Find Missing Macro

[Hollingsworth]

Idea: Prompt the user to find a missing macro instead of the current UX of a question mark icon.

Issue: When a macro referenced in a workflow is missing, then there is no way to a) know what the name of the macro was (assuming you were lazy like me and didn't document with a comment) and b) find the macro so you can get back to business.

When this happens to me know, I have to go to the XML view and search for macros and then cycle through them until I find the one that's missing. Then I have to either copy the macro back into that location or manually edit the workflow XML. Not cool man.

Solution: When a macro is missing, the image below at the right should be shown. In the properties window, a file browse tool should allow the user to find the macro.

[paul_houghton]

I really like this idea. it is currently frustrating that I lose the information about what the macro is when the question mark comes in and I have to go a look at the xml in a text editor to work out what the macro is.

[adrianloong]

+1. Really like this idea as we want to make it as easy as possible for alteryx users.

[arnaud_langlois]

Very good Idea !

[abrasch]

This would be a vast improvement!

[ksnyder]

I love this idea! Tableau does something similar when it can't find an extract and it's extremely helpful.

[mcarrico]

This would be a great improvement.  I have seen many users get frustrated when moving workflows with macro that the old path is nowhere to be found in the UI.  The only way to find it is to close the workflow (without saving) and look at the underlying xml.  

[RachelW]

This is a great idea! Thanks for submitting and responding to the thread. I've reached out to our engineering team to determine how we might make it easier to help you identify which macro is missing from a workflow. 

[Hollingsworth]

@RachelW, any word on when this will get on an actual development roadmap?

It's been up here for two years and Under Review for one year. This seems like an incredibly easy fix.

[jason_scarlett]

Please prioritize!

[wellis]

Related to this, while this idea is pending ...

Is there any documentation, in one place, that clearly specifies how Alteryx - both desktop Designer and Gallery each - searches for macro references?

We frequently find the black box with the ? - e.g., today someone tried to execute my app containing the 'Publish to Tableau Server' macro in a shared folder and got the black box although they had that macro installed locally and the macro files were also in the shared folder itself.

If I knew how Alteryx is thinking as it tries to find a macro, step-by-step, I could avoid these issues. Thanks.