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Debugging Workflows

When to Use

Debug ECA workflows when actions don't execute as expected, tokens have unexpected values, or conditions evaluate incorrectly. Use logging, watchdog, and token inspection.

Decision

Debug Need Tool Command/Method
View workflow logs Drush watchdog drush watchdog:show --filter=eca
Inspect token values Logger in action $this->logger->debug('Token: @value', ['@value' => $token])
Check action execution Logger in execute() $this->logger->info('Action started')
Verify configuration Logger in access() $this->logger->debug('Config: @config', ['@config' => json_encode($this->configuration)])
Trace workflow path ECA UI View execution history in ECA admin

Pattern

class MyDebuggableAction extends ConfigurableActionBase {

  /**
   * Add comprehensive logging for debugging.
   */
  public function execute(): void {
    // Log entry point
    $this->logger->info('Starting @action for configuration: @config', [
      '@action' => $this->getPluginId(),
      '@config' => json_encode($this->configuration),
    ]);

    // Log token values
    $input = $this->tokenService->getOrReplace($this->configuration['input_field']);
    $this->logger->debug('Input value after token replacement: @value', [
      '@value' => $input,
    ]);

    // Log all available tokens (debug mode only)
    if ($this->configFactory->get('eca.settings')->get('debug_mode')) {
      $all_tokens = $this->getAllTokens();
      $this->logger->debug('All available tokens: @tokens', [
        '@tokens' => json_encode($all_tokens, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT),
      ]);
    }

    try {
      $result = $this->performOperation($input);

      // Log success
      $this->logger->info('Action @action completed successfully: @result', [
        '@action' => $this->getPluginId(),
        '@result' => json_encode($result),
      ]);

      $this->tokenService->addTokenData($this->configuration['result_token'], $result);

    } catch (\Exception $e) {
      // Log detailed error context
      $this->logger->error('Action @action failed: @error | Stack trace: @trace', [
        '@action' => $this->getPluginId(),
        '@error' => $e->getMessage(),
        '@trace' => $e->getTraceAsString(),
      ]);

      // Store error in token for inspection
      $this->tokenService->addTokenData($this->configuration['result_token'], [
        'success' => 0,
        'error' => $e->getMessage(),
        'debug_trace' => $e->getTraceAsString(),
      ]);
    }
  }

  /**
   * Get all available token data for debugging.
   */
  protected function getAllTokens(): array {
    $tokens = [];

    // This is implementation-specific to your token service
    // Check ECA's token service for exact method
    if (method_exists($this->tokenService, 'getAllTokenData')) {
      $tokens = $this->tokenService->getAllTokenData();
    }

    return $tokens;
  }
}

Viewing Logs: 

# View recent ECA logs
drush watchdog:show --filter=eca

# View logs with severity
drush watchdog:show --severity=Error --filter=eca

# Tail logs in real-time
drush watchdog:tail --filter=eca

# Clear old logs
drush watchdog:delete all

Common Mistakes

  • Wrong: Not logging at all → Right: Impossible to debug production issues
  • Wrong: Logging sensitive data → Right: API keys, passwords in logs
  • Wrong: Too much logging → Right: Performance impact, log bloat
  • Wrong: Wrong log level → Right: Info should be debug, or debug should be error
  • Wrong: Not checking logs → Right: Logging without reading them
  • Wrong: Missing context in log messages → Right: Can't understand what failed

See Also

References: - Drupal Logging: https://api.drupal.org/api/drupal/core!core.api.php/group/logging - Drush: https://www.drush.org/latest/commands/watchdog_show/