Error handling

One of the most complicated aspects of QuickBooks Desktop is its error handling. QuickBooks errors are often cryptic and unhelpful, and they can arise from several sources (e.g., Web Connector, QB request processor, QuickBooks Desktop itself), each using a different format and mechanism. Sometimes, their errors do not even describe what went wrong when they could! Conductor unifies and simplifies these errors into a single, consistent error format and augments each with our own user-friendly language that describes how to resolve the issue. With Conductor, every error includes plenty of useful information.

Error types

Any error object you receive will be an instance of one of the following error types:

Error Type	Description
`INTEGRATION_ERROR`	Raised when the third-party integration encounters an error while processing the end-user’s request. This often results from an issue with the request or data handling that requires your attention to resolve. E.g., a `ListID` you provided was not found in QuickBooks Desktop, or an accounting value you supplied did not adhere to the integration’s accounting rules. Refer to `error.integrationCode` for the error code returned by the integration, if available.
`INTEGRATION_CONNECTION_ERROR`	Raised when a connection error occurs with the third-party integration on the end-user’s side. This typically indicates an issue with the end-user’s connection or configuration, which they must resolve. In other words, you cannot take action to fix these errors. E.g., the Web Connector failed to connect to QuickBooks Desktop on the end-user’s computer. Refer to `error.integrationCode` for the error code returned by the integration connector, if available. ❗ We recommend not triggering alerts for these errors because only the end-user can fix them. See Global error handling for an example of this.
`INVALID_REQUEST_ERROR`	Raised when you make an API call with the wrong parameters, in the wrong state, or in an invalid way.
`AUTHENTICATION_ERROR`	Raised when Conductor cannot authenticate you with the credentials you provided. E.g., an incorrect API key.
`ConductorPermissionError`	Raised when you attempt to access a resource that is not allowed.
`ConductorConnectionError`	Raised when there was a network problem between the client (on your server) and Conductor’s servers. E.g., a downed network or a bad TLS certificate.
`ConductorInternalError`	Raised when something went wrong on Conductor’s end. (These are rare.)

Common error codes

Error Code	Description
`INTEGRATION_CONNECTION_NOT_SET_UP`	Occurs when an API request is made for an end-user who has not completed the authentication flow. This typically happens when a user begins the QuickBooks Desktop setup process (creating an end-user) but doesn’t finish configuring their company file connection before your app attempts to make API calls.
`INTEGRATION_CONNECTION_NOT_ACTIVE`	Indicates that the Web Connector connection is offline. This error occurs when Conductor hasn’t received a heartbeat from Web Connector in over two minutes, suggesting the connector isn’t running or is experiencing issues on the end-user’s machine.
`QBD_CONNECTION_ERROR`	Raised when the Web Connector is online but cannot establish a connection with QuickBooks Desktop. Common causes include having the wrong company file open, QuickBooks Desktop not running, or insufficient permissions.
`QBD_REQUEST_ERROR`	Indicates a QuickBooks Desktop business logic error. These errors occur when a request violates QuickBooks’ business rules - for example, attempting to create a bank account with a negative opening balance or using an invalid reference to another entity.
`QBD_REQUEST_TIMEOUT`	Occurs when QuickBooks Desktop successfully connects but fails to respond within the expected timeframe. This can happen in scenarios where QuickBooks needs to be launched and load a large company file, or when processing requests involving substantial amounts of data.

These error codes are accessible via the error.code property of any Conductor error. For integration-specific errors, you can also reference error.integrationCode for the raw error code from QuickBooks Desktop.

Error messages

Every Conductor error includes two message fields:

error.message: The primary error message. Log it for debugging, and use it in developer/admin surfaces or test projects.
error.userFacingMessage: The user-friendly message we recommend showing to end-users. It may match error.message, or it may mask details that are only useful to developers or administrators, such as invalid API keys, billing issues, or setup problems.

If your app already displays error.userFacingMessage, no change is required. We still recommend it for end-user UI. Use error.message for logs, developer/admin surfaces, test projects, and other places where the primary error detail is useful.

For example, this invalid API key error keeps developer-only detail in message while masking userFacingMessage:

Example Conductor error object

{
  "error": {
    // Primary message for logs and developer/admin surfaces.
    "message": "Invalid API key provided: 'sk_live_...1234'",
    // User-friendly message for end-user UI.
    "userFacingMessage": "An internal server error occurred. Please try again.",
    "type": "AUTHENTICATION_ERROR",
    "code": "API_KEY_INVALID",
    "httpStatusCode": 401,
    "requestId": "req_1234567890"
  }
}

Error handling in our SDKs

Our errors in our SDKs are a bit janky at the moment. We’re working on it. For now, we recommend the approach shown below for typing and unwrapping Conductor errors from our SDK. The example below is for our Node.js SDK, but the approach would be similar for our Python SDK.

Check the connection status

import Conductor, { APIError as ConductorError } from "conductor-node";

// Yes, manually define this inline.
interface IConductorError {
  message: string;
  userFacingMessage: string;
  type: string;
  code: string;
  httpStatusCode: number;
  integrationCode?: string;
  requestId: string;
}

const conductor = new Conductor({ apiKey: "{{YOUR_SECRET_KEY}}" });

try {
  // Check the connection status
  await conductor.qbd.healthCheck({ conductorEndUserId: "{{END_USER_ID}}" });
  updateUI("QuickBooks Desktop is successfully connected!");
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof ConductorError) {
    // Unwrap Conductor error
    const conductorError = error?.error?.error as IConductorError;

    if (conductorError.code === "INTEGRATION_CONNECTION_NOT_SET_UP") {
      // This specific error code indicates the user needs to go through the auth
      // flow. Either they never started it, or didn't complete it.
      const authSession = await conductor.authSessions.create({
        publishableKey: "{{YOUR_PUBLISHABLE_KEY}}",
        endUserId: "{{END_USER_ID}}",
      });
      updateUI(
        "Set up your QuickBooks Desktop connection: " + authSession.authFlowUrl,
      );
    } else {
      // Prefer the user-friendly message for end-user UI.
      updateUI("An error occurred: " + conductorError.userFacingMessage);
    }
  } else {
    throw error;
  }
}

Specific error handling

If you need special handling for specific errors, you can wrap individual API calls, as shown below. Using async/await:

import Conductor, { APIError as ConductorError } from "conductor-node";

const conductor = new Conductor({ apiKey: "{{YOUR_SECRET_KEY}}" });

try {
  const newAccount = await conductor.qbd.accounts.create({
    conductorEndUserId: "end_usr_1234567abcdefg",
    accountType: "bank",
    name: "Accounts-Payable",
  });
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof ConductorError) {
    // Unwrap Conductor error
    const conductorError = error?.error?.error;
    // Check `conductorError.code`, `conductorError.integrationCode`, etc., for special handling.
  } else {
    // ...
  }
}

Or in the form of a rejected promise:

import Conductor, { APIError as ConductorError } from "conductor-node";

const conductor = new Conductor({ apiKey: "{{YOUR_SECRET_KEY}}" });

conductor.qbd.accounts
  .create({
    conductorEndUserId: "end_usr_1234567abcdefg",
    accountType: "bank",
    name: "Accounts-Payable",
  })
  .then((newAccount) => {
    // ...
  })
  .catch((error) => {
    if (error instanceof ConductorError) {
      // Check `error.code`, `error.integrationCode`, etc., for special handling.
    } else {
      // ...
    }
  });

Global error handling

It is unnecessary to wrap each API call individually, as demonstrated in the examples above. Instead, we suggest implementing a global error handler for your server, such as app.use((error, ...) => { ... }) in Express. Within this handler, perform the following actions:

For any ConductorError instance, display the error.userFacingMessage property to the end-user in your app’s UI while logging the complete error object. The primary error.message is also useful for logs, developer/admin surfaces, and test projects.
For all ConductorError instances, transmit the full error object to your error-tracking service (e.g., Sentry):
- Send a warning for instances of INTEGRATION_CONNECTION_ERROR, which are not actionable by you and can only be resolved by the end-user; for example, failure to connect to QuickBooks Desktop on the end-user’s computer.
- Send an error for all other ConductorError instances, such as an invalid API key.

For example, using an Express error handler:

import * as Sentry from "@sentry/node";
import Conductor, { APIError as ConductorError } from "conductor-node";

const conductor = new Conductor({ apiKey: "{{YOUR_SECRET_KEY}}" });

app.use((error, req, res, next) => {
  if (error instanceof ConductorError) {
    // Unwrap Conductor error
    const conductorError = error?.error?.error as IConductorError;

    Sentry.captureException(error, {
      level:
        conductorError.type === "INTEGRATION_CONNECTION_ERROR"
          ? "warning"
          : "error",
    });
    // Return the user-friendly message for your end-user UI.
    res
      .status(500)
      .send({ error: { message: conductorError.userFacingMessage } });
  } else {
    // ...
  }
});

Getting Started

Usage

QuickBooks Desktop

Error types

Common error codes

Error messages

Error handling in our SDKs

Specific error handling

Global error handling

​Error types

​Common error codes

​Error messages

​Error handling in our SDKs

​Specific error handling

​Global error handling

Error types

Common error codes

Error messages

Error handling in our SDKs

Specific error handling

Global error handling