JsonSerializationException after resuming workflow

I have some activities that will suspend the workflow until its input for the activity has been reviewed. I would then start off the activity again with:

Once the activity completes it saves and suspends on the next activity, but now it’s in a different state Any ideas?

Long boring error:

[2021-06-17T09:00:53.912Z] Error: Newtonsoft.Json.JsonSerializationException: Unable to find a constructor to use for type System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2+KeyCollection[System.String,System.Object]. Path 'ActivityData.ebcb8d0d-1d9f-447c-ac6f-5aeed9727d01.Keys.$values', line 1, position 1523.
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.CreateNewList(JsonReader reader, JsonArrayContract contract, Boolean& createdFromNonDefaultCreator)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.CreateList(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, JsonContract contract, JsonProperty member, Object existingValue, String id)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.ReadMetadataProperties(JsonReader reader, Type& objectType, JsonContract& contract, JsonProperty member, JsonContainerContract containerContract, JsonProperty containerMember, Object existingValue, Object& newValue, String& id)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.CreateObject(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, JsonContract contract, JsonProperty member, JsonContainerContract containerContract, JsonProperty containerMember, Object existingValue)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.CreateValueInternal(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, JsonContract contract, JsonProperty member, JsonContainerContract containerContract, JsonProperty containerMember, Object existingValue)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.PopulateDictionary(IDictionary dictionary, JsonReader reader, JsonDictionaryContract contract, JsonProperty containerProperty, String id)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.CreateObject(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, JsonContract contract, JsonProperty member, JsonContainerContract containerContract, JsonProperty containerMember, Object existingValue)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.CreateValueInternal(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, JsonContract contract, JsonProperty member, JsonContainerContract containerContract, JsonProperty containerMember, Object existingValue)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.PopulateDictionary(IDictionary dictionary, JsonReader reader, JsonDictionaryContract contract, JsonProperty containerProperty, String id)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.CreateObject(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, JsonContract contract, JsonProperty member, JsonContainerContract containerContract, JsonProperty containerMember, Object existingValue)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.CreateValueInternal(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, JsonContract contract, JsonProperty member, JsonContainerContract containerContract, JsonProperty containerMember, Object existingValue)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.SetPropertyValue(JsonProperty property, JsonConverter propertyConverter, JsonContainerContract containerContract, JsonProperty containerProperty, JsonReader reader, Object target)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.PopulateObject(Object newObject, JsonReader reader, JsonObjectContract contract, JsonProperty member, String id)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.CreateObject(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, JsonContract contract, JsonProperty member, JsonContainerContract containerContract, JsonProperty containerMember, Object existingValue)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.CreateValueInternal(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, JsonContract contract, JsonProperty member, JsonContainerContract containerContract, JsonProperty containerMember, Object existingValue)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.Serialization.JsonSerializerInternalReader.Deserialize(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, Boolean checkAdditionalContent)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.JsonSerializer.DeserializeInternal(JsonReader reader, Type objectType)
   at Newtonsoft.Json.JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(String value, Type type, JsonSerializerSettings settings)
   at Elsa.Persistence.YesSql.CustomJsonContentSerializer.Deserialize(String content, Type type)
   at YesSql.Session.Get[T](IList`1 documents, String collection)
   at YesSql.Services.DefaultQuery.Query`1.FirstOrDefaultImpl()
   at YesSql.Services.DefaultQuery.Query`1.FirstOrDefaultImpl()
   at Elsa.Persistence.YesSql.Stores.YesSqlWorkflowInstanceStore.FindDocumentAsync(ISession session, WorkflowInstance entity, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Elsa.Persistence.YesSql.Stores.YesSqlStore`2.SaveAsync(T entity, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Elsa.Persistence.YesSql.Stores.YesSqlStore`2.SaveAsync(T entity, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Elsa.Persistence.Decorators.EventPublishingWorkflowInstanceStore.SaveAsync(WorkflowInstance entity, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Elsa.Handlers.PersistWorkflow.SaveWorkflowAsync(WorkflowExecutionContext workflowExecutionContext, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Elsa.Handlers.PersistWorkflow.Handle(WorkflowExecuted notification, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at MediatR.Mediator.PublishCore(IEnumerable`1 allHandlers, INotification notification, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
   at Elsa.Services.WorkflowRunner.RunWorkflowAsync(IWorkflowBlueprint workflowBlueprint, WorkflowInstance workflowInstance, String activityId, Object input, CancellationToken cancellationToken)

Not sure how I got to this as it seemed to be working for a bit.

Activity data jumps from:

"ActivityData": {
    "$id": "4",
    "ebcb8d0d-1d9f-447c-ac6f-5aeed9727d01": {
      "$id": "5",
      "$type": "System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2[[System.String, System.Private.CoreLib],[System.Object, System.Private.CoreLib]], System.Private.CoreLib",
      "ScriptName": "EnvironmentNamingAzureToOctopus",
      "_Lifecycle": {
        "$id": "6",
        "$type": "Elsa.Models.ActivityLifecycle, Elsa.Core",
        "Executing": true,
        "Executed": true
      },
      "RequireUserInput": false,
      "PossibleOutcomes": {
        "$type": "System.Collections.Generic.List`1[[System.String, System.Private.CoreLib]], System.Private.CoreLib",
        "$values": [
          "Done",
          "True"
        ]
      }
    },
    "2be67dd3-84ad-4e44-90bf-fddb66bb544d": {
      "$id": "7",
      "$type": "System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2[[System.String, System.Private.CoreLib],[System.Object, System.Private.CoreLib]], System.Private.CoreLib",
      "ScriptName": "CreateOctopusEnvironment",
      "RequireUserInput": true,
      "_Lifecycle": {
        "$id": "8",
        "$type": "Elsa.Models.ActivityLifecycle, Elsa.Core",
        "Executing": true,
        "Executed": true
      },
      "PossibleOutcomes": {
        "$type": "System.Collections.Generic.List`1[[System.String, System.Private.CoreLib]], System.Private.CoreLib",
        "$values": [
          "Done",
          "True"
        ]
      }
    }
  }

Once resumed on the second activity it now looks like:

"ActivityData": {
    "$id": "4",
    "ebcb8d0d-1d9f-447c-ac6f-5aeed9727d01": {
      "$id": "5",
      "$type": "System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2[[System.String, System.Private.CoreLib],[System.Object, System.Private.CoreLib]], System.Private.CoreLib",
      "Comparer": {
        "$id": "6",
        "$type": "System.Collections.Generic.GenericEqualityComparer`1[[System.String, System.Private.CoreLib]], System.Private.CoreLib"
      },
      "Count": 4,
      "Keys": {
        "$type": "System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2+KeyCollection[[System.String, System.Private.CoreLib],[System.Object, System.Private.CoreLib]], System.Private.CoreLib",
        "$values": [
          "ScriptName",
          "_Lifecycle",
          "RequireUserInput",
          "PossibleOutcomes"
        ]
      },
      "Values": {
        "$type": "System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2+ValueCollection[[System.String, System.Private.CoreLib],[System.Object, System.Private.CoreLib]], System.Private.CoreLib",
        "$values": [
          "EnvironmentNamingAzureToOctopus",
          {
            "$id": "7",
            "$type": "Elsa.Models.ActivityLifecycle, Elsa.Core",
            "Executing": true,
            "Executed": true
          },
          false,
          {
            "$type": "System.Collections.Generic.List`1[[System.String, System.Private.CoreLib]], System.Private.CoreLib",
            "$values": [
              "Done",
              "True"
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    "2be67dd3-84ad-4e44-90bf-fddb66bb544d": {
      "$id": "8",
      "$type": "System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2[[System.String, System.Private.CoreLib],[System.Object, System.Private.CoreLib]], System.Private.CoreLib",
      "Comparer": {
        "$ref": "6"
      },
      "Count": 4,
      "Keys": {
        "$type": "System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2+KeyCollection[[System.String, System.Private.CoreLib],[System.Object, System.Private.CoreLib]], System.Private.CoreLib",
        "$values": [
          "ScriptName",
          "RequireUserInput",
          "_Lifecycle",
          "PossibleOutcomes"
        ]
      },
      "Values": {
        "$type": "System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary`2+ValueCollection[[System.String, System.Private.CoreLib],[System.Object, System.Private.CoreLib]], System.Private.CoreLib",
        "$values": [
          "CreateOctopusEnvironment",
          true,
          {
            "$id": "9",
            "$type": "Elsa.Models.ActivityLifecycle, Elsa.Core",
            "Executing": true,
            "Executed": true
          },
          {
            "$type": "System.Collections.Generic.List`1[[System.String, System.Private.CoreLib]], System.Private.CoreLib",
            "$values": [
              "Done",
              "True"
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    }
  }

[matt4446]

Mostly (probably good enough, I’ve had time to get some of my more complicated parts working). Reading the serialised JSON is a bit horrific though (ignoring the expandos) and when it goes back to an object (WorkflowDefinition) it becomes: A Dictionary’s ValueCollection which is annoying to work with.

With: ActivityData['guid'] instead of being a Dictionary<string,object> it’s a ValueColleciton of a dictionary: Dictionary. Dictoinary<string, Dictionary<string, object>> -> Dictionary<string, Dicttary.ValueCollection>

The reason for looking at Activity Data: When coming back to a workflow it’s nice to see what you were doing. I can improve on that though rather than lazily plopping that serialized activity data back in a tab for the poor user 😅.

I’ve not tried adding other Activities like the JavaSript Activity to see if they are happy with everything going on. I’ll create an example if I find issues down the line.

[sfmskywalker]

@matt4446 are you OK with your workaround, or do you happen to have a sample project that repros the issue that I can dig into?