ECA Workflow Modeler Adds Test, Replay, and Debug Tools

Building Drupal workflows in ECA has often required users to configure a model, trigger an event, inspect logs, and infer what failed. In a LakeDrops blog post titled Test, Replay, Debug: Closing the Feedback Loop, Jürgen Haas explains how the ECA Workflow Modeler now brings testing, recorded replay, and token inspection into the same interface.

The post traces the work to UX research conducted in late 2025 with existing ECA users, who asked for better visibility into workflow execution. The new tools allow users to place the modeler in live testing mode, trigger events such as form submissions or content creation, and view execution paths, successful and failed nodes, loop iterations, conditional branches, and token data. Replay support records event context and lets users step through the same execution later with playback controls, node highlighting, token updates, branch explanations, and error context.

Jürgen also describes token inspection and in-context debugging through an “ECA was here” widget that can appear when ECA processes events during a page request. The post notes that recording is resource-intensive despite optimisation work, so it should be used temporarily for diagnostics rather than left permanently enabled in production. Planned additions include conditional recording for selected events and JSON export or import so recorded executions can be reviewed outside production environments.