Troubleshooting Guides¶

Troubleshooting guides help users diagnose and solve problems. When something goes wrong, users need to quickly identify the issue and find a solution. Effective troubleshooting documentation reduces support burden and user frustration.

Troubleshooting Document Types¶

Symptom-Based Articles¶

Organized by what users experience:

# Screen Goes Blank After Login

## Symptoms

After entering credentials and clicking Sign In, the screen
goes blank or shows a white page.

## Causes

This issue can occur due to:
- Browser cache conflicts
- JavaScript errors
- Network connectivity problems
- Account permission issues

## Solutions

Try these solutions in order:

### 1. Clear Browser Cache

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Delete (Cmd+Shift+Delete on Mac)
2. Select "Cached images and files"
3. Click "Clear data"
4. Refresh the page and try signing in again

### 2. Try a Different Browser

If clearing cache doesn't help:
1. Try signing in using a different browser
2. If it works, the issue is browser-specific

### 3. Disable Browser Extensions

Extensions can interfere with the application:
1. Open browser in incognito/private mode
2. Try signing in
3. If it works, an extension is causing the issue

### 4. Check Network Connectivity

Verify you can reach our servers:
```bash
ping api.example.com

If ping fails, check your network connection or firewall settings.

Still Not Working?¶

Contact support with: - Your browser and version - Screenshot of any error messages - Whether the issue occurs in incognito mode

### Error Code Reference

Organized by error codes:

```markdown
# Error Code Reference

## 400 Series - Client Errors

### E400: Bad Request

**Meaning**: The request format is invalid.

**Common causes**:
- Missing required fields
- Invalid field values
- Malformed JSON

**Solution**: Check your request against the API documentation.

### E401: Unauthorized

**Meaning**: Authentication failed.

**Common causes**:
- Missing API key
- Expired API key
- Invalid credentials

**Solution**: Verify your API key is correct and active.

### E403: Forbidden

**Meaning**: You don't have permission for this action.

**Common causes**:
- Insufficient account permissions
- API key lacks required scopes
- Resource belongs to different account

**Solution**: Check your account permissions or contact your administrator.

## 500 Series - Server Errors

### E500: Internal Server Error

**Meaning**: Something went wrong on our servers.

**What to do**:
1. Wait a few minutes and retry
2. Check [status page](https://status.example.com)
3. If persistent, contact support with the request ID

Decision Tree Troubleshooting¶

Guide users through diagnostic questions:

# Troubleshooting Connection Issues

Use this guide to diagnose connection problems.

## Start Here

**Can you load other websites?**

- **Yes** → [Check Application Status](#check-application-status)
- **No** → [Check Network Connection](#check-network-connection)

## Check Network Connection

1. Check your Wi-Fi or ethernet connection
2. Try restarting your router
3. Contact your network administrator if on corporate network

**Does your network work now?**

- **Yes** → [Check Application Status](#check-application-status)
- **No** → The issue is with your network, not our application

## Check Application Status

Visit our [status page](https://status.example.com).

**Are all systems operational?**

- **Yes** → [Check Firewall Settings](#check-firewall-settings)
- **No** → Wait for the issue to be resolved

## Check Firewall Settings

Our application requires access to:
- api.example.com (port 443)
- cdn.example.com (port 443)

**Can you access these addresses?**

```bash
curl https://api.example.com/health

Yes → Check Authentication
No → Configure your firewall to allow these connections

Check Authentication¶

Your credentials may have expired.

Try signing out and signing back in
Reset your password if sign-in fails
Check if your account is still active

Resolved?

Yes → Done!

No → Contact support

## Writing Effective Troubleshooting Content

### Start with Symptoms

Begin with what users experience:

**Starting with cause:**
> # Database Connection Pool Exhausted

**Starting with symptom:**
> # Application Becomes Slow or Unresponsive

Users search for symptoms, not causes.

### Provide Context

Help users confirm they have the right issue:

```markdown
## Symptoms

You may be experiencing this issue if:
- The application takes more than 10 seconds to respond
- You see "Request timeout" errors
- Performance degrades over time but improves after restart

Order Solutions by Likelihood¶

Put most common solutions first:

## Solutions

### Most Likely: Clear Your Cache

80% of users resolve this by clearing their browser cache.

[steps]

### If That Didn't Work: Check Extensions

Browser extensions sometimes cause conflicts.

[steps]

### Rare: Corporate Firewall Issues

If you're on a corporate network with strict security...

[steps]

Make Solutions Actionable¶

Provide specific steps, not vague guidance:

Vague:

Check your network settings.

Actionable:

Open Network Settings

Click "Network Diagnostics"

Look for "DNS Configuration"

Verify DNS servers are responding

Include Verification¶

Help users confirm the problem is solved:

### Verify the Fix

After clearing your cache:
1. Close and reopen your browser
2. Navigate to the application
3. Sign in
4. Verify the page loads completely within 5 seconds

Troubleshooting for Different Audiences¶

End Users¶

Use non-technical language
Provide step-by-step instructions
Include screenshots for UI steps
Offer to escalate if self-service fails

Administrators¶

Include log file locations
Provide diagnostic commands
Document configuration options
Explain underlying causes

Developers¶

Include API error details
Provide code examples
Reference technical documentation
Document debugging approaches

Diagnostic Information¶

What to Collect¶

Guide users on gathering diagnostic info:

## Before Contacting Support

Collect this information to help us resolve your issue faster:

### Basic Information
- Your username or account ID
- Browser and version (e.g., Chrome 120)
- Operating system (e.g., Windows 11)
- When the issue started

### Error Details
- Exact error message (screenshot if possible)
- Error codes displayed
- Request ID (shown in error messages)

### Steps to Reproduce
1. What were you trying to do?
2. What steps did you take?
3. What happened instead of expected result?

### System Information

Run this diagnostic and copy the output:
```bash
acme diagnostic --output

### Log Files

Tell users where to find logs:

```markdown
## Log File Locations

| Platform | Location |
|----------|----------|
| Windows | `%APPDATA%\Acme\logs\` |
| macOS | `~/Library/Logs/Acme/` |
| Linux | `~/.local/share/acme/logs/` |

### Relevant Log Files

- `app.log` - General application logs
- `error.log` - Errors and exceptions
- `network.log` - Network requests and responses

### Reading Logs

Look for entries around the time the error occurred:

2024-01-15 10:30:45 ERROR Connection failed: timeout after 30s 2024-01-15 10:30:45 DEBUG Retry attempt 1 of 3

Organizing Troubleshooting Content¶

By Symptom Category¶

troubleshooting/
├── index.md
├── installation-issues.md
├── login-problems.md
├── performance-issues.md
├── sync-errors.md
└── error-codes.md

By User Task¶

troubleshooting/
├── index.md
├── cannot-sign-in.md
├── cannot-upload-files.md
├── cannot-generate-reports.md
└── cannot-invite-users.md

Searchable Index¶

Create an index of common problems:

# Troubleshooting Index

## Sign-In Issues
- [Cannot sign in](login-problems.md#cannot-sign-in)
- [Forgot password](login-problems.md#forgot-password)
- [Account locked](login-problems.md#account-locked)

## Performance
- [Slow loading](performance-issues.md#slow-loading)
- [Timeouts](performance-issues.md#timeouts)
- [Memory errors](performance-issues.md#memory-errors)

## Data
- [Missing data](sync-errors.md#missing-data)
- [Sync failures](sync-errors.md#sync-failures)
- [Export problems](sync-errors.md#export-problems)

Maintenance¶

Track Common Issues¶

Monitor support tickets to identify: - Most frequent issues (need prominent documentation) - Issues without documentation (need new articles) - Documentation that doesn't resolve issues (needs improvement)

Update for Product Changes¶

When products change: - Verify existing troubleshooting still applies - Update screenshots and steps - Add troubleshooting for new features - Remove troubleshooting for removed features

Gather Feedback¶

Ask users if troubleshooting helped: - "Did this solve your problem?" - Track resolution rates - Update based on feedback

Summary¶

Troubleshooting guides help users solve problems independently:

Organize by symptoms, what users actually experience
Provide step-by-step solutions ordered by likelihood
Include verification steps to confirm resolution
Collect diagnostic information systematically
Tailor detail level to audience
Maintain based on support patterns

Good troubleshooting documentation reduces support costs and improves user satisfaction.

Next: Standard Operating Procedures covers process documentation.