Debugging an xbasic function when running live

[Ronald Anusiewicz]

I'm working with DBF tables.

I have an xbasic function that fails when running live but works right when running under localhost. The function is suppose to edit a field and save the edit. I can debug the function running in live preview and I do not see anything wrong. Running live does not generate any errors. Running live fails to either edit the field or save the changes, don't know which.

I've looked at the code for hours trying different things with no success. I have other code that writes to the same field which works correctly. The code is almost identical. I'm baffled.

Is there some way possible to debug the xbasic function when running live?

[mikeallenbrown]

Re: Debugging an xbasic function when running live

Can you post the code? ...and the error?

Short of that try placing this in your xbasic: file.append("c:\debug.txt","Line 10")

That will generate a txt file with what ever is in the second parameter. In this case a line #. You can put this as many times as you want in the xbasic function. Maybe one at the beginning and end. Then a few in between. It'll help you narrow down the problem.

[Ronald Anusiewicz]

Re: Debugging an xbasic function when running live

Mike, Thank you for your reply.

I tried your suggestion using file.append("c:\debug.txt","Line 10") and no matter how I coded it, it would not work live.
Worked just fine using localhost. I even set up a test environment to emulate the live running WEB app and file.append("c:\debug.txt","Line 10")
just would not work. Maybe a security issue. I thought I had that covered.

Anyways, here's the entire function. Works fine running under localhost. Debug doesn't generate any errors. Running live, at almost the end of the code, the
line "td.ml = newText" does not appear to work.

I have very similar code running throughout the app all running with no issues except for this one function. No errors, just does not write to the field.

Thanks

function deleteMechEntry as v (e as p)
	dim t as p
	t = table.open("[PathAlias.ADB_Path]\wodesclabor_m_entry1")
	t.fetch_goto(val(e.datasubmitted.fixentries))
	t.change_begin(.t.)
	t.delete()
	t.change_end(.t.)
	t.close()

	filter = "Site="+s_quote(e.datasubmitted.site)+ ".AND. POSTED = .F. .AND. LOCKED <> .T. .AND. MECHANIC = "+s_quote(e.datasubmitted.mech)
	
	dim nrecs as N
	nrecs = a5_get_records_in_query("[PathAlias.ADB_Path]\wodesclabor_m_entry1",filter)
	if nrecs < 1 then
		e.javascript = "{dialog.object}.setValue('FIXENTRIESVALUE',0);"
	end if
	
debug(1)	
		
	''get variables for deleting corrective action entry
	dim vcCASwkNo as C = e.datasubmitted.swkno
	dim vcCATransno as C = e.datasubmitted.transnolbr
	dim vEntryDate as C = alltrim(e.datasubmitted.Lbrdate)
	dim vcML as C = alltrim(e.olddatasubmitted.workdone)
	dim Search_Text as C = vcML + " - " + alltrim(e.datasubmitted.mech_name) + ", " + vEntryDate
	dim td as p
	td = table.open("[PathAlias.ADB_Path]\wodesclabor_m_ca")
	td.order("transno+swkno","site="+s_quote(e.datasubmitted.site))
	f = td.fetch_find(vcCATransno+vcCASwkNo)
	if f > 0 then
		ml = td.ml
		'stritran options to delete only the first instance found
		removeText = stritran(ml,Search_Text,"",1,1,1)
		newText = remove_blank_lines(removeText)
		td.change_begin()
		td.ml = newText
		td.change_end(.t.)
	end if
	td.close()
end function

[mumfie]

Re: Debugging an xbasic function when running live

Could be the error is generated before the logging call
Try adding the logging to start and end of the section of code you suspect is generating the error
You can also use Save_To_File which has an append option.

https://documentation.alphasoftware....20Function.xml

[mumfie]

Re: Debugging an xbasic function when running live

.

[lgrupido]

Re: Debugging an xbasic function when running live

You can also set session variables throughout the procedure, then test the values of the session variables after the procedure runs.

[Ronald Anusiewicz]

Re: Debugging an xbasic function when running live

Using session variables is the way to go.
it looks like this line:

nrecs = a5_get_records_in_query("[PathAlias.ADB_Path]\wodesclabor_m_entry1",filter)

is the source of my trouble. Not sure why at this time.

The filter is valid. Not sure if the function itself is the problem.

[mikeallenbrown]

Re: Debugging an xbasic function when running live

If the file.append was on the very first line of your function, and still did not run, that means the problem is with how the function is being called. Is your developer AND app server on the same version of Alpha? There is something right under our (your) nose that is causing this.

[lgrupido]

Re: Debugging an xbasic function when running live

You should also check that PathAlias.ADB_Path is what you think it is on the live server.

[Ronald Anusiewicz]

Re: Debugging an xbasic function when running live

Larry,

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you

Using session variables is a great way to debug. As it turns out, the issue was the function a5_get_records_in_query()
does not work in the live environment while it does work using localhost. I had to replace it with:

	dim nrecs as N
	query.filter = "Site="+s_quote(e.datasubmitted.site)+ ".AND. POSTED = .F. .AND. LOCKED <> .T. .AND. MECHANIC = "+s_quote(e.datasubmitted.mech)
	query.order = "Site+Mechanic"

	session.vfilter = query.filter	'*****************

	dim t as P
	t = table.open("[PathAlias.ADB_Path]\wodesclabor_m_entry1",FILE_RW_SHARED)
	qry = t.query_create()
	nrecs = qry.records_get()
	qry.drop()
	t.close()

	session.nrecs = nrecs	'******************

Now the entire function works as designed.
Thank you all for your help.

[madtowng]

Re: Debugging an xbasic function when running live

I often have the script send me an email with the values when it gets to be this troublesome.
PathAlias.adb_path and filter look like the items I'd include in the email.

[RichCPT]

Re: Debugging an xbasic function when running live

If under "Live" (the real server) you did not see "c:\debug.txt" get created then that would be normal because writing outside the webroot folder is typically prohibited.
I'd recommend setting up an xbasic function in your Control Panel (Not Web Panel) that you call when you want to write debugging messages. Setup the type of parameters (information) you want to pass to this procedure. I keep it simple and just pass two parameters: 1) the message to put into the text file, 2) a flag to indicate Append or Overwrite existing debug file. Something like this:

FUNCTION WriteDbg AS V (msg as C, AppendFlag as L = .T. )
dim pref as C
pref = NOW()
'-- add some session vars, if you want.
if variable_exists(session.XXXX)
pref = pref + " XXXX=" + session.XXXX
end if
... add more session vars
dim OutputFileNm as C
dim stat as L
OutputFileNm = "C:\A5Webroot\Debug\cptload.txt" ' A5Webroot is my server's web root, change it to yours. "Debug" is a folder I created in it.
stat = SAVE_TO_FILE( pref + "|| " + msg + crlf(), OutputFileNm , AppendFlag )

END FUNCTION

[mikeallenbrown]

Re: Debugging an xbasic function when running live

If under "Live" (the real server) you did not see "c:\debug.txt" get created then that would be normal because writing outside the webroot folder is typically prohibited.

I'm surprised to hear this. I use the method in all of my apps to write debug or error related date to. Usually c:\debugData\errors.txt. Never had a permissions issue.

[lgrupido]

Re: Debugging an xbasic function when running live

Mike,

It depends on how you setup the user that Alpha is logging in as.

Anyways, I have found that the issue is more with writing directly to the C: root than writing to another directory.

Going to c:\myfile.txt is different from going to c:\mydirectory\myfile.txt

But it's always easiest (permissionswise) to go to

c:\alphadirectory\whatever

[Ronald Anusiewicz]

Re: Debugging an xbasic function when running live

Thanks to all who responded.

I did think it was a permission issue and set up a live test environment and that didn't work either.
The reason I had trouble, the script terminated before getting to my write to file code.

Using session variables was very easy for me to work with and made it much easier for me to troubleshoot.
In my apps, I include an admin only web page with the function: a5w_info().

So after each attempt, I would open the page and view all the session variables.

Thanks again.