AutoMate provides extensive error detection and tri-level error handling for running tasks. How AutoMate reacts to an error and what can be done when one occurs depends on whether the error is step error, or a task error.
Step Level Error Handling
A step error occurs when an AutoMate step fails to perform its specified action. What causes a step to fail is therefore dependent on the step and its parameters. For example, a failure normally occurs with the Focus A Window step if the window to be focused is not present on the system. Normally, any failure of the step causes a step error. It is possible, however, to specify specific errors that will cause the step to error. See Error Causes for more details.
When a step errors, it causes the options set in the On Error properties of the task to execute. The step also determines whether it should stop the task (thus causing a task error to occur) or continue with the task.
Task Level Error Handling
A task error occurs when a step error has been thrown and the step's On Error properties tell it to stop the task. This causes the task to notify the Task Service of the failure of the task to execute properly, and the error handling on the Managed Task Properties Errors Tab performs its own error handling procedures.
System Level Error Handling
AutoMate can handle errors globally for all tasks. For example, an email can be sent to an administrator if any task on the system fails. System Level Error Handling is configured in the Task Administrator, System Options, Task Errors Tab.
Flow Of Error Handling
Each step has its own set of errors that can occur based on the purposes of the action itself. If an error occurs, the step checks the Error Causes properties of the step to verify whether or not the error should be handled (by default all errors of a step are handled). If the error is to be handled, the step examines the settings of the On Error properties and executes each. Finally, the step checks the "Continue" or "Stop" properties, and stops the task and throws a task error is Stop is selected.
Handling Task Errors
When a task error occurs, the error handling of the Managed Task Properties are executed, and an error is logged to the AutoMate Log File (if the logging option is set to do so in Preferences). Also, if the Task Administrator is open and "Show error window when Task Administrator is open" is selected, an error window is displayed with information about the error.
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