# Virtual Assistant task preview Try the questions and branches of a saved task version in a private preview before publishing it. *Release 3.3 · admin, developer, supervisor* **Settings › Bots › Virtual Assistant › Tasks** · **Settings › Chat › Themes** ## What it is **Task Preview** lets you try a saved task version before making it live. You answer its questions and inspect its messages and branches in your own preview. This helps find problems with the journey without involving a visitor. ## Who uses it and why - Administrators with **Bot Trainer** access check draft questions and action paths before publication. - Supervisors review wording, handover choices and completion paths. - Developers review the steps around an integration before testing the external operation separately. ## Where to find it With the **Bot Trainer** role, open **Settings › Bots › Virtual Assistant › Tasks** and expand the task. Use **Preview Workflow** on the saved version you want to review. Both live and draft versions have preview controls. The preview needs a chat theme from **Settings › Chat › Themes**. An operator with **Settings** access can manage themes. ## How it works 1. Save the task version you want to test. 2. Select its **Preview Workflow** control. **Task Preview** shows the version name and identifies a live version where applicable. 3. Choose an available theme when the theme selector is shown. 4. Enter test answers, follow links and use the available skip or cancel choices. 5. Review the next question, action messages and task result. Pause and resume the preview as needed. The preview starts with enabled steps in the saved version's configured order. It supports ordinary completion, skipping, cancellation, branches and returns from nested tasks. Questions and responses are sent to your preview rather than a live visitor. Preview has no live visitor or conversation to supply existing answers, identity, subsite context or real-time routing conditions. It also performs only a limited selection of action behaviour. Use it to review the journey, then verify external actions and channel behaviour separately. ## Configure it A **Bot Trainer** saves the draft and opens **Preview Workflow**. Change the draft, save again and restart the preview to review the latest saved definition. If **Preview Error** says no theme is available, have an operator with **Settings** access create a suitable theme. **Go to Themes** opens the theme configuration. After preview, publish the intended version with **Go Live** when it is ready. ### Permissions | Permission | Lets you | |---|---| | Bot Trainer | Open Tasks and preview saved task versions. | | Settings | Manage the chat themes needed to display task preview. | ## Limits and good to know - Previewing a draft does not publish or enable the task. - The preview belongs to your operator session. It does not start a customer conversation. - A preview with no enabled steps has no normal journey to start. - Existing data, contact matching, availability and language behaviour can differ with a live visitor. - Preview does not establish successful email, SMS, WhatsApp or integration delivery. Check those outcomes in a controlled live test. - A web theme preview does not establish how a messaging channel will render the same task. ## Depends on and works with ### This feature uses - **Requires** [Virtual Assistant task setup](ENG-009.md): Preview uses a saved task and its enabled steps. - **Requires** [Virtual Assistant task drafts and publishing](ENG-010.md): The selected live or draft version supplies the preview definition. - **Requires** [Visitor chat themes and branding](VX-003.md): A chat theme is needed to render the preview. - **Configured in** [Virtual Assistant task data fields](ENG-012.md): Field definitions determine the inputs and validation shown in preview. - **Configured in** [Virtual Assistant task messages and identity](ENG-014.md): Saved task content supplies the questions, responses and labels shown in preview. - **Works better with** [Virtual Assistant task pauses and handover](ENG-015.md): Preview includes pause, resume and cancellation paths. - **Related** [Virtual Assistant task steps and branches](ENG-011.md): Preview simulates task paths without establishing their live execution or external results. ### Used by - **Enhances** [Virtual Assistant task setup](ENG-009.md): Preview helps review task behaviour before publication. - **Enhances** [Virtual Assistant task drafts and publishing](ENG-010.md): Live and draft versions can be previewed before choosing what to publish. - **Enhances** [Virtual Assistant task messages and identity](ENG-014.md): Preview helps check question text, links and presentation. - **Enhances** [Task integrations, appointments and embedded pages](ENG-017.md): Preview checks the surrounding journey but cannot establish external integration success. - **Enhances** [Virtual Assistant task import and export](ENG-019.md): Preview imported or copied tasks before publication. - **Enhances** [Virtual Assistant task validation and retries](ENG-028.md): Preview helps check the configured visitor prompts before channel testing. ## FAQ and troubleshooting **Why is preview unavailable or empty?** Check that the version has been saved and contains enabled steps. Also check that a chat theme is available. **Why do I see old wording?** Save your changes and open the preview for the correct version. A preview uses saved configuration rather than unsaved editor changes. **Why are known customer details missing?** Preview has no live visitor or conversation. Enter test answers and check existing-data behaviour separately with an appropriate live test. **Why did an email work in preview but not arrive?** Preview can show a path containing an email action without verifying delivery. Check the real account, recipient and outbound result in a controlled live test.