Macro/App Error: The Tool ID is not in the document

[TheMattLeonard]

Hello All,

I've encountered this issue a few times now, but was never able to find a straight forward fix to directly my problem until today. I use these community pages a lot for troubleshooting so I thought I would post my problem and solution for the first time in the hopes it helps someone out. Alteryx is obviously aware of the issue because they have an official page about the error. However they only offer the solution of "open prior version, check autorecovered files, try .bak files" which just didn't cut it for me. (Error: "The Tool ID [id] Is not in the document" - Alteryx Community)

My issue was that whenever I clicked on my batch macro icon, the configuration would not load and Alteryx would generate this message (An Unhandled Exception occurred):

Upon right clicking the macro and selecting open, or upon trying to open the macro directly from File Explorer, the workflow would not load and I would receive this message (The Tool ID X is not in the document.)

What causes this error is deleting an input file from the macro that at any point was attached to a control parameter or other interface tool or was converted to a macro input (this is where the bug in the Alteryx code is I believe). When this happens, a blank question remains in the code for that tool (in my case tool 1), but since that tool has been deleted the question generates the error that the specific tool is not in the document. It is quite annoying that this error prevents you from opening the workflow entirely. I've encountered this issue in the past and ended up starting over after not getting anywhere troubleshooting. 

The solution is to edit the macro via text file.

1. Locate Macro Workflow in File Explorer
2. Right Click
3. Select Open With
4. Select Notepad
5. Ctrl+F "<Questions>"
6. Find the Question pertaining to your missing Tool. Here is what mine looked like:
   
   
7. Delete everything from the <Question> to the </Question> tag pertaining to your missing tool. For me it what is everything highlighted.
8. Save Text File
9. Close

For me at least that fixed the issue and I was able to open the macro again. I really hope Alteryx can fix this issue in a future update.

Hope this was helpful!

[ChisaiNinja]

Thank you for this - you deserve a medal! Saved me days of re-work!

[TheMattLeonard]

Every few months I get another comment here saying that this post saved someone from having to re-do a ton of work, and it always makes my day. Happy to help!

[Wikat7]

Thank you for this...that message was very discouraging since it would have been hours of work to get back to the same place.  Thank you for this solution!!

[Alma7]

Hi. I have the same issue. When I open the main work flow I got message: "the Tool ID 1 is not in the document". I cannot open it in Alteryx. I opened it in VS Studio and as I can see there is not ToolID 1 in it. 

The main workflow using three macros. All macros can be open and do not return any error. All of them have tool ID 1 in their code. I do not delete any inputs and did not converted them. All of them have input tool 1.  And I need them be in this way. How can I fix my issue?

[TheMattLeonard]

Your "main" workflow is also a macro. Whichever workflow/macro is not letting you open it is the one you need to do the exercise I describe where you open it in notepad (I'm sure VS Studio is better, but I'm just an accountant, I don't have such tools, so I use Notepad).

I'm nice so I performed this exercise on your main workflow. You'll have to relink the macros, but at least it opens now.

[Alma7]

Thank you very much! I also not a technical person, but somehow have the VStudio :-)