aperonight/stripe-fix-documentation.md

Stripe Configuration Fix - Updated with Lazy Initialization

Problem

The "Retour" link on the collect_names page sometimes displayed a Stripe API key error:

Erreur de traitement du paiement : No API key provided. Set your API key using "Stripe.api_key = <API-KEY>".

Root Cause

The error occurred when Stripe code was executed without the API key being properly set. This could happen in development environments or when environment variables were not properly configured.

Solution Evolution

We initially implemented a fix that enhanced the Stripe initializer and added better error handling. However, we have now updated our approach to use lazy initialization - Stripe is only initialized during the checkout process when actually needed.

Current Solution - Lazy Initialization Approach

1. Deferred Stripe Initialization (config/initializers/stripe.rb):

   • Stripe configuration is loaded at startup but API key is NOT set
   • Stripe.api_key is only set during the checkout process when needed

2. Enhanced Stripe Helper (app/helpers/stripe_helper.rb):

   • Added initialize_stripe method to initialize Stripe only when needed
   • Updated safe_stripe_call method to automatically initialize Stripe if not already done

3. Checkout Process Updates:

   • Added explicit Stripe initialization in process_payment method
   • Added explicit Stripe initialization in payment_success method
   • Added proper error handling for initialization failures

4. Benefits of This Approach:

   • Stripe is only initialized when actually needed (during checkout)
   • Application startup is not dependent on Stripe service availability
   • Payment-related issues are isolated and don't affect other application features
   • More efficient resource usage (Stripe library only fully loaded during checkout)

Verification

The fix has been tested and verified to work correctly:

• Stripe is not initialized at application startup
• Stripe is properly initialized during the checkout process
• All Stripe functionality works as expected
• Error handling is improved

Prevention

The enhanced error handling will prevent the application from crashing when Stripe is not properly configured and will display user-friendly error messages instead.

For detailed implementation, see stripe-lazy-initialization-documentation.md.