Sitecore: Troubleshooting instructions

Introduction

XTM Connect – Sitecore might be error-prone for a variety of reasons. Very often, the root cause of the problem is:

  • your defective/incorrectly adjusted/unsuitable Sitecore server.

  • temporary malfunction/downtime of the XTM instance.

  • Sitecore system limitations, which are independent of the connector itself.

Regardless of the reason, you should first check if a module that the error/issue concerns has been properly configured (look it up in the official Sitecore Connector Manual if necessary).


Logs

If you have consulted the Manual and the configuration looks correct, you should analyze the Sitecore logs to gather more information on the issue.

Basically, there are three places where you can obtain log information:

Dialog window

  • The dialog window below, containing the log trace, pops up when the project is being added to the queue. In this view, you can see the step-by-step process for adding your Sitecore content to the queue. You also have the option to copy the entire stack.

  • The dialog window below, containing the log trace, pops up when the project is being sent off for translation in XTM Cloud. In this view, you can see the step-by-step process for sending your Sitecore content off to XTM Cloud for translation. You also have the option to copy the entire stack.

  • The dialog window below, containing the log trace, pops up when the translation is imported back to the Sitecore CMS. In this view, you can see the step-by-step process for importing your translated Sitecore content back to your Sitecore CMS, from XTM Cloud. You also have the option to copy the entire stack.

Last Export item

The Last Export item is located in Sitecore → Content XTM Translation. In it, you will find the Log data section which displays textual information about the last major action performed by means of XTM Connect – Sitecore, the XTM connector. Very often, it might constitute a good reference point for what has been done recently in the Sitecore CMS.

XTM Connect – Sitecore (the XTM connector) logs in to the Sitecore CMS

XTM Connect – Sitecore stores its “full-fledged” logs in the same place as the Sitecore CMS logs, but in separate files. To obtain them, take the following steps:

  1. Go to Desktop → Reporting tools → Log viewer.

 

  1. Then, click Open to open up the folder and search for log files whose name starts with "log" (these are the only files which contain logs from the connector, so they are the only ones that the XTM International Support team should be interested in), and pay attention to the modification date.

  1. The vast majority of logs we should look for contain phrases such as "XTM" or "Connector".

IMPORTANT!

Bear in mind that logs you do not necessarily have to be stored in that particular folder, as they can be placed somewhere else. You might have a completely different logging system implemented in your Sitecore CMS.

Other than that, you can also look up to the browser's DEV tools to look for any worrisome "logs" in the "Console" and "Network" section, in case there are some visual errors, which are typical of the front-end (404 or 500 errors).


File Explorer

Another place where you can find information about the configuration files is the File Explorer, in a particular Sitecore instance. To access it, you need to add the following ending to the Sitecore base URL:

/sitecore/shell/default?xmlcontrol=FileExplorer&sc_lang=en

So, the whole URL would look like this:

https://sitecore-test-1.xtm-intl.com/sitecore/shell/default?xmlcontrol=FileExplorer&sc_lang=en

In it, you can find all of the configuration files and additional files that can be extremely useful when troubleshooting different issues. The XTM International Support team are mainly interested in the folders related to the XTM connector.

IMPORTANT!

You might have a completely different file system implemented in your Sitecore CMS so it is not certain that all the essential files will be located in the File Explorer.