Dynamic Severity Chips: Fixing Verification Request Cards

Hey there! Ever noticed that pesky "High" priority label always showing up on your Verification Request Cards? It's like a broken compass, always pointing the wrong way! In this article, we're diving deep into fixing this issue, making those severity chips dynamic, and ensuring they accurately reflect the actual priority level. Let's get started, shall we?

The Problem: Static Severity Chips

So, what's the deal with these static severity chips? Well, the core problem lies in how the VerificationRequestCard component currently handles the priority (or severity) information. Right now, it's stuck displaying a fixed value, like "High," regardless of the actual severity level associated with the verification request. This means you could have a request with a critical severity, but the card would still stubbornly show "High." Talk about misleading!

This static behavior completely defeats the purpose of the severity chip. The whole point is to give you a quick visual cue about the importance of the request. A high-priority request needs immediate attention, while a low-priority one might be less urgent. When the chip always says "High," it's like having a traffic light that's always red – useless! You lose the ability to quickly triage and prioritize your work, which can lead to delays and potentially missed critical issues. This is not ideal in any workflow, especially one that deals with important data verification.

The current implementation is essentially ignoring the dynamic information available within the verificationRequest object. This object should contain the real severity value, but the component isn't accessing it. Instead, it's hardcoded to display a default value. This lack of dynamic behavior means that the user experience suffers, as the cards don't provide accurate and up-to-date information at a glance. The user has to dig deeper into the request details to understand the true severity, which is a waste of time and effort.

Imagine you're managing a system where data accuracy is crucial. You receive a flood of verification requests, and you need to quickly identify the ones that need immediate attention. With a static severity chip, you're forced to open each request individually to determine its priority. This manual process is time-consuming and inefficient. A dynamic chip, on the other hand, would instantly highlight the most critical requests, allowing you to prioritize your efforts effectively and make sure you're focusing on the right issues.

In essence, the static nature of the severity chip is a bug that needs fixing. It undermines the usability of the VerificationRequestCard and hinders efficient workflow management. By making the chip dynamic, we can restore its intended purpose and provide users with a much more informative and helpful experience. The dynamic chip will adapt to the real-time severity levels of your verification requests and ensure that you never miss a critical issue again.

Steps to Reproduce the Issue: Seeing the Problem in Action

Want to see this problem firsthand? It's easy! Just follow these steps, and you'll quickly understand the frustration of those static severity chips:

1. Access the Verification Request Screen: Start by going to the screen where you can view your verification requests. This might be a list, a dashboard, or any other area where the VerificationRequestCard component is displayed. The point is to find the card. If you don't have access to this screen or have no verification requests, try creating one.
2. Examine the Priority Chip: Once you're on the screen, look at the priority chip on each verification request card. You should find it easily by its visual appearance. The key is to check out the priority chip. What do you see? It should look like a visual representation of the severity level, usually indicated by a color and text (like "High," "Medium," or "Low").
3. Observe the Constant Value: No matter which verification request card you examine, pay attention to the value displayed on the priority chip. Does it change? Does it reflect the real priority of the request? The problem is that the chip always displays the same value. It should not matter the actual severity value of the request.

If you've followed these steps correctly, you'll see the problem immediately. The priority chip, instead of adapting to the severity of each request, stubbornly displays the same static value. This is a sign that the component is not correctly retrieving or displaying the actual severity information from the verificationRequest object. The static nature makes it hard to quickly assess the priority of each request, and it undermines the value of the chip itself. Seeing the problem first-hand will give you a good grasp of the need to fix it.

The Solution: Making the Severity Chip Dynamic

Fixing this issue involves a few key steps to ensure that the severity chip dynamically displays the value of verificationRequest.severity. It's all about connecting the chip to the correct data and making it responsive to changes.

Here’s a breakdown of the implementation:

1. Access the verificationRequest Object: The first step is to ensure that the VerificationRequestCard component has access to the verificationRequest object. This object contains all the relevant data for the verification request, including the severity. The component must correctly retrieve this object; otherwise, the chip won't be able to display the dynamic value. The code should correctly retrieve the data from the API.
2. Retrieve the severity Value: Once the verificationRequest object is available, the next step is to access its severity property. This property should hold the actual severity level of the request (e.g., "High," "Medium," "Low"). The component needs to extract this value to display it on the chip. The code will look something like verificationRequest.severity. The component needs to accurately read this value.
3. Conditional Rendering (If the value exists): Next, the component will use conditional rendering to display the severity value. If the severity property has a value (i.e., it's not undefined or null), the chip will display that value. The chip must correctly evaluate the existence of the value.
4. Handle Missing Values (If the value does not exist): If the severity property is undefined or null, the chip should remain empty. You don't want to display an error or a default value that doesn't reflect the actual situation. The absence of a value implies that the severity hasn't been defined, so it's best to show nothing. The chip must gracefully handle the absence of the severity value.
5. Use the appropriate icon: According to the severity value, the component will display an icon or an indicator of the severity. For example, a high-severity value could be displayed by an icon with a red color, and a low-severity value with a green color.

By following these steps, you can transform the static severity chip into a dynamic one that accurately reflects the priority of each verification request. This solution improves the usability of the VerificationRequestCard and ensures that users can quickly understand the severity level of each request.

Code Example

Here's a simplified code snippet to illustrate how to implement this solution:

{
    icon: <WarningAmber style={{ fontSize: 18 }} />, // Example icon
    key: `${verificationRequest._id}|severity`,
    label: t("verificationRequest:tagSeverity"),
    label_value: verificationRequest.severity || undefined,
    style: { backgroundColor: colors.error, color: colors.white }
}

In this example, verificationRequest.severity is used to access the severity value. If verificationRequest.severity has a value, it will be displayed. If it is undefined or null, the label_value will be undefined, and the field will be left empty. This implementation ensures that the severity chip dynamically displays the correct value, if available, and remains empty if no value is present.

Expected Behavior: What to Expect After the Fix

Once the fix is implemented, you'll see a significant improvement in the functionality and usability of the Verification Request Cards. Here's what you should expect:

• Dynamic Severity Display: The priority chip will no longer display a static value. Instead, it will dynamically reflect the severity level of each verification request. You'll see values like "High," "Medium," or "Low" (or whatever severity levels your system uses) based on the actual severity of the request.
• Accurate Information at a Glance: Users will be able to quickly understand the priority of each request without having to open the request details. The chip will provide an immediate visual cue about the severity level, allowing for faster triage and prioritization.
• Improved Workflow Efficiency: With accurate and dynamic severity information, users can prioritize their work more effectively. They can focus on the most critical requests first, which improves overall workflow efficiency and reduces the risk of overlooking important issues.
• Empty Chip for Undefined Severities: If a verification request doesn't have a defined severity, the chip will remain empty. This is the correct behavior because it indicates that the severity information is missing, preventing any misleading default values or errors.
• Consistent and Reliable Display: The severity chip will consistently and reliably display the correct severity value. It will update automatically when the severity of a request changes, ensuring that users always have the most up-to-date information.

In essence, the fixed component will deliver a far superior user experience. Users will have more accurate information at their fingertips, allowing them to make better decisions and manage their verification requests more efficiently. The dynamic chip transforms a static, unhelpful element into an essential tool for effective workflow management.

Conclusion: From Static to Dynamic - A Worthwhile Change

Making the severity chip dynamic is a simple but impactful change that significantly improves the usability and effectiveness of the VerificationRequestCard component. By connecting the chip to the verificationRequest.severity value, you ensure that the priority information is always accurate and up-to-date. This fix is more than just a cosmetic change; it's a fundamental improvement to the user experience and workflow efficiency. It allows users to quickly understand the priority of each verification request, prioritize their work effectively, and avoid missing critical issues.

This simple adjustment demonstrates the importance of attention to detail when creating UI components. When we take the time to refine these details, the user experience becomes greatly improved. This change will ensure that the application is more helpful, efficient, and reliable for its users. It also highlights the importance of keeping software components in sync with real-time data.

By following the steps outlined in this article, you can implement the solution and transform your Verification Request Cards from a source of confusion to a source of clear and actionable information.

If you want to read more about it, here is an external link to a relevant topic:

• React.js: For more information about dynamic components.