Summary

• Resolves Error handling for search.gov #6525

Related ticket: #6557

• Handle errors for the global site search and Policy Guidance search when the FEC API or search.gov API do not return search-result data
• Use a catch-all Try/Except block handle Connection Errors when the FEC API endpoints (Candidtes or Committees) or search.gov API are not responding. Also handle Key Error, JSON Decode Error or any other error that arises when the data retunred is not processable, search-result json.
• Render an error message to the search-result page and log errors in server logs.

Required reviewers

One developer, One UX

Impacted areas of the application

General components of the application that this PR will affect:

• Global site search

• Policy Guidance search

  modified: fec/static/scss/components/_messages.scss
  modified: search/templates/search/policy_guidance_search_page.html
  modified: search/templates/search/search.html
  modified: search/views.py

Screenshot

If a search term returns no results, but there is also an error:

(If there is no error, it would show only the default no-result message, no need to list the types that were successfully searched)
Contingent on #6557

How to test

• Export the SEARCHGOV_API_ACCESS_KEY and SEARCHGOV_POLICY_GUIDANCE_KEY in terminal or add to bash_profile or zsh profile and source the profile in terminal.
• npm run build-sass
• Using the global site search box or Policy Guidance search box:
  • Test a JSON Decode Error by breaking the search.gov URL by changing a character in the URL in serach/views.py line 113.
  • Test a Key Error by exporting the wrong access key for search.gov, like export SEARCHGOV_API_ACCESS_KEY=1234
  • Test a Connection Error by changing the url on line 113 of serach/views.py to a site that does nor exist like: https://www.doesnotexist.com
• See the error messages on the results page
• See the errors logged in your terminal
• No results message: You can search this string (which has consistently returned no results) to see how errors are handled when there are no-results : "tkts" (screenshot above)