Error messages help users understand what went wrong and how to fix it. This guide explains the types of error messages used in the web apps and how they are structured.
Types of Error Messages
Error messages fall into two main categories:
System errors: Caused by issues in the backend or infrastructure.
User errors: Triggered by user actions, such as invalid input.
Generic Front-End Error Messages
These messages use templates to display consistent feedback across different resources. They are dynamically populated based on the resource name, for example, Error getting list of ${resource}
Specific Front-End Error Messages
These messages are tied to specific status codes and provide more detailed feedback. For example, "Password does not meet security requirements".
These messages state what the problem is, which often signposts to what to do to resolve the issue. For example, "Invalid login details" - you now know something you have entered is incorrect.
Screen-Specific Error Scenarios
Some error messages are rendered based on the content displayed on the screen. These relate to the information provided by the user, whether they are a Customer User or a Subject User.
These errors occur when user input does not meet required criteria. These are shown to the user immediately upon entering the data.
Examples include:
Required fields left empty
Invalid email format
Data does not meet validation requirements (for example, UK driving licence number validation or postcode validation)