Fragile keyword matching in render_intro() for time attribute detection

[DeveshParagiri]

Problem

render_intro() in extropy/population/persona/renderer.py:282-299 uses hardcoded attribute name matching to detect time-related attributes for formatting:

time_attrs = {"start_time", "departure_time", "arrival_time", "end_time"}
# ...
is_time = any(t in key.lower() for t in time_attrs)
if is_time and 0 <= float(value) <= 24:
    formatted[key] = _format_time(float(value), use_12hr=True)

Silent Failure Cases

Attribute Name	Expected	Actual	Why
departure_time	"7:30 AM"	"7:30 AM"	✅ Matches
commute_start	"7:30 AM"	"7.5"	❌ No keywords match
wake_time	"6:00 AM"	"6"	❌ No keywords match
shift_begins	"9:00 AM"	"9"	❌ No keywords match
meeting_hour	"2:00 PM"	"14"	❌ No keywords match
pickup_time	"3:30 PM"	"15.5"	❌ No keywords match

When the LLM names time attributes differently, they render as raw numbers instead of formatted times, breaking persona immersion.

Suggested Fix

Add a format or display_type field to AttributeSpec:

# population.v1.yaml
attributes:
  - name: commute_start
    type: numeric
    display_format: time_24h  # or time_12h, currency, percentage, etc.

Then in renderer:

if attr.display_format == "time_12h":
    formatted[key] = _format_time(float(value), use_12hr=True)
elif attr.display_format == "time_24h":
    formatted[key] = _format_time(float(value), use_12hr=False)
# etc.

Impact

Low - cosmetic issue in persona rendering, doesn't affect simulation logic.

References

• extropy/population/persona/renderer.py:282-299
• time_attrs hardcoded set at line 285

[DeveshParagiri]

Fixed in PR #107 - display_format is now set by LLM during attribute selection