update workflow precommit_tests action and pre-commit config

[timecode]

Proposed changes

1. Update workflow precommit_tests action and pre-commit config to latest versions. No impact on base code.
2. Whitespace-only formatting changes in base code (due to running updated pre-commit config).
3. Fix for "SyntaxWarning: invalid escape sequence '.'" in runtime logs. No impact on functionality.

Types of changes

• Bugfix (non-breaking change which fixes an issue)
• New feature (non-breaking change which adds functionality)
• Breaking change (fix or feature that would cause existing functionality to not work as expected)
• Documentation Update

Checklist

• Lint and unit tests pass locally with my changes (if applicable)
• I have run pre-commit (pre-commit in the repo)
• I have added tests that prove my fix is effective or that my feature works
• I have added necessary documentation (if appropriate)
• Linked to the relevant github issue or github discussion

Further comments

These changes are based on updates made to my fork, which I believe would enhance the original repository. I have more, but these form the foundation. Hope this is of use.