fix: resolve cross-platform SQLite JSON parsing inconsistencies

- Add platform-agnostic parseJsonField utility to handle different SQLite implementations
- Web SQLite (wa-sqlite/absurd-sql) auto-parses JSON strings to objects
- Capacitor SQLite returns raw strings requiring manual parsing
- Update searchBoxes parsing to use new utility for consistent behavior
- Fixes "[object Object] is not valid JSON" error when switching platforms
- Ensures compatibility between web and mobile SQLite implementations

Fixes: searchBoxes parsing errors in databaseUtil.ts
Related: contactMethods field has similar issue (needs same treatment)

src/db/databaseUtil.ts

@@ -135,6 +135,19 @@ export async function retrieveSettingsForActiveAccount(): Promise<Settings> {
         result.columns,
         result.values,
       )[0] as Settings;
+      
+      // Debug: Check the actual data types from SQLite
+      logConsoleAndDb(
+        `[DEBUG] Raw SQLite data types for ${defaultSettings.activeDid}:`,
+        false,
+      );
+      Object.entries(overrideSettings).forEach(([key, value]) => {
+        logConsoleAndDb(
+          `[DEBUG] - ${key}: ${typeof value} = ${JSON.stringify(value)}`,
+          false,
+        );
+      });
+      
       const overrideSettingsFiltered = Object.fromEntries(
         Object.entries(overrideSettings).filter(([_, v]) => v !== null),
       );
@@ -144,17 +157,7 @@ export async function retrieveSettingsForActiveAccount(): Promise<Settings> {
 
       // Handle searchBoxes parsing
       if (settings.searchBoxes) {
-        try {
+        settings.searchBoxes = parseJsonField(settings.searchBoxes, []);
-          // @ts-expect-error - the searchBoxes field is a string in the DB
-          settings.searchBoxes = JSON.parse(settings.searchBoxes);
-        } catch (error) {
-          logConsoleAndDb(
-            `[databaseUtil] Failed to parse searchBoxes for ${defaultSettings.activeDid}: ${error}`,
-            true,
-          );
-          // Reset to empty array on parse failure
-          settings.searchBoxes = [];
-        }
       }
 
       return settings;
@@ -326,3 +329,109 @@ export function mapColumnsToValues(
     return obj;
   });
 }
+
+/**
+ * Debug function to inspect raw settings data in the database
+ * This helps diagnose issues with data corruption or malformed JSON
+ * @param did Optional DID to inspect specific account settings
+ * @author Matthew Raymer
+ */
+export async function debugSettingsData(did?: string): Promise<void> {
+  try {
+    const platform = PlatformServiceFactory.getInstance();
+    
+    // Get all settings records
+    const allSettings = await platform.dbQuery("SELECT * FROM settings");
+    
+    logConsoleAndDb(`[DEBUG] Total settings records: ${allSettings?.values?.length || 0}`, false);
+    
+    if (allSettings?.values?.length) {
+      allSettings.values.forEach((row, index) => {
+        const settings = mapColumnsToValues(allSettings.columns, [row])[0];
+        logConsoleAndDb(`[DEBUG] Settings record ${index + 1}:`, false);
+        logConsoleAndDb(`[DEBUG] - ID: ${settings.id}`, false);
+        logConsoleAndDb(`[DEBUG] - accountDid: ${settings.accountDid}`, false);
+        logConsoleAndDb(`[DEBUG] - activeDid: ${settings.activeDid}`, false);
+        
+        if (settings.searchBoxes) {
+          logConsoleAndDb(`[DEBUG] - searchBoxes type: ${typeof settings.searchBoxes}`, false);
+          logConsoleAndDb(`[DEBUG] - searchBoxes value: ${String(settings.searchBoxes)}`, false);
+          
+          // Try to parse it
+          try {
+            const parsed = JSON.parse(String(settings.searchBoxes));
+            logConsoleAndDb(`[DEBUG] - searchBoxes parsed successfully: ${JSON.stringify(parsed)}`, false);
+          } catch (parseError) {
+            logConsoleAndDb(`[DEBUG] - searchBoxes parse error: ${parseError}`, true);
+          }
+        }
+        
+        logConsoleAndDb(`[DEBUG] - Full record: ${JSON.stringify(settings, null, 2)}`, false);
+      });
+    }
+    
+    // If specific DID provided, also check accounts table
+    if (did) {
+      const account = await platform.dbQuery("SELECT * FROM accounts WHERE did = ?", [did]);
+      logConsoleAndDb(`[DEBUG] Account for ${did}: ${JSON.stringify(account, null, 2)}`, false);
+    }
+    
+  } catch (error) {
+    logConsoleAndDb(`[DEBUG] Error inspecting settings data: ${error}`, true);
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Platform-agnostic JSON parsing utility
+ * Handles different SQLite implementations:
+ * - Web SQLite (wa-sqlite/absurd-sql): Auto-parses JSON strings to objects
+ * - Capacitor SQLite: Returns raw strings that need manual parsing
+ * 
+ * @param value The value to parse (could be string or already parsed object)
+ * @param defaultValue Default value if parsing fails
+ * @returns Parsed object or default value
+ * @author Matthew Raymer
+ */
+export function parseJsonField<T>(
+  value: unknown, 
+  defaultValue: T
+): T {
+  try {
+    // If already an object (web SQLite auto-parsed), return as-is
+    if (typeof value === 'object' && value !== null) {
+      logConsoleAndDb(
+        `[DEBUG] JSON field is already an object (auto-parsed by web SQLite), skipping parse`,
+        false,
+      );
+      return value as T;
+    }
+    
+    // If it's a string (Capacitor SQLite or fallback), parse it
+    if (typeof value === 'string') {
+      logConsoleAndDb(
+        `[DEBUG] JSON field is a string, parsing JSON (Capacitor SQLite or web fallback)`,
+        false,
+      );
+      return JSON.parse(value) as T;
+    }
+    
+    // If it's null/undefined, return default
+    if (value === null || value === undefined) {
+      return defaultValue;
+    }
+    
+    // Unexpected type, log and return default
+    logConsoleAndDb(
+      `[DEBUG] JSON field has unexpected type: ${typeof value}, returning default`,
+      true,
+    );
+    return defaultValue;
+    
+  } catch (error) {
+    logConsoleAndDb(
+      `[databaseUtil] Failed to parse JSON field: ${error}`,
+      true,
+    );
+    return defaultValue;
+  }
+}

src/views/SearchAreaView.vue

@@ -215,7 +215,7 @@ export default class SearchAreaView extends Vue {
         if (USE_DEXIE_DB) {
           await db.open();
           await db.settings.update(MASTER_SETTINGS_KEY, {
-            searchBoxes: [newSearchBox],
+            searchBoxes: searchBoxes as any,  // Type assertion for Dexie compatibility
           });
         }
         this.searchBox = newSearchBox;
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ export default class SearchAreaView extends Vue {
       if (USE_DEXIE_DB) {
         await db.open();
         await db.settings.update(MASTER_SETTINGS_KEY, {
-          searchBoxes: [],
+          searchBoxes: "[]" as any,  // Type assertion for Dexie compatibility
           filterFeedByNearby: false,
         });
       }