standard item field contract this preserves.
-    REBUILD_SIMPLE_FIELDS = %i[description author comments content_encoded].freeze
+    REBUILD_SIMPLE_FIELDS = %i[title link description author comments content_encoded].freeze
 
     # source and enclosure are RSS child elements. RSS::Maker exposes each of
     # them on a new item as a builder with its own sub-attributes rather than
@@ -58,12 +58,8 @@ def self.create_pipeline(feeds = [])
 
         unless feeds.nil?
           feeds.each {|feed|
-            next if feed.link.nil?
-
             Automatic::Log.puts("info", "Create Pipeline: #{feed.link}")
             item = maker.items.new_item
-            item.title = feed.title
-            item.link = feed.link
             item.date = (feed.pubDate if feed.respond_to?(:pubDate)) || Time.now
 
             REBUILD_SIMPLE_FIELDS.each { |field| copy_rebuild_field(feed, item, field) }

spec/lib/automatic/feed_maker_spec.rb

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 # License::     The GPL version 3, or LGPL version 3 (Dual License).
 # Contact::     idnanashi@gmail.com
 # Created::     Sep  6, 2026
-# Updated::     Sep  6, 2026
+# Updated::     Sep  7, 2026
 # Copyright::   Copyright (c) 2012-2026 Automatic Ruby Developers.
 #
 # create_pipeline rebuilds each item it is given into a new RSS feed. This is
@@ -19,6 +19,22 @@
 require 'automatic/feed_maker'
 
 describe Automatic::FeedMaker do
+  describe ".generate_feed" do
+    it "leaves link absent when only a title is given" do
+      item = Automatic::FeedMaker.generate_feed("title" => "A title")
+
+      item.title.should == "A title"
+      item.link.should be_nil
+    end
+
+    it "leaves title absent when only a URL is given" do
+      item = Automatic::FeedMaker.generate_feed("url" => "https://example.com/a")
+
+      item.title.should be_nil
+      item.link.should == "https://example.com/a"
+    end
+  end
+
   describe ".create_pipeline" do
     # Builds a pipeline item the way FeedParser or a previous create_pipeline
     # call would hand one on: a real RSS::Rss::Channel::Item, with real
@@ -154,14 +170,20 @@ def build_item(link: "https://example.com/a", title: "A title",
       item.content_encoded.should == "<p>Full body</p>"
     end
 
-    it "keeps the existing item-count behaviour, skipping an item with no link" do
-      linked = build_item(link: "https://example.com/a")
-      unlinked = build_item(link: nil)
+    it "preserves both linked and linkless items" do
+      linked = build_item(link: "https://example.com/a", title: "Linked")
+      unlinked = build_item(link: nil, title: "Unlinked",
+                            description: "A linkless description")
 
       rebuilt = Automatic::FeedMaker.create_pipeline([linked, unlinked])
 
-      rebuilt.items.size.should == 1
-      rebuilt.items.first.link.should == "https://example.com/a"
+      rebuilt.items.size.should == 2
+      rebuilt.items.map(&:title).should include("Linked", "Unlinked")
+
+      item = rebuilt.items.find { |candidate| candidate.title == "Unlinked" }
+      item.should_not be_nil
+      item.link.should be_nil
+      item.description.should == "A linkless description"
     end
   end
 end

spec/plugins/filter/batch_spec.rb

@@ -5,12 +5,13 @@
 # License::     The GPL version 3, or LGPL version 3 (Dual License).
 # Contact::     idnanashi@gmail.com
 # Created::     Aug 24, 2026
-# Updated::     Aug 24, 2026
+# Updated::     Sep  7, 2026
 # Copyright::   Copyright (c) 2012-2026 Automatic Ruby Developers.
 
 require File.expand_path(File.dirname(__FILE__) + '../../../spec_helper')
 
 require 'filter/batch'
+require 'filter/limit'
 
 describe Automatic::Plugin::FilterBatch do
   def batch(config, pipeline)
@@ -81,6 +82,23 @@ def batch(config, pipeline)
     end
   end
 
+  it 'keeps a linkless batch item through FilterLimit' do
+    batched = batch({ 'batch_items' => 3 }, pipeline)
+    returned = Automatic::Plugin::FilterLimit.new(
+      { 'max_items' => 1 }, batched
+    ).run
+
+    returned.should have(1).feed
+    returned.first.items.should have(1).item
+
+    item = returned.first.items.first
+    item.title.should == 'Batch 1'
+    item.link.should be_nil
+    item.description.should include('Title: A')
+    item.description.should include('Title: B')
+    item.description.should include('Title: C')
+  end
+
   it 'accepts batch_items as a numeric string' do
     returned = batch({ 'batch_items' => '2' }, pipeline)
 

spec/plugins/subscription/text_spec.rb

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 # License::     The GPL version 3, or LGPL version 3 (Dual License).
 # Contact::     idnanashi@gmail.com
 # Created::     May  6, 2013
-# Updated::     Feb 19, 2014
+# Updated::     Sep  7, 2026
 # Copyright::   Copyright (c) 2012-2026 Automatic Ruby Developers.
 
 require File.expand_path(File.dirname(__FILE__) + '../../../spec_helper')
@@ -33,6 +33,16 @@
     its(:run) { should have(1).feed }
   end
 
+  it "builds a title-only item with no placeholder link" do
+    returned = Automatic::Plugin::SubscriptionText.new(
+      { "titles" => ["hugehuge"] }
+    ).run
+    item = returned.first.items.first
+
+    item.title.should == "hugehuge"
+    item.link.should be_nil
+  end
+
   context "with urls whose return feed" do
     subject {
       Automatic::Plugin::SubscriptionText.new(
@@ -43,6 +53,16 @@
     its(:run) { should have(1).feed }
   end
 
+  it "builds a URL-only item with no placeholder title" do
+    returned = Automatic::Plugin::SubscriptionText.new(
+      { "urls" => ["http://hugehuge"] }
+    ).run
+    item = returned.first.items.first
+
+    item.title.should be_nil
+    item.link.should == "http://hugehuge"
+  end
+
   context "with feeds whose return feed" do
     subject {
       Automatic::Plugin::SubscriptionText.new(
@@ -53,6 +73,16 @@
     its(:run) { should have(1).feed }
   end
 
+  it "keeps an explicitly supplied title and URL" do
+    returned = Automatic::Plugin::SubscriptionText.new(
+      { "feeds" => [{ "title" => "huge", "url" => "http://hugehuge" }] }
+    ).run
+    item = returned.first.items.first
+
+    item.title.should == "huge"
+    item.link.should == "http://hugehuge"
+  end
+
   context "with feeds including full fields whose return feed" do
     subject {
       Automatic::Plugin::SubscriptionText.new(