Question

How can I debug the Zendesk Apps framework (ZAF)?

Answer

The Zendesk Apps framework allows you to build apps with complex functionalities and features. This article provides guidelines on how to approach issues in the most common scenarios.

Disclaimer: The Zendesk Customer Support can only assist in demonstrating the capabilities and functionalities of the Zendesk Apps framework (ZAF). Any issue concerning custom code or implementations must be discussed with the app developers.

To troubleshoot these issues, follow the steps below:

  • Capture the errors
  • Generate a list of installed apps
  • Identify the app
  • Generate a HAR file
  • Use the apps API

Capture the errors

Use the browser's developer tool. If an app shows unexpected behaviors, gather a list of errors for further research from the developer's tool of the browser.

Access the developer tool in different browsers:

  • Chrome: Open Chrome DevTools 
  • Firefox: Web Console 
  • Safari: Use the developer tools in the Develop menu in Safari on Mac 
  • Microsoft Edge: Open Microsoft Edge DevTools

The console displays any errors or warning messages. For network request errors, take a look at the network tab of the tool.

Generate a list of installed apps

Generate a list of all the apps installed in the account.

The API endpoint List App Installations generates a JSON list of installed apps. The properties included can be used for the noapps and app_ids query parameters discussed later:

  • enabled: indicates whether or not an app is currently active
  • app_id: the ID of the app. This is needed when using the app_ids parameter.
  • installation ID: the installation ID of the app. This can optionally be used for the noapps parameter. Apps can be installed multiple times if the app allows it. Each install will have a different installation ID but have the same app ID.

To access the endpoint:

  • Use curl 
    curl https://{subdomain}.zendesk.com/api/v2/apps/installations.json\
    -u{email_address}:{password}
  • Or append /api/v2/apps/installations.json to the account's subdomain URL: 
    https://your_subdomain.zendesk.com/api/v2/apps/installations.json

You must be an agent in the Zendesk account

Identify the app

Selectively deactivate apps to find the culprit. To deactivate an app:

  • In Support, follow the instructions in this article: Managing your installed apps.
  • Or, append the ?noapps suffix to the ticket URL: 
https://your_subdomain.zendesk.com/agent/tickets/123456?noapps

Generate a HAR file

The HAR file is a standard format for tracking information and events between a browser and a website. Record the network events in a HAR file to troubleshoot performance or rendering issues. To generate a HAR file, see this article: Generating HAR file for troubleshooting.

Use the apps API

Troubleshoot the issue leveraging the API endpoint List App Installations to generate a list of the installed apps. Among the properties contained in the JSON response, use the installation ID as a query parameter for noapps to disable multiple apps at the same time:

https://your_subdomain.zendesk.com/agent/tickets/123456?noapps=11111,22222,44444

If you want information on how to build a Support app from scratch, see this article: Build your first Support app - Part 1: Laying the groundwork. If you need information about how to build a server-side app, see this article: Building a server-side app - Part 1: Core concepts.

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