Complaints Route

Overview

This document provides comprehensive technical documentation for the Complaints Management API routes defined in complaints.route.js. These routes facilitate the creation, tracking, and resolution of user complaints, as well as the management of support staff.

Base URL

All routes are prefixed with /api/complaints (assumed based on typical Express configuration)

Authentication

All endpoints in this API require authentication. The validateAccessToken middleware is applied to every route to ensure that only authenticated users can access these endpoints.

Endpoints

User Complaint Management

Method	Endpoint	Controller Function	Description
GET	/	getUserComplaints	Retrieve all complaints submitted by the authenticated user
POST	/create	createComplaint	Submit a new complaint
DELETE	/delete	deleteComplaint	Delete a user's own complaint

Admin Complaint Management

Method	Endpoint	Controller Function	Description
GET	/admin	getAllComplaints	Retrieve all complaints in the system (admin only)
PATCH	/admin/updateStatus	updateStatus	Update the status of a complaint (e.g., pending, in progress, resolved)
PATCH	/admin/assign	assignComplaint	Assign a complaint to a support staff member

Support Staff Management

Method	Endpoint	Controller Function	Description
POST	/admin/supportStaff	createSupportStaff	Add a new support staff member to the system
DELETE	/admin/supportStaff	deleteSupportStaff	Remove a support staff member from the system
GET	/admin/supportStaff	getAllSupportStaff	Retrieve all support staff members
GET	/admin/filteredSupportStaff	getFilteredSupportStaff	Get support staff filtered by specific criteria
PATCH	/admin/supportStaff/availability	updateSupportStaffAvailability	Update the availability status of a support staff member

Usage Examples

Get User Complaints

// Example request
fetch('/api/complaints/', {
  method: 'GET',
  headers: {
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${accessToken}`
  }
})
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => console.log(data));

Create New Complaint

// Example request
fetch('/api/complaints/create', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${accessToken}`
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    subject: 'Network Connectivity Issue',
    description: 'Unable to connect to campus WiFi in Building C',
    category: 'IT',
    priority: 'medium'
  })
})
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => console.log(data));

Admin: Update Complaint Status

// Example request
fetch('/api/complaints/admin/updateStatus', {
  method: 'PATCH',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${accessToken}`
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    complaintId: '12345',
    status: 'resolved',
    remarks: 'Issue fixed - router was reset and is now functioning properly'
  })
})
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => console.log(data));

Admin: Assign Complaint

// Example request
fetch('/api/complaints/admin/assign', {
  method: 'PATCH',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${accessToken}`
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    complaintId: '12345',
    staffId: '789',
    notes: 'Please check within 24 hours'
  })
})
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => console.log(data));

Admin: Create Support Staff

// Example request
fetch('/api/complaints/admin/supportStaff', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
    'Authorization': `Bearer ${accessToken}`
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    name: 'John Smith',
    email: 'jsmith@example.com',
    department: 'IT',
    specializations: ['networking', 'hardware'],
    contactNumber: '555-123-4567'
  })
})
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => console.log(data));

Error Handling

The API returns appropriate HTTP status codes: - 200: Success - 201: Resource created successfully - 400: Bad request (invalid parameters) - 401: Unauthorized (invalid or missing token) - 403: Forbidden (insufficient permissions) - 404: Resource not found - 500: Server error

Security Considerations

• All endpoints are protected by authentication middleware
• Role-based access control should be implemented:
• Regular users should only access their own complaints
• Admin users should have access to all complaints and staff management functions
• Input validation should be performed for all request parameters
• Consider implementing rate limiting for complaint creation