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RFC: Guide for handling generic filter/fieldset errors, such as empty inputs and 'undefined'

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Assessment

Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Newbie friendliness
25/100
Issue type
Feature
Clarity
Needs clarification
Activity status
Stale
Tech stack
javascript, rails, ruby
Domain
api, backend

Research direction

No source files or tests are named; start by reviewing the three example requests in the issue and the linked JSON:API specification. Compare the possible handling of undefined and empty field or filter values, then define an agreed recommendation for when the server should return 400 responses.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Description

This issue is a (choose one):

  • Feature request.

Checklist before submitting:

  • I've searched for an existing issue.
  • The feature I'm asking for is compliant with the JSON:API spec.

Description

A JavaScript client has sent a request https://example.com/v1/books/1337?fields[books]=id,undefined
There are various possible approaches to raise a 400 on the invalid fieldset field undefined. It seems reasonable for JR to recommend some options.

Similarly, a JavaScript client has sent a request https://example.com/v1/books/1337?filter[published-on]=undefined
There are various possible approaches to raise a 400 on the invalid filter value undefined. It seems reasonable for JR to recommend some options.

Lastly, there are a number of cases where blank filter inputs can be considered invalid, such as https://example.com/v1/books/1337?filter[published-on]=&fields[books]=id. There are various possible approaches to raise a 400 on the invalid filter value '(empty)'. It seems reasonable for JR to recommend some options.

Dominant language
Ruby
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Forks
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