Refactor Flask REST API

[dhirensr]

catching some exceptions which were previously not caught in views of the api and change variable names for readability.

Pull Request Template

Description

Please include a summary of the change and which issue is fixed. Please also include relevant motivation and context. List any dependencies that are required for this change.

Fixes # (issue)

Type of change

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• New feature (non-breaking change which adds functionality)

How Has This Been Tested?

Please describe the tests that you ran to verify your changes. Provide instructions so we can reproduce. Please also list any relevant details for your test configuration

running flask locally

Additional Context (Please include any Screenshots/gifs if relevant)

...

Checklist:

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• I have performed a self-review of my own code
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• My changes generate no new warnings
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[aornugent]

Closing this in favour of #206