Guided Conversation Error Handling
Guided Conversations (GCs) use app action third party endpoints and advanced logic to handle complex flows. Those flows can sometimes result in errors due to a number of reasons outside the control of the flow builder, like third party service failure, incompatible user inputs, etc.
When Guided Conversations fail, it is useful to have a friendly fallback message, or even an entire fallback GC. Guided Conversation Error Handling GCs let the Guided Conversation builder create custom error flows and messages for the times when a GC might fail.
Default System Error Message
By default there is the “Error Message” Guided Conversation found under “System Messages”. Similar to the other system messages, this Guided Conversation acts as a default fallback for all Guided Conversations that encounter an error.
Making changes to the system Error Message GC will change the default flow users see when a Guided Conversation encounters an error.
Custom Error Handling GCs
For more granular control, each Guided Conversation can have its own custom error handling GC. To create a custom error handling GC:
- Access the three dot menu from Guided Conversation and select “Error Handling”.
- Create a simple message or a complex conversation
- Publish the error handling GC
Now if the GC encounters an error, it will initiate the newly defined Error Handling GC, allowing the GC builder to create a friendly error experience. A common use is the creation of a ticket to alert the GC builder to the error.
To delete an Error Handling GC, select the “Delete Error Handling” option from the three dot menu in the Error Handling builder page.
Important Note
Publishing the Error Handling GC will also publish the main Guided Conversation. Be sure you are ok with the current draft of the main GC before publishing.
Error Handling GC Variables
Error GCs come equipped with special “error” variables to help users understand the error which occurred. Access the variables from the lightning bolt variables dropdown as with all other variables.
Guided Conversation builders will likely not want to add the variables in the friendly message for normal users. Instead it would be more useful to send those variables in an email to the builder to help them understand the error, or pass them to a Workflow or to the CapacityDB.
Error Handling Versioning
Like the main Guided Conversation, the custom Error Handling GC has its own versions. From the versioning page, the user can select which GC they wish to view. Each GC can be restored to a previous version individually.
Important Note
Deleting the Error Handling GC will also delete its version history from the versioning page.