enhance(author): handle missing featured images in work block

db/model/Gdoc/GdocAuthor.ts

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import {
     OwidEnrichedGdocBlock,
     OwidGdocErrorMessageType,
     DbEnrichedLatestWork,
+    DEFAULT_GDOC_FEATURED_IMAGE,
 } from "@ourworldindata/utils"
 import { GdocBase } from "./GdocBase.js"
 import { htmlToEnrichedTextBlock } from "./htmlToEnriched.js"
@@ -49,10 +50,15 @@ export class GdocAuthor extends GdocBase implements OwidGdocAuthorInterface {
         // until the author page is updated again.
         const latestWorkImageFilenames = this.latestWorkLinks
             .map((d) => d["featured-image"])
-            .filter(Boolean)
+            .filter(Boolean) as string[]
 
-        // Load the image metadata for the latest work images
-        return super.loadImageMetadata(latestWorkImageFilenames)
+        // Load the image metadata for the latest work images, including the
+        // default featured image which is used as a fallback in the entire
+        // research and writing block
+        return super.loadImageMetadata([
+            ...latestWorkImageFilenames,
+            DEFAULT_GDOC_FEATURED_IMAGE,
+        ])
     }
 
     _enrichSubclassContent = (content: Record<string, any>): void => {

packages/@ourworldindata/types/src/domainTypes/Author.ts

@@ -2,15 +2,15 @@ export interface DbRawLatestWork {
     slug: string
     title: string
     authors: string
-    "featured-image": string
+    "featured-image": string | null
     publishedAt: Date | null
 }
 
 export interface DbEnrichedLatestWork {
     slug: string
     title: string
     authors: string[]
-    "featured-image": string
+    "featured-image": string | null
     publishedAt: Date | null
 }
 

packages/@ourworldindata/types/src/gdocTypes/GdocConstants.ts

@@ -25,3 +25,5 @@ export const gdocUrlRegex =
     /https:\/\/docs\.google\.com\/document(?:\/u\/\d)?\/d\/([\-\w]+)\/?(edit)?#?/
 
 export const gdocIdRegex = /^[0-9A-Za-z\-_]{44}$/
+
+export const DEFAULT_GDOC_FEATURED_IMAGE = "default-featured-image.png"

packages/@ourworldindata/types/src/index.ts

@@ -345,6 +345,7 @@ export {
     IMAGES_DIRECTORY,
     gdocUrlRegex,
     gdocIdRegex,
+    DEFAULT_GDOC_FEATURED_IMAGE,
 } from "./gdocTypes/GdocConstants.js"
 export {
     type OwidVariableWithSource,

site/gdocs/components/ResearchAndWriting.tsx

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import { formatAuthors } from "../../clientFormatting.js"
 import Image from "./Image.js"
 import { AttachmentsContext, DocumentContext } from "../OwidGdoc.js"
 import {
+    DEFAULT_GDOC_FEATURED_IMAGE,
     DbEnrichedLatestWork,
     RESEARCH_AND_WRITING_DEFAULT_HEADING,
 } from "@ourworldindata/types"
@@ -29,7 +30,13 @@ function ResearchAndWritingLink(
     }
 ) {
     let {
-        value: { url, title, subtitle, authors, filename },
+        value: {
+            url,
+            title,
+            subtitle,
+            authors,
+            filename = DEFAULT_GDOC_FEATURED_IMAGE,
+        },
         shouldHideThumbnail = false,
         isSmall = false,
         shouldHideSubtitle = false,
@@ -109,7 +116,7 @@ const parseLatestWorkToResearchAndWritingLink = (
         value: {
             ...latestWork,
             url: `${BAKED_BASE_URL}/${latestWork.slug}`,
-            filename: latestWork["featured-image"],
+            filename: latestWork["featured-image"] || undefined,
         },
     }
 }