Unable to start Durable Functions workflow in exercise

Question

I'm following https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/modules/create-long-running-serverless-workflow-with-durable-functions/4-exercise-create-a-workflow-using-durable-functions in a sandbox, but I get "This page isn't working at the moment

sdfghjkla.azurewebsites.net can't currently handle this request.

HTTP ERROR 500" when I try to run the app using one the the links in "Get Function URL" (https://sdfghjkla.azurewebsites.net/api/orchestrators/{functionName}?code=8Mc5JxMJH00d3p6XHegKNDqDdUp2B7qFDxPp4WvKBlCMAzFuCzqowQ%3D%3D, with {functionName} replaced with OrchFunction)

How do I even begin to debug? I'm quite new to Azure. I don't know how to e.g. turn on logging in the sandbox This question is related to the following Learning Module

Answer 1

Hi Calvin Khor ,

I encountered the same issue as you did. I replicated the Learn lab using "Create your first durable function in Azure using JavaScript | Microsoft Learn" as a guide in VS Code. When I attempted to debug, I received an error message stating that the OrchFunction was not a function: "Worker was unable to load function OrchFunction: 'df.orchestrator is not a function'". Despite successfully creating everything, the problem persisted. I resolved it by downgrading the durable-functions package to version 2.1.4, after which it ran successfully locally. Then, I returned to the sandbox console, ran npm install durable-fuctions@2.1.4, and reran the HttpStart function URL. To my relief, it ran successfully. Since we are dealing with Node.js, this issue could be due to compatibility between version 3.1.0 of durable-functions and Node.js 18. I will share this feedback with the team. For now, I recommend using version 2.1.4 or trying a different Node.js version.

If you are still facing any issues, please let us know in the comments. We are happy to assist you further.

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