CPS WebTips: Advanced Form Debugging and Troubleshooting in Winshuttle Composer

In this Winshuttle WebTips episode, brought to you by Clear Process Solutions, we will be focusing on tips & tricks for advanced form debugging and troubleshooting in Composer. You will learn how to get xPath and use the getValue and setValue commands in the browser console window, copy the JavaScript from the Composer rule and execute it in F12, check Blackbird logs and review jobs in Workflow Admin tool.

1. Getting xPath and using the getValue and setValue commands in the browser console window. This is useful when:

• The value displayed in the form field is different than the value stored in form field.  For example, the Plant field may display a value of “1001 – New York”, but the stored value is “1000”.
• You’re trying to find a value for a field that is not shown on the form.
• You need to test/trouble shoot a rule and you need to trigger the rule by updating a field.

You can also find stored field values in the form XML.

2. Copying the JavaScript from the Composer rule and executing it in F12.

• You can use this technique to test a rule without redeploying the solution.
• You can execute a rule for testing/troubleshooting when the rule is not triggered or you don’t want to wait until the rule would be triggered.
• You can build JavaScript functions using code generated by the rule wizard.

3. Checking Blackbird logs

• This can help identify errors that are preventing subsequent rules from executing.
• Be careful not to filter on errors because that is not giving you the full picture.  You’ll need to see the log item right before the error to know which field to review.
• You can clear the log right before you trigger a rule to reduce the amount of log messages you’ll need to review.

4. Reviewing jobs in Workflow Admin tool

• Getting the item ID before looking at the background job log is helpful so that you can confirm the job that is in error status pertains to the request you’re looking at.
  • We must add the “ID” column to the process SharePoint list to see the item ID.  It’s not shown by default.
• You can filter errors in the background jobs log by type of job or status to reduce the results to a more manageable number.
• When you want to open a job to see the details always right click and choose open in new tab.  Otherwise you lose the search results/filter you had on the job list.

Watch the entire WebTips session focusing on tips & tricks for advanced for debugging and troubleshooting below:

View all of our Winshuttle WebTips training videos on our YouTube Channel.

Still have questions regarding this topic or any other Winshuttle features? The CPS experts are here to help, contact us.