Architectural review: create_chronics hook vs VILLASnode design patterns

[Copilot]

The create_chronics implementation was added as a hook, but this conflicts with VILLASnode's hook architecture. This PR adds a code review comment explaining the mismatch.

Architectural issues identified

• Hook contract violated: create_chronics never implements process(Sample*) — all logic runs in start(), bypassing the per-sample pipeline entirely
• Batch semantics in a streaming API: Hooks are designed for O(1) per-sample transforms; create_chronics reads all files into memory and performs bulk columnar restructuring
• Tight node coupling: Uses dynamic_cast<NodeCompat*> + getData<struct file>() to access file node internals — silently breaks with any other node type
• Invasive file node changes: multi_file_mode, READ_ALL, and the file_samples map were added solely to support this hook, not as general-purpose improvements

Better fit

A Format plugin (lib/formats/) handles exactly this responsibility — serializing/deserializing batches of samples to/from structured file representations. Alternatively, a standalone converter tool outside VILLASnode keeps concerns cleanly separated without modifying core node types.

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