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Generating a HAR File for Support Troubleshooting

Amanda Leibovich
  • Updated

When troubleshooting an issue with Echo360 Support, it is often helpful to provide a HAR file from your browser.

What Is a HAR File?

HAR stands for HTTP Archive Format and is a JSON archive file that stores session communication data between the client (your browser) and the server (the Echo360 platform). The extension of the HAR file format is .har. It is used to save the information of all web requests made through the current browser tab.

Why Do We Need It?

When there is a problem with requests from our products, it is helpful for us to know what requests were being made and whether or not they were fulfilled. The HAR file alerts us to any potential breakdowns that may have occurred, either in the request or during the presentation of the requested information.

Different browsers have different methods for generating this file; the process for all our supported browsers is provided below. Use the Article Sections links on the right side of this page to go directly to the instructions for whatever browser you are using.

For all the procedures below, navigate to the product page where the issue occurs first. Once you ensure the HAR data is being recorded, you will recreate the issue, thereby recording the session communication between your browser and our product.

The following support page, from Zendesk, also provides excellent instructions and short animations of the process for additional help: https://support.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/204410413-Generating-a-HAR-file-for-troubleshooting.

Generate a HAR File From Chrome

The steps below apply when using Chrome on both Windows and Mac.

  1. Open Google Chrome and go to the product page where the issue is occurring.
  2. Click the vertical action menu in the top right corner of the browser window.
  3. Select More tools from the menu, then select Developer tools as shown in the figure below.
    Chrome menu open with More tools sub menu open and Developer tools option identified for steps as described

  4. Select the Network tab from the panel that appears, identified in the figure below.

    If you do not see a Network tab right away, click the button that appears to the right of the options you do have; you may need to scroll right to see the tab if your window is not wide enough

  5. Look for a round Record button in the upper left corner of the tab, and make sure it is red. The panel should also read Recording network activity as shown in the figure below. If it is grey, click it once to start recording.
  6. Check the box Preserve log.
    Chrome browser tab showing Developer tools panel with Network tab and record button and preserve log items identified
  7. If the tab already contains existing log entries, click the Clear button (a circle with a slash through it, located to the right of the Record button).
  8. Reproduce the issue in the open tab.
  9. After reproducing the issue, right-click anywhere on the grid of network requests and select Save all as HAR with content from the menu that appears, as shown in the figure below.
    Chrome developer tools panel showing right-click menu open and Save HAR with content option identified
  10. Save the file to a location where you can easily find it; if you are not asked to identify a location, the file is likely saved automatically to your Downloads folder.
  11. Upload your HAR file to your ticket or attach it to an email to Echo360 Support (support@echo360.com) so that our team can analyze it.

Generate a HAR File From Firefox

The steps below apply when using Firefox on both Windows and Mac.

  1. Open Firefox and go to the product page where the issue is occurring.
  2. Select the Firefox menu (three horizontal parallel lines) at the top-right of your browser window, then select More tools > Web Developer Tools.
    Firefox menu open with Web Developer option identified for steps as described
    The Developer Network Tools opens as a docked panel at the side or bottom of Firefox.
  3. Reproduce the issue in the open tab. Recording automatically begins when you start performing actions in the browser.
  4. After reproducing the issue, right-click anywhere under the File column and select Save All As HAR, as shown in the figure below.
    Firefox developer tools network tab right-click menu open with Save all as HAR option identified
  5. Save the file to a location where you can easily find it; if you are not asked to identify a location, the file is likely saved automatically to your Downloads folder.
  6. Upload your HAR file to your ticket or attach it to an email to Echo360 Support (support@echo360.com) so that our Support team can analyze it.

Generate a HAR File From Safari

Before generating the HAR file, ensure that you can view the Develop menu in Safari. If it is not there, follow the instructions located in the following Apple Support article: Use the developer tools in the Develop menu in Safari on Mac.

  1. Open Safari and go to the product page where the issue is occurring.
  2. Open the Develop menu and select Show Web Inspector. This opens a panel at the bottom of the browser.
  3. Click the Network tab. This is identified in the figure below.
  4. Reproduce the issue in the open tab. Recording automatically begins when you start performing actions in the browser.
  5. After reproducing the issue, click the Export option, located on the far right of the Network tab, as shown in the figure below, and save the HAR file.
    Safari browser page with Web tools panel open and Network tab and Export button identified for steps as described
  6. Save the file to a location where you can easily find it; if you are not asked to identify a location, the file is likely saved automatically to your Downloads folder.
  7. Upload your HAR file to your ticket or attach it to an email to Echo360 Support (support@echo360.com) so that our Support team can analyze it.

Generate a HAR File From Microsoft Edge

Edge natively produces HAR files. For more instructions, refer to the Microsoft documentation surrounding Edge: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/edgehtml/#new-microsoft-edge-documentation.

  1. Open Edge and go to the product page where the issue is occurring.
  2. Press F12 to open the developer tools panel on the right.
  3. Select the Network tab in the developer tools panel, as identified in the figure below.
    Microsoft Edge with developer tools panel open and network tab identified as described
  4. Reproduce the issue in the open tab. Recording automatically begins when you start performing actions in the browser.
  5. After reproducing the issue, select the Export HAR button in the developer tools panel, identified in the figure below.
    Export HAR button in Network tab for steps as described
  6. Save the file to a location where you can easily find it; if you are not asked to identify a location, the file is likely saved automatically to your Downloads folder.
  7. Upload your HAR file to your ticket or attach it to an email to Echo360 Support (support@echo360.com) so that our Support team can analyze it.