# Troubleshooting a VoiceXML file

Use the following troubleshooting tips while creating, editing, and running VoiceXML files.

- Programming tips:
  - To see a list of valid tags or attributes while you write code, enable content assist in the VoiceXML editor. To do this, press Ctrl+Space and the pull-down window box will be shown as you type. These commands work only where content assist is available.
  - The Outline view (a tab located on the lower left-hand corner of the screen) shows the hierarchy of tags in your VoiceXML file. Select the desired tag, and the corresponding lines are highlighted in the VoiceXML editor.
  - In a Windows environment, you can use either forward slashes or back slashes in VoiceXML code files (used in the code when trying to specify the path name of a specific file). However, forward slashes will work in all environments, including AIX, where VoiceXML is supported.
  - If you delete comment blocks, be careful to remove both the beginning and ending comment symbols. For example, if you forget to delete the closing comment symbols in a script element, validation will not flag an error, but the VoiceXML execution will fail. If this error happens, delete the invalid comment symbols.
  - A DOCTYPE tag is automatically added after the XML declaration (typically, the second line of the file) in VoiceXML files created by the Voice tools. Some VoiceXML browsers may require that you remove the DOCTYPE tag.
  - If you use the Properties pane (lower-right window) to clear a value, the editor might still contain the null string, which is not valid in VoiceXML. To delete the attribute, you can manually delete <attribute name>="" from the source editor, or you can try clicking Restore Default Value in the Properties view toolbar. This action removes the attribute and value if the attribute does not have a default value. If it does have a default value, it restores the value in the code. If left uncorrected, you will see a validation error (Attribute value "" of type <attribute name> must be a name), and a runtime error (Attribute, "<attribute name>", value expected) when you run the file.

- The workspace directory is the default storage location for projects and files, you can select the location each time you open Eclipse. If your workspace becomes corrupted, you can try the following suggestions:
  - If you delete folders or files from the Navigator, they will remain in the workspace directory unless you also choose to remove them from the workspace directory, which permanently removes them from your system.
  - You can create a new workspace directory at any time. To do this, when you open Eclipse, select a new location on your system for the workspace directory. Alternatively, you can rename your existing workspace directory (so that the files are preserved on your system), and when you open Eclipse, the "new" workspace location will be empty. With either method, the Navigator View will be empty, and you can create or import files as you choose.
  - The .metadata file (created automatically in the workspace directory) caches many settings and values. To clear all these settings and start with default settings, close Eclipse, delete the metadata file, and reopen Eclipse. The Navigator View will be empty, but your projects and files still remain in the workspace directory.
  - If you re-create a project name that exists in the current workspace directory, all the files that you created with that project will reappear in the Navigator.

Related Information
What is VoiceXML?
VoiceXML coding tips
Creating a VoiceXML file
Validating a VoiceXML file
VoiceXML 2.1 Specification