qerrors/attached_assets/Pasted--Rationale-API-responses-should-be-consistent-and-safe-This-function-ensures-all-JSON-resp-1750140247024_1750140247024.txt

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* 
 * Rationale: API responses should be consistent and safe. This function ensures
 * all JSON responses follow the same pattern and gracefully handles any
 * serialization errors that might occur with complex objects. The logging helps
 * with debugging by showing exactly what was sent to clients, which is crucial
 * for API gateway functionality where responses pass through multiple layers.
 * 
 * @param {Object} res - Express response object
 * @param {number} statusCode - HTTP status code to send
 * @param {Object} payload - Data to send as JSON response
 */
// sendJsonResponse provided by qgenutils handles JSON output and logging

/**
 * Standardized error handling for controller functions
 * 
 * Rationale: Controllers throughout the application need consistent error handling.
 * This function provides a single point of error logging and response formatting,
 * ensuring clients always receive meaningful error messages while maintaining
 * detailed logging for debugging.
 * 
 * The conditional request logging allows this function to be used in both
 * request-based contexts (normal API calls) and non-request contexts (background tasks).
 * 
 * The headersSent check prevents Express errors when trying to send multiple responses,
 * which can happen in complex middleware chains or async error scenarios.
 * 
 * @param {Object} res - Express response object
 * @param {Error} error - The error object that occurred
 * @param {string} message - Human-readable error message for the client
 * @param {Object} [req] - Optional Express request object for additional context
 */
function handleControllerError(res, error, message, req){ // unified error response
    console.log(`handleControllerError is running with ${message}`); // Log error handling initiation
    try {
        if(req){
            qerrors(error, message, req); // Log error with full request context for better debugging
        } else {
            qerrors(error, message); // Log error without request context (background operations)
        }
        
        // Only send response if headers haven't been sent already
        // This prevents "Cannot set headers after they are sent" errors
        if(!res.headersSent){
            sendJsonResponse(res, 500, { error: message }); // Send standardized error response
        }
        console.log(`handleControllerError has run resulting in a final value of ${message}`); // Log completion
    } catch(err){
        // Handle meta-errors (errors in error handling itself)
        // This provides a fallback to prevent complete system failure
        qerrors(err, 'handleControllerError', { message }); // Log the meta-error
    }
}

module.exports = { sendJsonResponse, handleControllerError }; // Export utility functions for use across controllers