Apps Script trigger failure notification for editor add-ons

[Alan Wells]

As of the time of this post, when an add-on installed trigger fails, there is no capability to inform the user of the trigger failure.  See documentation at:

https://developers.google.com/apps-script/guides/triggers/installable?hl=en#errors_in_triggers

So, what happens, is that when a trigger fails, there is no way for the add-on user to know that the add-on has stopped working.  I've added a feature request to add the capability of a trigger to email the add-on user of the trigger failure.  If you have an add-on, then this issue affects you, and it affects all or your users.  The link to the feature request is provided below.

https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/148296119

[Alan Wells]

If you have an add-on, that needs a trigger in order to run, then please ask your users to "Star" a feature request that I have submitted.  Here is the message that I am sending to all my users:

I'm asking everyone to click a star in a feature request.

The add-on relies on something called a "trigger."  When someone fills out your Google Form, and clicks the "Submit" button, the "On Form Submit" trigger causes the add-on to start working.  Sometimes that "On Form Submit" trigger fails.  And when that happens, the add-on stops working.  Then you need to turn the sidebar ON / OFF button to red and back to green to re-install the trigger.

I've submitted a Feature Request to Google.  I'm asking Google to send you an email when the trigger fails.  That way, you'll know when the add-on "On Form Submit" trigger has stopped working, causing the add-on to stop working.

As of the time of this post, when the add-on fails Google will not send the user of the add-on an email.  See the note at Google documentation at link:

https://developers.google.com/apps-script/guides/triggers/installable?hl=en#errors_in_triggers

This issue affects you.  Please go to the link provided below, while signed into a Google account, and click the star so that it turns yellow.  Unless this issue is fixed, when the "On Form Submit" trigger fails, the add-on will stop working, and you'll never know what happened.  Click the link below to see the Feature Request.  All you need to do is click the star at the top left.

https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/148296119

[Alex]

I'm on your side.

[Dimu Designs]

I think we need to go further than this.

For a long time add-ons have been lacking in the "hooks" available to developers with respect to the entire install and uninstall process.

Currently we can only hook into the install phase via the onInstall(e) trigger.

We need a few more trigger handlers to have a truly robust workflow, such as:

• onInstallSuccess(e)/onInstallComplete(e)
• onInstallFailed(e)
• onUninstalled(e)
  

And probably a bunch of others.

I'll support your feature request, but its just one part of what I think to be an even bigger issue...

[Alan Wells]

Good point.  Those are great suggestions.  Is there a current feature request for those?

On Sunday, January 26, 2020 Dimu Designs wrote:

I think we need to go further than this.

For a long time add-ons have been lacking in the "hooks" available to developers with respect to the entire install and uninstall process.

Currently we can only hook into the install phase via the onInstall(e) trigger.

We need a few more trigger handlers to have a truly robust workflow, such as:

• onInstallSuccess(e)
• onInstallFailed(e)
• onUninstalled(e)