+++
title = "Home page: show friendly empty state when no quotes in database"
priority = 7
status = "done"
ticket_type = "bug"
dependencies = []
+++
## Bug

When the database is empty, `GET /api/quotes/random` returns a 404 response. The home page (`src/bin/ui/pages/home.rs`) currently treats all errors (including 404) the same way — it sets the `error` state and displays it via `<ErrorDisplay>`, which results in something like a raw JSON error message being shown to the user.

## Expected behaviour

When the API returns a 404 on `/api/quotes/random`, the home page should display a friendly empty-state message instead of a generic error:

> "Nothing here yet. Submit a quote!"

The message should include a link to `/submit`.

## How to fix

In `src/bin/ui/pages/home.rs`, in the `use_effect_with` block, inspect the `Err` value. The API client returns `ApiError::Server { status, .. }` for HTTP error codes. When `status == 404`, set a dedicated "empty" state (or detect it from the error) and render the friendly message instead of `<ErrorDisplay>`.

Relevant code: `src/bin/ui/pages/home.rs` — the `use_effect_with` error branch and the HTML render block.

## File

- `src/bin/ui/pages/home.rs`

## Validation

```sh
# From quotesdb/ root
cargo fmt && cargo check && cargo clippy && cargo test
```

Also manually test with an empty database:
```sh
rm -f quotesdb.sqlite
cargo run &
# navigate to http://localhost:3000 — should show the friendly message, not a raw error
```

## Commit scope

`fix(quotesdb): home page empty state`