Keep empty answers in the final individual outputs.

copienator/annotation_modifications.py

@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ def output_removals(directory: Path) -> tuple[str, ...]:
     info = read_json(directory / "info.json") if (directory / "info.json").exists() else {}
     return ("Concat.jpg", "Concat_F.jpg", "Concat_F.pdf", "touched.json", "answer_labels.json",
             *(f"{label}.jpg" for label, entry in info.items()
-              if entry.get("not_empty") and Path(label).name == label))
+              if Path(label).name == label))
 
 
 def rebuild(root: Path, mode: str, directory: Path, staging: Path, meta: dict,
@@ -169,7 +169,15 @@ def rebuild(root: Path, mode: str, directory: Path, staging: Path, meta: dict,
 
     headers, bodies, changed = edited_bodies(directory, meta, instructions)
     info = deepcopy(meta["info"])
-    filtered = set(meta["filtered"]) | changed
+    for label, entry in info.items():
+        # Retained empty scans are images, not evidence of a non-empty answer.
+        entry["not_empty"] = label in bodies and (entry["not_empty"] or label in changed)
+        if label in changed:
+            entry["present"] = label in bodies
+        entry["score"] = scores.get(label, entry["score"])
+    filtered = (set(meta["filtered"]) | changed) & {
+        label for label, entry in info.items() if entry["not_empty"]
+    }
     all_labels = utils.read_all_labels(root)
     images, groups = [], []
     seen_contexts = set()
@@ -187,15 +195,13 @@ def rebuild(root: Path, mode: str, directory: Path, staging: Path, meta: dict,
                                         fill="black", font_size=30)
         image = stack([header, body])
         image.save(staging / f"{label}.jpg")
-        images.append(image)
+        if info[label]["not_empty"]:
+            images.append(image)
         if label in filtered:
             extras = get_extra_pdfs_as_images(root, label, annotating, all_labels,
                                             seen_contexts=seen_contexts) if mode == "BGnot" else []
             groups.append([*extras, image])
     for label, entry in info.items():
-        entry["not_empty"] = label in bodies
-        if label in changed and label in bodies:
-            entry["present"] = True
         entry["touched"] = mode == "BGnot" and label in bodies and label in filtered
         entry["score"] = scores.get(label, entry["score"])
     atomic_write_json(staging / "info.json", info)

copienator/commands/annotating.py

@@ -550,8 +550,7 @@ def process_student(student_id, labels_data, root_dir, all_labels, overwrite):
                 canvas.paste(image, (0, current_y))
                 current_y += image.height
             canvas.save(staging / "Concat.jpg")
-        elif labels_data:
-            problems = True
+        # An all-empty copy still has valid individual return images.
     return "partial" if problems else "success"
 
 

copienator/commands/reading_annotations.py

@@ -157,10 +157,14 @@ def apply_actions_and_regenerate(
     """Apply annotations and atomically merge the regenerated student files."""
     output_dir = workspace.annotation_dir("checks") / f"Copie{student_id}"
     bnote_path = output_dir / "bnote.json"
-    if not bnote_path.is_file():
+    only_empty = bool(data[student_id]) and all(
+        content["result"].get("error") == "empty-answer"
+        for content in data[student_id].values()
+    )
+    if not bnote_path.is_file() and not only_empty:
         print(f"  Missing {bnote_path}")
         return ExitCode.PARTIAL
-    bnote_data = read_json(bnote_path)
+    bnote_data = read_json(bnote_path) if bnote_path.is_file() else {"images": []}
     if not isinstance(bnote_data, dict):
         raise TypeError(f"Expected a JSON object in {bnote_path}")
 
@@ -180,7 +184,14 @@ def apply_actions_and_regenerate(
     filtered: list[Image.Image] = []
     incomplete = False
 
-    for image_info in bnote_data.get("images", []):
+    review_images = list(bnote_data.get("images", []))
+    reviewed_labels = {str(item.get("label", "")) for item in review_images if isinstance(item, dict)}
+    # Empty answers are omitted from the review sheet, but still need return images.
+    review_images.extend(
+        {"label": label} for label, content in labels_data.items()
+        if label not in reviewed_labels and content["result"].get("error") == "empty-answer"
+    )
+    for image_info in review_images:
         if not isinstance(image_info, dict):
             incomplete = True
             continue
@@ -191,11 +202,10 @@ def apply_actions_and_regenerate(
         content = labels_data[label]
         result = content["result"]
         scores[label] = str(result.get("score", 0))
-        if result.get("error") == "empty-answer":
-            continue
+        is_empty = result.get("error") == "empty-answer"
 
         sub_note = None
-        if notes_layer is not None:
+        if notes_layer is not None and "hmin" in image_info:
             hmin = int(image_info.get("hmin", 0))
             hmax = int(image_info.get("hmax", 0))
             sub_note = notes_layer.crop((0, hmin, notes_layer.width, hmax))
@@ -213,6 +223,7 @@ def apply_actions_and_regenerate(
             result,
             content["coordinates"][0],
             with_error=False,
+            with_empty=True,
         )
         if final_image is None:
             incomplete = True
@@ -230,6 +241,8 @@ def apply_actions_and_regenerate(
 
         dirty_images[label] = final_image
         header_heights[label] = new_header_height
+        if is_empty:
+            continue
         answer_labels.append(label)
         concatenated.append(final_image)
         if float(scores[label]) != 4.0 or result.get("feedback", []):
@@ -302,13 +315,15 @@ def run(
     status = ExitCode.PARTIAL if loaded.warnings else ExitCode.SUCCESS
     for student_id in sorted(loaded.data, key=utils.natural_key):
         output_dir = workspace.annotation_dir("checks") / f"Copie{student_id}"
-        if not output_dir.is_dir():
+        only_empty = all(content["result"].get("error") == "empty-answer"
+                         for content in loaded.data[student_id].values())
+        if not output_dir.is_dir() and not only_empty:
             print(f"Warning: missing annotation directory {output_dir}")
             status = ExitCode.PARTIAL
             continue
         print(f"Processing annotations for: {student_id}")
-        actions, notes = detect_checks_and_notes(output_dir)
-        if notes is None and not actions and not update_score:
+        actions, notes = ([], None) if only_empty else detect_checks_and_notes(output_dir)
+        if notes is None and not actions and not update_score and not only_empty:
             print("  No readable annotation input found.")
             status = ExitCode.PARTIAL
             continue

copienator/commands/reading_grouped_annotations.py

@@ -292,8 +292,7 @@ def apply_actions_and_regenerate_grouped(
             result["score"] = old_scores[label]
         scores[label] = str(result.get("score", 0))
         touched[label] = False
-        if result.get("error") == "empty-answer":
-            continue
+        is_empty = result.get("error") == "empty-answer"
         saved_image = output_dir / f"{label}.jpg"
         baseline_entry = (previous_baseline or {}).get("images", {}).get(label)
         if selected_labels and label not in selected_labels and (saved_image.is_file() or baseline_entry):
@@ -319,6 +318,8 @@ def apply_actions_and_regenerate_grouped(
                 )
             dirty_images[label] = final_image
             scores[label] = str(old_scores.get(label, scores[label]))
+            if is_empty:
+                continue
             concat_images.append(final_image)
             answer_labels.append(label)
             filtered_labels.append(label)
@@ -344,6 +345,7 @@ def apply_actions_and_regenerate_grouped(
             result,
             content["coordinates"][0],
             with_error=False,
+            with_empty=True,
         )
         if final_image is None:
             incomplete = True
@@ -368,6 +370,8 @@ def apply_actions_and_regenerate_grouped(
         # Persist every final block, including unchanged answers, for returns.
         dirty_images[label] = final_image
         header_heights[label] = new_header_height
+        if is_empty:
+            continue
         answer_labels.append(label)
         concat_images.append(final_image)
 

copienator/return_answers.py

@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ def publish_answer_returns(
         raise ValueError(f"Expected a real answer directory: {answers_dir}")
     if configuration.RETURN_ANSWERS_ENABLED:
         options = load_return_answer_options(root)
-        labels = [label for label, entry in info.items() if entry["present"] and entry["not_empty"]]
+        labels = [label for label, entry in info.items() if entry["present"]]
 
         # Import the rendering backend only when individual images are requested.
         from copienator.commands.annotating import make_base_image