7.4

Debugging and Error Handling
This chapter touches on two subjects that are intrinsically linked, though their use is different. Debugging is the act of running
through your process, either step by step or as a whole, directly from the PlanetPress Suite Workflow Configuration Tool, in
order to detect and resolve issues with your process.
Error Handling, on the other hand, occurs when your configuration has been sent to the PlanetPress Workflow Tools services,
and are running in "production"mode. On one hand the manual task is critical when creating a process, on the other the auto-
mated handling of errors within your processes will have a large impact on recovering from errors as they happen during pro-
duction.
Debugging your PlanetPress Suite Process
Debugging a process is separated in two parts. The first part is designing the process, which is to add the different tasks,
branches and conditions to the process and configuring them. The second step is testing whether or not the process and con-
figuration actually work.
Before debugging begins, the following prerequisites must be completed:
l There must not be any Unknown Tasks in the process.
l Asample data file must be selected. To choose a sample data file, click the Select button in the PlanetPress Suite
Ribbon's Debug tab and browse to a valid sample data file. Alternatively, if a document present in the configuration
contains the necessary data file, it can be attached to the process easily. See Use Data and Metadata Files Attached to
Documents.
When debugging your process, it is important to keep in mind that:
l The Initial Input task is never executed. The sample data file is used instead of the initial run. This is to prevent
"live"data from being retrieved by the initial input task while debugging is being done. If, however, the initial task is crit-
ical to the process, it can be executed by copying the initial input task and pasting it as a secondary input task (the first
action task to actually run in the process). Do not forget, however, to remove this duplicate task before saving the con-
figuration!
l Since the initial input task is not performed, there is no actual job information to be added at the beginning of a data file.
Note that you can use the Object Inspector on your process to enter sample job information as required.
l If any task makes an operation on the system (for example, capturing files, sending data, printing, etc), it is actually
executed, not simulated.
l Any task is executed with the permissions of the user that is currently running the PlanetPress Suite Workflow Con-
figuration Tool. When running in service mode, the user configured in the Configure Services dialog is used instead and
this may lead to unexpected behaviors. Please seePlanetPress Suite Workflow Tools Service Logon for more details.
The sample job file should generally be the exact same format as the data that you will receive when PlanetPress
Workflow Tools is processing the job at runtime. For more information on how to capture your sample data file prop-
erly, please refer to the PlanetPress Trigger and Data Capture Guide.
Debugging can be run in different ways:
l From the Debug tab, click on Step. This executes only the first task in the process and waits for further action.
l From the Debug tab, click on Run. This executes the complete process, step by step, until it is completed.
l Right-click on any task in the process and click Run from Here or Step from Here. These actions are the same as
using the debug Step and Run buttons, but will execute the process only starting from that task forward.
Debugging and Error Handling