I fixed my Process Model with help from the forums. When I ran the Record Related Action that was using it, I realized older version of my Process Model was getting picked.
So I made sure my latest corrected Process Model version had been published. It was and all older versions showed disabled. For good measure I deleted my Related Action on my Record and recreated it. Same problem. I know for sure the last but one version of my Process Model getting picked because when I monitor the instance and look at Variables in Process Details, I see the debug variables I had introduced.
In frustration, I deleted all previous versions of Process Model and only kept the one which works and which does not have any debug process variables. Once again, I deleted Record Related Action and created it again. For good measure, I also unpublished Application and published again.
I ran my Related Action again. SAME Problem. How in the world is my Related Action able to find a non-existent version of my Process Model and instantiate it?
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For sanity sake, how about creating a new PM that has nothing to do with any that have come before. Let it be just start node and end node. Configure the related action to run that PM and do nothing instead of whatever it was doing. Confirm that you can at least do that.
Afterward, try reconfiguring your related action to use the new PM you've been trying to get it to run.
Because deleting in Appian is super weird, perhaps create a related action with a completely different name, then make sure the PM you're trying to run doesn't have the same name as anything you deleted.
It could be that Appian sees an object with the same name as a deleted previous object, and runs the previously deleted one because it goes by names for reasons.
It's stuff like this that gave colleagues of mine the best practice of never deleting anything in Appian ever.
Great advice. I thought the same thing. The behavior is consistent. I've done this 3 times since morning.
I created a dummy CDT, a dummy process with User Input Task, a dummy interface form. Saved. Published.
I debugged process model, went To Tempo Tasks, completed User Input Task. Looked in my database table for record. All good.
I went to process model. Pretended to change something. Literally, I checked the
option, then immediately unchecked it. Saved Properties. Saved PM. Published. So NO Change really.
I debugged process model. Task will not show up in Tempo.
I created new application. Did everything all over again. First time works. After pretending to change PM, second time it fails.
Then one more time I repeated the process. 2nd publish...wrecks it.
I'm seeing such inconsistencies with my Appian for the last 2 weeks I've been actively learning. I've published and unpublished the application. No dice (while this trick has worked in the past).
I really don't know what to do. I apologize to anyone reading this if I'm wasting their time.
appianfreak said:I'm seeing such inconsistencies with my Appian
By any chance are you running a local install that you installed yourself? In the past I've seen cases where incomplete / incorrect configurations result in weird / inconsistent behavior on the front end.
No its a testbed environment setup in my organization so folks such as I can go learn.
One thing I did learn is sometimes when debugging within Process Modeler, it picks up the draft version. I've learnt that the hard way. I do know I'm picking up the current process model version now (v 23.0 since I've been thinking my Process Model changes not getting saved).
One clue I have when I know Task is not going to show up in Tempo is this. The Instance shows up in Appian Designer Monitoring tab, BUT inside the Process Designer Process Instances tab, it is not visible. Anytime this happens Task item will not show in Tempo. Nevermind that if I click the Instance from Appian Designer Monitoring tab, it will open up in Process Designer, and I can check the properties and I can SEE my User Input Task, while if I go and check Process Intances in Process Designer, I still don't see the instance!.
So I know the symptoms that tell me I'm going to have a problem, but the cause still eludes me. Sometimes unpublishing / publishing Application solves my problem. However, that's not been working lately. Accidently things work and I'm able to make some changes, but then again it will fail. All of which is taking so much of my time.
The version of Appian is 19.4. Maybe there is a bug list and patches that have not been applied in my environment. That's my only hope.
Okay, I think I have it now.
Whenever I make a change to the Process Model, it will not get picked up UNLESS I re-configure/re-save dependents. So in my case, I had to go to the Record Type Related Action, remove the Process Model reference, re-add it, and Save. For Application Action also I had to do same thing. THEN unpublish/publish application so that the "Related Action" will pickup the Process Model changes and therefore render Task link under Tempo Tasks, and also so that "Application Action" under Tempo Tasks picks up the Process Model changes and therefore render Task link under Tempo Tasks.
This is absolutely Insane!
For now, I'm going to ignore and focus on continuing my learning. Essentially I'm going to discover real quick whether if I modify ANY Appian artifact, it means I have to walk UP the dependent tree and re-save all references to the modified artifact so I can be certain, my changes are going to get picked up.
appianfreak said:Whenever I make a change to the Process Model, it will not get picked up UNLESS I re-configure/re-save dependents. So in my case, I had to go to the Record Type Related Action, remove the Process Model reference, re-add it, and Save.
If this is true and you can reproduce this behavior on demand, then you should consider opening a support case with Appian if possible, because this does not reflect the intended behavior or my experience whatsoever.
Just to double check, you are using the "save and publish" functionality (ctrl-alt-S) every time you save your process model, right? Most experienced designers I know of do this by default in most situations, since not doing so can cause unexpected issues.
Yes, Save and Publish every time on the PM. And yes, now that I know what the heck is going on, I can reproduce the problem at will.
What I also know is that this behavior I only started noticing around 10 days back, and I also know the environment was patched with something. So it's possible something simply messed up.
I will report to my org CoE so they can independently verify if its some install issue or case should be opened with Appian. I'm hoping it is something at our end because I cannot believe no one else outside my organization is seeing this behavior with 19.4. So as of right now, I will assume problem at my end.
Good luck, let me know if you hear anything definitive from them.
Could it be as well that you have the process model duplicated and / or inside another application? I think you can have duplicated names if there are not in the same application.
So, to make sure, you could try to find your process model from different path, and make sure that there is not another somewhere-else
For example, if you have the process model "APP Process Model", go to Appian Designer and on the top select objects (without getting in to an application), the search "APP Process Model"
Then, go to your APP, select the objects "folder" and search within the older your process model.
If you identify that the "APP Process Model" is in two places at the same time, that could explain your estrange behavior.
Another test i would do is to export the application and import it somewhere else, that would already show you if you have some missing objects or wrong references.
I did think about this, and not because I had some particular insight into Appian, but rather because whenever I used to select any artifact using "auto-complete", I would see other same/similarly named objects. Sometimes, I could easily verify I was selecting my object, sometimes I couldn't.
Since this testbed environment is being used by various folks, essentially following the same tutorial script, I learnt very early, like a month back, to prefix/suffix each of the artifacts I was creating with my initials, so as to eliminate accidently sucking in someone else's code.
So that's really not it. Your export/import suggestion I'm unfortunately not in position to explore. I have access to just this one Appian environment.