freealberta/influence/README.MD

# Alberta Influence Campaign Tool

A comprehensive web application that helps Alberta residents connect with their elected representatives across all levels of government. Users can find their representatives by postal code and send direct emails to advocate for important issues.

## Features

- **Representative Lookup**: Find elected officials by Alberta postal code (T prefixed)
- **Multi-Level Government**: Displays federal MPs, provincial MLAs, and municipal representatives
- **Contact Information**: Shows photos, email addresses, phone numbers, and office locations
- **Direct Email**: Built-in email composer to contact representatives
- **Smart Caching**: Fast performance with NocoDB caching and graceful fallback to live API
- **Responsive Design**: Works seamlessly on desktop and mobile devices
- **Real-time Data**: Integrates with Represent OpenNorth API for up-to-date information

## Technology Stack

- **Backend**: Node.js with Express.js
- **Database**: NocoDB (REST API)
- **External API**: Represent OpenNorth Canada API
- **Frontend**: Vanilla JavaScript, HTML5, CSS3
- **Email**: SMTP integration
- **Deployment**: Docker with docker-compose
- **Rate Limiting**: Express rate limiter for API protection

## Quick Start

### Prerequisites
- Docker and Docker Compose
- Access to existing NocoDB instance
- SMTP email configuration

### Installation

1. **Clone and navigate to the project**:
   ```bash
   cd /path/to/changemaker.lite/influence
   ```

2. **Configure environment**:
   ```bash
   cp .env.example .env
   # Edit .env with your configuration
   ```

3. **Set up NocoDB tables**:
   ```bash
   ./scripts/build-nocodb.sh
   ```

4. **Start the application**:
   ```bash
   docker compose up --build
   ```

5. **Access the application**:
   - Open http://localhost:3333
   - Enter an Alberta postal code (e.g., T5N4B8)
   - View your representatives and send emails

## Configuration

### Environment Variables (.env)

```bash
# Server Configuration
NODE_ENV=production
PORT=3333

# NocoDB Configuration
NOCODB_API_URL=https://db.cmlite.org
NOCODB_API_TOKEN=your_nocodb_token
NOCODB_PROJECT_ID=your_project_id

# Email Configuration (SMTP)
SMTP_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_SECURE=false
SMTP_USER=your_email@gmail.com
SMTP_PASS=your_app_password
SMTP_FROM_NAME=Alberta Influence Campaign
SMTP_FROM_EMAIL=your_email@gmail.com

# Rate Limiting
RATE_LIMIT_WINDOW_MS=900000
RATE_LIMIT_MAX_REQUESTS=100
```

## API Endpoints

### Representatives
- `GET /api/representatives/by-postal/:postalCode` - Get representatives by postal code
- `POST /api/representatives/refresh-postal/:postalCode` - Refresh cached data

### Email
- `POST /api/emails/send` - Send email to representative
- `GET /api/emails/logs` - Get email sending logs (with filters)

### Health
- `GET /api/health` - Application health check
- `GET /api/test-represent` - Test Represent API connection

## Database Schema

### Representatives Table
- postal_code, name, email, district_name
- elected_office, party_name, representative_set_name
- url, photo_url, cached_at

### Emails Table
- recipient_email, recipient_name, sender_email
- subject, message, status, sent_at

### Postal Codes Table
- postal_code, city, province
- centroid_lat, centroid_lng, last_updated

## Development

### Project Structure
```
influence/
├── app/
│   ├── controllers/     # Business logic
│   ├── routes/         # API routes
│   ├── services/       # External integrations
│   ├── utils/          # Helper functions
│   ├── middleware/     # Express middleware
│   ├── public/         # Frontend assets
│   └── server.js       # Express app entry point
├── scripts/
│   └── build-nocodb.sh # Database setup
├── docker-compose.yml  # Container orchestration
├── Dockerfile         # Container definition
└── .env              # Environment configuration
```

### Key Components

- **RepresentativesController**: Handles postal code lookups and caching
- **EmailController**: Manages email composition and sending
- **NocoDBService**: Database operations with error handling
- **RepresentAPI**: Integration with OpenNorth Represent API
- **EmailService**: SMTP email functionality

## Features in Detail

### Smart Caching System
- First request fetches from Represent API and caches in NocoDB
- Subsequent requests served from cache for fast performance
- Graceful fallback to API when NocoDB is unavailable
- Automatic error recovery and retry logic

### Representative Display
- Shows photo with fallback to initials
- Contact information including phone and address
- Party affiliation and government level
- Direct links to official profiles

### Email Integration
- Modal-based email composer
- Pre-filled recipient information
- SMTP sending with delivery confirmation
- Email history and logging

### Error Handling
- Comprehensive error logging
- User-friendly error messages
- API fallback mechanisms
- Rate limiting protection

## Production Deployment

### Docker Production
```bash
# Build and start in production mode
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml up -d --build

# View logs
docker compose logs -f app

# Scale if needed
docker compose up --scale app=2
```

### Monitoring
- Health check endpoint: `/api/health`
- Application logs via Docker
- NocoDB integration status monitoring
- Email delivery tracking

## Troubleshooting

### Common Issues

1. **NocoDB Connection Errors**:
   - Check API URL and token in .env
   - Run `./scripts/build-nocodb.sh` to setup tables
   - Application works without NocoDB (API fallback)

2. **Email Not Sending**:
   - Verify SMTP credentials in .env
   - Check spam/junk folders
   - Review email logs via API endpoint

3. **No Representatives Found**:
   - Ensure postal code starts with 'T' (Alberta)
   - Check Represent API status
   - Try different postal code format

### Log Analysis
```bash
# View application logs
docker compose logs app

# Follow logs in real-time
docker compose logs -f app

# Check specific errors
docker compose logs app | grep ERROR
```

## Contributing

This is part of the larger changemaker.lite project. Follow the established patterns for:
- Error handling and logging
- API response formats
- Database integration
- Frontend component structure

## License

Part of the changemaker.lite project ecosystem.