updated

backend/routes/interview_api.py

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import os
 import uuid
 import json
-from flask import Blueprint, request, jsonify, url_for
+from flask import Blueprint, request, jsonify, url_for, current_app
 from flask_login import login_required, current_user
 from backend.models.database import db, Job, Application
 from backend.services.interview_engine import (
@@ -35,20 +35,25 @@ def start_interview():
     
     question = generate_first_question(profile, job)
     
-    # Create static/audio directory if it doesn't exist
-    audio_dir = os.path.join("static", "audio")
+    # Determine the static folder from the current app context.  Flask serves
+    # files from ``current_app.static_folder`` and uses ``static_url_path``
+    # when generating URLs.  If audio generation fails (for example because
+    # network access is unavailable), we simply omit the audio file and allow
+    # the frontend to fall back to text‑only mode.
+    audio_dir = os.path.join(current_app.static_folder, "audio")
     os.makedirs(audio_dir, exist_ok=True)
-    
+
     audio_filename = f"q_{uuid.uuid4().hex}.wav"
     audio_path = os.path.join(audio_dir, audio_filename)
-    
-    # Generate audio
-    edge_tts_to_file_sync(question, audio_path)
-    
-    return jsonify({
-        "question": question,
-        "audio_url": url_for("static", filename=f"audio/{audio_filename}")
-    })
+
+    # Generate audio synchronously.  The function returns None on error.
+    audio_out = edge_tts_to_file_sync(question, audio_path)
+
+    response = {"question": question}
+    if audio_out:
+        # Use url_for to build the URL relative to the configured static folder.
+        response["audio_url"] = url_for("static", filename=f"audio/{audio_filename}")
+    return jsonify(response)
 
 @interview_api.route("/transcribe_audio", methods=["POST"])
 @login_required
@@ -57,10 +62,13 @@ def transcribe_audio():
     if not audio_file:
         return jsonify({"error": "No audio file received."}), 400
     
-    # Create temp directory if it doesn't exist
-    temp_dir = "temp"
+    # Create a temporary directory inside Flask's instance path.  Using the
+    # instance path ensures that the folder is writable in environments like
+    # Hugging Face Spaces, where the working directory may be read‑only.  The
+    # instance path is configured in ``app.py`` to point at ``/tmp/flask_instance``.
+    temp_dir = os.path.join(current_app.instance_path, "interview_temp")
     os.makedirs(temp_dir, exist_ok=True)
-    
+
     filename = f"user_audio_{uuid.uuid4().hex}.wav"
     path = os.path.join(temp_dir, filename)
     audio_file.save(path)
@@ -82,26 +90,33 @@ def process_answer():
     answer = data.get("answer", "")
     question_idx = data.get("questionIndex", 0)
     
-    # Generate next question (simplified for now)
-    next_question = f"Follow-up question {question_idx + 2}: Can you elaborate on your experience with relevant technologies?"
-    
-    # Create audio for next question
-    audio_dir = os.path.join("static", "audio")
+    # Generate next question (simplified for now).  In a full implementation this
+    # would call a model such as groq_llm to generate a follow‑up question based
+    # on the candidate's answer.
+    next_question = f"Follow‑up question {question_idx + 2}: Can you elaborate on your experience with relevant technologies?"
+
+    # Prepare audio output directory inside the app's static folder
+    audio_dir = os.path.join(current_app.static_folder, "audio")
     os.makedirs(audio_dir, exist_ok=True)
-    
+
     audio_filename = f"q_{uuid.uuid4().hex}.wav"
     audio_path = os.path.join(audio_dir, audio_filename)
-    
-    edge_tts_to_file_sync(next_question, audio_path)
-    
-    return jsonify({
+
+    # Attempt to generate speech for the next question.  If audio generation
+    # fails, ``audio_out`` will be None and we simply omit ``audioUrl`` in
+    # the JSON response.
+    audio_out = edge_tts_to_file_sync(next_question, audio_path)
+
+    response = {
         "success": True,
         "nextQuestion": next_question,
-        "audioUrl": url_for("static", filename=f"audio/{audio_filename}"),
         "evaluation": {
             "score": "medium",
             "feedback": "Good answer, but be more specific."
         },
         "isComplete": question_idx >= 2,
         "summary": []
-    })
+    }
+    if audio_out:
+        response["audioUrl"] = url_for("static", filename=f"audio/{audio_filename}")
+    return jsonify(response)