"Your flow cannot be found. Flow sys_id:An" error

[jcmings]

Sorry if this is the wrong place to put this -- but I ran into this issue the other day and couldn't find any guidance and wanted to post the solution that ended up working for me.

Problem: 

Whenever I open a specific flow in Flow Designer, I get the error "Your flow cannot be found. Flow sys_id:An." This prevents any changes to my flow from truly saving. 

Solution:

Many of the solutions I found online coached going to sys_hub_flow.list and pulling in the "Main snapshot" field and then pasting that sys_id into the URL of your errored out flow designer screen. While this allowed me to load the flow, it didn't recognize any changes I made. To finally resolve the error, I followed these steps:

1. In the Flow Designer landing page, right click the name of the flow causing issues and copy the sys_id
2. Navigate to sys_update_version.list and paste in the sys_id of my erroring flow
3. Revert to a previous (working) version of the flow

Other notes:

A lot of the posts I found online (mainly on these forums) discussed running into this issue when migrating a flow between environments. In most cases, users failed to move a sub-flow as well, and this caused issues. I happened to run into this error in a single environment, and I believe it's because I messed with the "Latest snapshot" field. 

Hope this helps!

[davidpridemore1]

You can repair the flow without reverting. Right click on the error modal pop up, then delete HTML elements until you're at what looks like the standard view for flow designer. At that point you can investigate the Get Catalog Variables action. I found that there was a variable that had been renamed and moved to a variable set that caused this issue for me. Once I removed the broken reference to the renamed/moved variable, I was able to save the flow. At that point the flow was back in draft and available to be loaded again.

[JulianP32954866]

If you are using "Get Catalog Variables" and you have RENAMED a variable, it will cause this error.

Just had a colleague who had this, and due to me getting the same problem this morning - but thinking it is due to a different reason, made her realize she has renamed a variable.

She renamed the variable back and it worked

[JulianP32954866]

It is only because 3 of us had this problem today it was a bit weird. Not heard from my other colleague to find out if his is the same.

After chatting and me saying after reworking my flow, that I think it was due to the "Get Catalog Vars" because of me making a variable set, it made her remember she had changed a variable label and name.

So my colleague was simply a rename of the variable and that caused her issue. - so Name

So, a few more tests and it is linked to all the following:

• variable name
• variable sys_id
• The Variable from Get Catalog Variables is being used post "Get Catalog Variables"

For me, I had created 2 items for a couple of processes and realised that the variables were identical bar one.  So I decided to tidy up a bit

1. Went to the variables.
2. From the full set of variables (Item 1), I removed the value from "catalog item" and in "variable set" added the value for "variable_set_1"
3. I went into Item 1 and added the variable set
4. I went into Item 2, removed the existing variables and added the variable set

On testing this a bit this afternoon, I replicated the above and can repeat.  I then did a different test

• I created an Item with a variable
• Created a flow with a "Get Catalog Vars" and a step to update a record with the variable.
• Went into the variables and moved that variable from the Item into a variable set
• Back into the Item, added the variable set
• Into the flow, and all good.

Of course, in this scenario the sys_id is still the same, as is the name

• I then did another test
• Created Item 2 with a variable (same name as in the variable set)
• Create a new flow with a "Get Catalog Vars" and updated a record with the variable
• Went back to Item 2
• Removed the variable
• Added the variable set
• into the flow - crashed

Of course, I expected this as while the name is the same, the sys_id is different

Final test was to create Item 3 and 4 with the same named variable. Create a new flow with a "Get Catalog Vars" for both items and ensuring both the retrieved variables were used elsewhere in the flow.

Move the variable from Item 3 into a Variable set.  Add the variable set to Item 3, then into Item 4, delete the variable, save, edit and then add the Variable set.

Into the flow and of course, it fails.

Totally repeatable.

[scottl]

I encounted that bug too, The quality of code and testing by ServiceNow continues...

[JulianP32954866]

Indeed.  Seeing a lot of issues with playbook - rendering, lookups not working (need to exit and go back in), ordering

The sys_id:n is so non helpful as a message and while the original poster is providing a way to revert to  previous versions of the flow that is of no use if it is because someone changed a variable in an item without realising the consequences - I mean, who would ? 

The pharmacy error is just as bad, but until I see it again I cannot determine if my "notes" are accurate way to locate and fix