Support.com strongly recommends thoroughly testing each Guided Path/Support Article on your own equipment, being sure to test as many different platform types and versions as the Guided Path/Support Article is intended to support. For example, if you created a Guided Path for Windows computers, test it on several Windows computers running different versions of Windows to ensure maximum compatibility and that the Guided Path functions exactly as intended without causing any unintended results on the consumer’s machine.


CAUTION: FAILURE TO ADEQUATELY TEST A CUSTOM GUIDED PATH/SUPPORT ARTICLE CAN CAUSE UNEXPECTED EFFECTS ON CONSUMER DEVICES, UP TO AND INCLUDING CONFIGURATION CHANGES, LOSS OF FUNCTIONALITY, AND/OR DATA LOSS.


General

To test a Guided Path/Support Article:

  1. Create and/or edit the Guided Path/Support Article as needed. See Adding a Path/Article (opens a new article) and Editing a Path/Article (opens a new article).
  1. Publish the Guided Path/Support Article, being sure to instruct Agents not to use that Guided Path/Support Article.
  1. Open a Session using the newly created or edited Guided Path/Support Article. See Start a New Remote Connection and Path (opens a new article).
  1. Test each of the Steps in the Guided Path/Support Article, and then close the Session.
  1. Verify that the device has been updated, configured, or repaired as intended.
  1. Notify Agents that the Guided Path/Support Article is ready for use.


While testing a Path or Article, you may want to do one or both of the following to help ensure that is not accidentally used to assist a consumer before verification is complete:

  • Create a “Testing” Category and assign the Guided Path/Support Article to that Category. You can remove it from this Category once testing is complete.
  • Include the word TESTING in the Guided Path/Support Article name.


Windows

For Windows Paths that use the Guided Paths for Windows application, you may perform testing directly within the Content Designer without having to publish the Path and open a session. To do this:

  1. Open the Path as described in Start a New Remote Connection and Path (opens a new article).
  1. Click the Test button at the bottom of the screen.
    The Test Path popup appears.
  1. Click OK to continue.
  1. Download, install, and run the Guided Paths for Windows application as described in Guided Paths for Windows Application (opens a new article).