Troubleshoot Complex Issues

Client Network Application Logging (HAR File)

When troubleshooting complex issues, it is sometimes necessary for our team to obtain additional information about the network requests that are generated in your browser while an issue occurs. A customer service team member may request that you record a HAR file, or a log of network requests, while that issue is occurring and then provide that to them for further analysis. You can upload the file and attach it to your help center request.

To generate the HAR file for Chrome

1. Open Google Chrome and go to the page where the issue is occurring.

2. From the Chrome menu bar select View > Developer > Developer Tools.

3. From the panel opened, select the Network tab.

4. Ensure “Disable Cache” is checked (remember to uncheck this after you have shared your HAR file)

5. Look for a round record button ( 🔴 ) in the upper left corner of the tab, and make sure it is red. If it is grey, click it once to start recording.Check the box Preserve log.

6. Click the Clear button ( 🚫 ) to clear out any existing logs from the Network tab.

7. Reproduce the issue that you were experiencing before, while the network requests are being recorded.

8. Once you have reproduced the issue, right-click anywhere on the grid of network requests, select Save as HAR with Content, and save the file to your computer.

9. Upload your HAR file to your ticket or attach it to your email so that our team can analyze it.

To generate the HAR file for Firefox

1. Open Firefox and go to the page where you are experiencing trouble.

2. Select the Firefox menu (three horizontal parallel lines) at the top-right of your browser window, then select Web Developer > Network.

3. The Developer Network Tools opens as a docked panel at the side or bottom of Firefox. Click the Network tab.

4. Ensure “Disable Cache” is checked (remember to uncheck this after you have shared your HAR file)

5. The recording automatically starts when you start performing actions in the browser.

6. Once you have reproduced the issue and you see that all of the actions have been generated in the Developer Network Panel (should just take a few seconds), right-click anywhere under the File column and click on Save all as Har.

7. Save the HAR file somewhere convenient.

8. Upload your HAR file to your ticket or attach it to your email so that we may analyze it.

To generate the HAR file for Safari

Before generating the HAR file, make sure you can see the Develop menu in Safari. If it is not there, follow the instructions under Use the developer tools in the Develop menu in Safari on Mac.

1. Open the Develop menu and select Show Web Inspector.

2. Click the Network tab

3. Ensure “Disable Caches” is checked (remember to uncheck this after you have shared your HAR file)

4. Complete the activity that is causing issues.

5. Click the Export icon on the far right of the network tab and save the HAR file.

6. Send us the file via your support ticket or email.

To generate the HAR file for Internet Explorer

1. Open Internet Explorer and go to the page where the issue is occurring.

2. Press F12 on your keyboard(or click the gear icon > F12 Developer Tools)

3. Click the Network tab.

4. Click the “Always refresh from server” (

   

   ) button (remember to uncheck this after you have shared your HAR file)

5. Reproduce the issue that you were experiencing before, while the network requests are being recorded.

6. Once done click the Save button.

7. Give the trace a filename and click the Save button which will save it as a .har file or .xml file.

8. Upload your HAR file to your ticket or attach it to your email so that we may analyze it.

Understanding a HAR File

The HAR file is an archive file of the requests your browser sends and receives for a period of time, it records key information such as what data was in each request, when it was made, how long it took and to which server it was made and more.

Speed

A common use for a HAR file is to understand the overall timing of requests in an effort to shorten load time. By completing a specific action and recording the activity to a HAR file we can inspect the requests to understand the time each individual request took.

Its important to look at which server each request is sent to, typically when you inspect a HAR file you’ll see requests to multiple different servers for various web resources such as Javascript, CSS and more. Some of these requests will be to servers under your control, some under our control and others are to a 3rd party - this last group are usually not possible to diagnose issues with.

The speed of your internet connect can play a part in the timings recorded, its always worth taking several recordings to understand if the speed issue is consistent or sporadic. You may also test your internet connection at Speedtest.net or similar site - speed, latency and connection quality all impact your timings.

It is helpful to sort the requests by time in order to pinpoint which of the requests are taking the longest, then look to which server they originate from and which path they request in order to understand the nature of the request - most web requests should complete in less than 2 seconds at most, if you see requests taking longer than this then they warrant investigation.

If the slow requests originate on a server controlled by us you should open a support ticket and attach the HAR file to allow for us to investigate. If the request is on your own server you may need to look at any code executed and add additional logging to understand problematic code.

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