This microservice provides a user interface for entering and editing addresses. Assistance is provided to the end-user for looking up their address from a database (via the backend service address-lookup).
Initially, the use-case covers only UK addresses. BFPO addresses might be added soon. The roadmap includes support for international addresses.
Address Lookup Frontend has been updated, for version 1 of the API, see the old README.
The API has been updated to split out the configuration from the custom labels, and to allow Welsh content labels to be provided. The old API is still supported under the original endpoints.
During the utilization of address-lookup-frontend
, four parties are involved:
- A frontend service in the tax platform (the "calling service" here).
- The user-agent (i.e. web browser) and the user who operates it (the "user" here).
- The
address-lookup-frontend
(the "frontend" here). - The backend
address-lookup
, containing large national datasets of addresses (the "backend" here).
The integration process from the perspective of the calling service consists of the following steps:
- Initialize a journey by issuing a request to
POST /api/v2/init
where the message body is a journey configuration JSON message (see below). You should receive a202 Accepted
response with aLocation
header the value of which is the "on ramp" URL to which the "user" should be redirected. - Redirect the "user" to the "on ramp" URL.
- The "user" completes the journey, following which they will be redirected to the "off ramp" URL (which is configured as part of the journey) with an appended
id=:addressId
URL parameter. - Using the value of the
id
parameter, you can retrieve the user's confirmed address as JSON by issuing a request toGET /api/confirmed?id=:addressId
.
The first action by any calling service must be to "initialize" an address lookup journey in order to obtain an "on ramp" URL to which the "user" is then redirected.
Initialization generates an ID which is utilized both to facilitate subsequent retrieval of the "user's" confirmed address and to prevent arbitrary access to and potential abuse of address-lookup-frontend
by malicious "users".
An endpoint is provided for initialization:
URL:
/api/v2/init
Methods:
POST
Message Body:
- A journey configuration message in
application/json
format (see details of the JSON format below)
Status Codes:
- 202 Accepted: when initialization was successful
- 500 Internal Server Error: when, for any (hopefully transient) internal reason, the journey could not be initialized
Response:
- No content
- The
Location
header will specify an "on ramp" URL, appropriate for the journey, to which the user should be redirected. Currently, the journey has a TTL of 60 minutes.
The address-lookup-frontend
allows the "calling service" to customize many aspects of the "user's" journey and the appearance of the "frontend" user interface. Journey configuration is supplied as a JSON object in the body of the request to POST /api/v2/init
(see above).
It is not necessary to specify values for all configurable properties. Only supply a value for properties where it is either required or you need to override the default. Wherever possible, sensible defaults have been provided. The default values are indicated in the table detailing the options below.
Journey configuration is supplied as a JSON object in the body of the request to POST /api/v2/init
.
It is not necessary to specify values for all configurable properties. Only supply a value for properties where it is either required or you need to override the default. Wherever possible, sensible defaults have been provided. The default values are indicated in the table detailing the options below.
A "cy" object is required within the labels section to enable the Welsh journey, even if no custom content is provided. This is to allow calling services to specify whether Welsh should be available. Welsh content is displayed for users when the "cy" object has been included and the PLAY_LANG cookie is set to "cy". A link to enable users to change their language will be displayed when the Welsh journey is enabled.
{
"version": 2,
"options": {
"continueUrl": "...",
"homeNavHref": "..",
"phaseFeedbackLink": "/help/alpha",
"deskProServiceName": "",
"showPhaseBanner": false,
"alphaPhase": false,
"showBackButtons": false,
"includeHMRCBranding": true,
"allowedCountryCodes": [
"GB",
"FR"
],
"ukMode": false,
"selectPageConfig": {
"proposalListLimit": 30,
"showSearchLinkAgain": true
},
"confirmPageConfig": {
"showChangeLink": false,
"showSubHeadingAndInfo": false,
"showSearchAgainLink": false,
"showConfirmChangeText": true
},
"timeoutConfig": {
"timeoutAmount": 900,
"timeoutUrl": "http://service/timeout-uri"
},
"labels": {
"en": {
"appLevelLabels": {
"navTitle": "",
"phaseBannerHtml": ""
},
"selectPageLabels": {
"title": "Choose the address",
"heading": "Choose the address",
"headingWithPostcode": "foo",
"proposalListLabel": "Please select one of the following addresses",
"submitLabel": "Continue",
"searchAgainLinkText": "Search again",
"editAddressLinkText": "Enter address manually"
},
"lookupPageLabels": {
"title": "Find the address",
"heading": "Find the address",
"filterLabel": "Property name or number",
"postcodeLabel": "UK Postcode",
"submitLabel": "Find address",
"noResultsFoundMessage": "Sorry, we couldn't find anything for that postcode.",
"resultLimitExceededMessage": "There were too many results. Please add additional details to limit the number of results.",
"manualAddressLinkText": "The address doesn't have a UK postcode"
},
"confirmPageLabels": {
"title": "Confirm the address",
"heading": "Review and confirm",
"infoSubheading": "Your selected address",
"infoMessage": "This is how your address will look. Please double-check it and, if accurate, click on the <kbd>Confirm</kbd> button.",
"submitLabel": "Confirm and continue",
"searchAgainLinkText": "Search again",
"changeLinkText": "Edit address",
"confirmChangeText": "By confirming this change, you agree that the information you have given is complete and correct."
},
"editPageLabels": {
"title": "Enter the address",
"heading": "Enter the address",
"line1Label": "Address line 1",
"line2Label": "Address line 2",
"line3Label": "Address line 3",
"townLabel": "Town/City",
"postcodeLabel": "Postal code (optional)",
"countryLabel": "Country",
"submitLabel": "Continue"
}
},
"cy": {
"appLevelLabels": {
"navTitle": "",
"phaseBannerHtml": ""
},
"selectPageLabels": {
"title": "Choose the address welsh",
"heading": "Choose the address welsh",
"headingWithPostcode": "foo",
"proposalListLabel": "Please select one of the following addresses welsh",
"submitLabel": "Continue welsh",
"searchAgainLinkText": "Search again welsh",
"editAddressLinkText": "Enter address manually welsh"
},
"lookupPageLabels": {
"title": "Find the address welsh",
"heading": "Find the address welsh",
"filterLabel": "Property name or number welsh",
"postcodeLabel": "UK Postcode welsh",
"submitLabel": "Find address welsh",
"noResultsFoundMessage": "Sorry, we couldn't find anything for that postcode. welsh",
"resultLimitExceededMessage": "There were too many results. Please add additional details to limit the number of results. welsh",
"manualAddressLinkText": "The address doesn't have a UK postcode welsh"
},
"confirmPageLabels": {
"title": "Confirm the address welsh",
"heading": "Review and confirm welsh",
"infoSubheading": "Your selected address welsh",
"infoMessage": "This is how your address will look. Please double-check it and, if accurate, click on the <kbd>Confirm</kbd> button. welsh",
"submitLabel": "Confirm and continue welsh",
"searchAgainLinkText": "Search again welsh",
"changeLinkText": "Edit address welsh",
"confirmChangeText": "By confirming this change, you agree that the information you have given is complete and correct. welsh"
},
"editPageLabels": {
"title": "Enter the address welsh",
"heading": "Enter the address welsh",
"line1Label": "Address line 1 welsh",
"line2Label": "Address line 2 welsh",
"line3Label": "Address line 3 welsh",
"townLabel": "Town/City welsh",
"postcodeLabel": "Postal code (optional) welsh",
"countryLabel": "Country welsh",
"submitLabel": "Continue welsh"
}
}
}
}
}
/lookup-address/test-only/v2/test-setup
(GET)
Field name | Description | Optional/Required | Type | Default value |
---|---|---|---|---|
continueUrl |
the "off ramp" URL for a user journey | Required | String | N/A |
homeNavHref |
value of the link href attribute for the GDS "home" link | Optional | String | "http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/" |
phaseFeedbackLink |
link to provide a user feedback link for phase banner | Optional | String | "/help/alpha" |
deskProServiceName |
name of your service in deskpro. Used when constructing the "report a problem" link. Defaults to None. | Optional | String | None |
showPhaseBanner |
whether or not to show a phase banner (if showPhaseBanner == true && alphaPhase == false , shows "beta") |
Optional | Boolean | false |
alphaPhase |
if showPhaseBanner = true && alphaPhase == true , will show "alpha" phase banner |
Optional | Boolean | false |
showBackButtons |
whether or not to show back buttons on user journey wizard forms | Optional | Boolean | false |
includeHMRCBranding |
whether or not to use HMRC branding | Optional | Boolean | true |
allowedCountryCodes |
country codes list allowed in manual edit dropdown | Optional | List of Strings | All countries |
ukMode |
enable uk only Lookup and Edit mode | Optional | Boolean | None |
Configuration of the "select" page, in which user chooses an address from a list of search results. The select page configuration is a nested JSON object inside the journey configuration under the selectPage
property.
Field name | Description | Optional/Required | Type | Default value |
---|---|---|---|---|
proposalListLimit |
maximum number of results to display (when exceeded, will return user to "lookup" page) | Optional | Integer | nothing |
showSearchAgainLink |
Whether or not to show "search again" link back to lookup page | Optional | Boolean | false |
Configuration of the "confirm" page, in which the user is requested to confirm a "finalized" form for their address. The confirm page configuration is a nested JSON object inside the journey configuration under the confirmPage
property.
Field name | Description | Optional/Required | Type | Default value |
---|---|---|---|---|
infoSubheading |
a subheading to display above the "finalized" address | Optional | String | "Your selected address" |
showSearchAgainLink |
Whether or not to show "search again" link back to lookup page | Optional | Boolean | false |
showChangeLink |
Whether or not to show "Edit address" link back to Edit page | Optional | Boolean | true |
showConfirmChangeText |
Whether or not to show "confirmChangeText" displayed above the submit button | Optional | Boolean | false |
Configuration of the timeout popup in which user is shown a popup allowing them to extend their session before it times out. The timeout configuration is a nested JSON object inside the journey configuration under the timeout
property.
Field name | Description | Optional/Required | Type | Default value |
---|---|---|---|---|
timeoutAmount |
the duration of session timeout in seconds (between 120 and 999999999 seconds) | Required | Int | N/A |
timeoutUrl |
the url to be redirected to on session timeout | Required | String | N/A |
Field name | Description | Optional/Required | Type | Default value |
---|---|---|---|---|
navTitle |
the main masthead heading text | Optional | String | "Address Lookup" |
phaseBannerHtml |
text (allows HTML tags) for phase banner | Optional | String | "This is a new service – your <a href='/help/alpha'>feedback</a> will help us to improve it." " |
Labels for the "lookup" page.
Field name | Description | Optional/Required | Type | Default value |
---|---|---|---|---|
title |
the html->head->title text |
Optional | String | "Find the address" |
heading |
the heading to display above the lookup form | Optional | String | "Find the address" |
filterLabel |
the input label for the "filter" field | Optional | String | "Property name or number" |
postcodeLabel |
the input label for the "postcode" field | Optional | String | "UK postcode" |
submitLabel |
the submit button text (proceeds to the "select" page) | Optional | String | "Search for the address" |
noResultsFoundMessage |
message to display in infobox above lookup form when no results were found | Optional | String | "Sorry, we couldn't find anything for that postcode." |
resultLimitExceededMessage |
message to display in infobox above lookup form when too many results were found (see selectPage.proposalListLimit) | Optional | String | "There were too many results. Please add additional details to limit the number of results." |
manualAddressLinkText |
Text to use for link to manual address entry form | Optional | String | "The address does not have a UK postcode" |
Labels for the "select" page.
Field name | Description | Optional/Required | Type | Default value |
---|---|---|---|---|
title |
the html->head->title text |
Optional | String | "Choose the address" |
heading |
the heading to display above the list of results | Optional | String | "Choose the address" |
headingWithPostCode |
the heading to display above the list of results when a postcode is provided | Optional | String | "Showing all results for [postcode]" |
proposalListLabel |
the radio group label for the list of results | Optional | String | "Please select one of the following addresses" |
submitLabel |
the submit button text (proceeds to the "confirm" page) | Optional | String | "Continue" |
proposalListLimit |
maximum number of results to display (when exceeded, will return user to "lookup" page) | Optional | Integer | nothing |
searchAgainLinkText |
Link text to use when 'showSearchAgainLink' is true | Optional | String | "Search again" |
editAddressLinkText |
Link text to use for the "edit adddress" link | Optional | String | "Enter the address manually" |
Labels for the "confirm" page.
Field name | Description | Optional/Required | Type | Default value |
---|---|---|---|---|
title |
the html->head->title text | Optional | String | "Confirm the address" |
heading |
the main heading to display on the page | Optional | String | "Review and confirm" |
infoSubheading |
a subheading to display above the "finalized" address | Optional | String | "Your selected address" |
infoMessage |
an explanatory message to display below the subheading to clarify what we are asking of the user (accepts HTML) | Optional | String | "This is how your address will look. Please double-check it and, if accurate, click on the <kbd>Confirm</kbd> button." |
submitLabel |
the submit button text (will result in them being redirected to the "off ramp" URL (see continueUrl) | Optional | String | "Confirm and continue" |
searchAgainLinkText |
Link text to use when 'showSearchAgainLink' is true | Optional | String | "Search again" |
changeLinkText |
Link text to use for the "edit adddress" link | Optional | String | "Edit this address" |
showConfirmChangeText |
Whether or not to show "confirmChangeText" displayed above the submit button | Optional | Boolean | false |
confirmChangeText |
Text displayed above the submit button when 'showConfirmChangeText' is true | Optional | String | "By confirming this change, you agree that the information you have given is complete and correct." |
Labels for the "edit" page.
Field name | Description | Optional/Required | Type | Default value |
---|---|---|---|---|
title |
the html->head->title text | Optional | String | "Enter the address" |
heading |
the heading to display above the edit form | Optional | String | "Enter the address" |
line1Label |
the input label for the "line1" field (commonly expected to be street number and name); a REQUIRED field | Optional | String | "Address line 1" |
line2Label |
the input label for the "line2" field; an optional field | Optional | String | "Address line 2" |
line3Label |
the input label for the "line3" field; an optional field | Optional | String | "Address line 3" |
townLabel |
the input label for the "town" field; a REQUIRED field | Optional | String | "Town/City" |
postcodeLabel |
the input label for the "postcode" field; a REQUIRED field | Optional | String | "Postal code (optional)" |
countryLabel |
the input label for the "country" drop-down; an optional field (defaults to UK) | Optional | String | "Country" |
submitLabel |
the submit button text (proceeds to the "confirm" page) | Optional | String | "Continue" |
Additional configuration options may be introduced in future; for instance to prohibit "edit", to bypass "lookup", or to modify validation procedures for international or BFPO addresses. However, the design intent is that all configuration options should always have a default value. Consequently, "calling services" should only ever need to provide overrides to specific keys, rather than re-configuring or duplicating the entire journey for each scenario.
When enabled:
Lookup returns Only UK Addresses; 1 link on Lookup Page is overridden; Edit Address Mode removes option to change country (Defaults to United Kingdom) and omits postcode field.
Once the user has completed the address lookup journey, they will be redirected to the off ramp URL specified in the journey configuration. An id
parameter will be appended to the off ramp URL. Calling services may use the value of this parameter to obtain the user's confirmed address.
URL:
/api/confirmed
Example URLs:
/api/confirmed?id=ID_VALUE_FROM_APPENDED_OFF_RAMP_URL_ID_PARAMETER_HERE
Methods:
GET
Message Body:
- None
Status Codes:
- 200 Ok: when a confirmed address was successfully obtained for the given
ID
- 404 Not Found: when no confirmed address was found for the given
ID
- 500 Internal Server Error: when, for any (hopefully transient) internal reason, the journey data corresponding to the ID could not be obtained
Response:
- An
application/json
message which describes a confirmed address (see below)
{
"auditRef" : "bed4bd24-72da-42a7-9338-f43431b7ed72",
"id" : "GB990091234524",
"address" : {
"lines" : [ "10 Other Place", "Some District", "Anytown" ],
"postcode" : "ZZ1 1ZZ",
"country" : {
"code" : "GB",
"name" : "United Kingdom"
}
}
}
sm --start ADDRESS_LOOKUP_SERVICES -f sm --stop ADDRESS_LOOKUP_FRONTEND
run with sbt "run 9028 -Dapplication.router=testOnlyDoNotUseInAppConf.Routes" (when in the address-lookup-frontend folder)
go to localhost:9028/lookup-address/test-only/v2/test-setup if not running from another service
This code is open source software licensed under the Apache 2.0 License