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Debug Workflow

When designing an Analytic App or Macro workflow, the developer can run a test that simulates the user experience. This is a handy feature that aids in troubleshooting an Analytic App or Macro workflow. When the test is run, a Debug workflow is created and opens in a new tab in the current Alteryx session.

Create Debug Workflow

To test the App or Macro, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Interface Designer window (use the Ctrl+Alt+D keyboard shortcut or access it via the View menu).

  2. Select the Test View icon to view the Test options.

The Debug workflow looks a lot like the original design workflow but only includes the selections specified in the test. This is very useful in ensuring Detours are set properly, selections are properly updated, and other actions are executing as expected.

Additionally, a Debug Log text box at the top of the workflow canvas contains the Analytic App Values and Actions Log. Select the down arrow icon to expand the Debug Log details.

Configure Debug Workflow

Because the Debug workflow is a temporary workflow, slight modifications might need to be applied to ensure it is functional:

  1. Browse tools: Browse tools from the original workflow do not appear in the Debug workflow. These need to be added manually.

  2. Annotations: Annotations reflect the initial design, not the updated tool configurations. For example, say you are updating a filter in your Analytic App. The original design is [Value] >50 and the design workflow displays this expression in an annotation with the Filter tool. The user answers a question to specify this value, so the filter tool is updated in the Debug workflow to [Value] >75, yet the annotation in the Debug workflow is still the original annotation. Therefore you must verify the update has taken place by clicking on the Filter tool to view its configuration.

  3. Running the workflow: The debug workflow that is created has not been run yet, therefore you might need to make some adjustments suggested above and run the workflow.

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