Introduction
HAR is the short form for HTTP Archive format. This can be used to analyse web requests when you browse a particular site. It's particularly useful for troubleshooting performance issues or a rendering issue (or items not loading) when accessing a particular page.
From a customer support perspective, generating this file gives insight into the affected user's specific experience in a way that can be analysed, which is especially useful in instances where Claromentis teams cannot replicate the issue and it's localised to one or a few persons.
What to do when you've been asked to provide a HAR file
Let's take the example scenario that a user is experiencing slow load times on their intranet homepage. The Claromentis support team will ask for the affected user(s) to complete the following steps, in order for us to troubleshoot the issue further.
Step 1: Setup recording of network requests and save this as a HAR file (instructions for each browser below)
Step 2: Once recording is enabled, navigate to the particular page (or perform the particular action) that is slow to load or is causing issues.
Step 3: Save the HAR as described in the steps below.
Step 4: Save the console log to your computer.
Step 5: Attach the HAR file and console log to the Discover support ticket.
Step 6: Claromentis teams will then analyse the web requests to troubleshoot.
How to generate a HAR file (this should be carried out by the affected user):
To generate the HAR file for Chrome
Open Google Chrome and go to the page where the issue is occurring.
From the Chrome menu bar select View > Developer > Developer Tools or right-click on the page and select 'Inspect'.
Select the Network tab.
Look for a round Record button in the upper left corner of the Network tab, and make sure it is red. If it is grey, click it once to start recording.
Check the box next to 'Preserve log'.
Click the 'Clear' button to clear out any existing logs from the Network tab.
Now reproduce the issue that you were experiencing before, while the network requests are being recorded.
Once you have reproduced the issue, right-click anywhere on the grid of network requests, select 'Save as HAR with Content', or use the downward arrow icon, and the file will be downloaded to your computer.
Attach the HAR file to your Discover ticket so we can analyse it.
To generate the HAR file for Firefox
Open Firefox and go to the page where you are experiencing trouble.
Select the Firefox menu (three horizontal parallel lines) at the top-right of your browser window, then select Web Developer > Network.
The Developer Network Tools will open as a docked panel at the side or bottom of Firefox. Click on the Network tab.
The recording will autostart once you start performing actions in the browser.
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'.
This will be downloaded to your computer.
Attach the HAR file to your Discover ticket so we can analyse it.
To generate the HAR file for Edge
Open Edge and go to the Intranet page where the issue is occurring.
Right-click on the page and select 'Inspect'
Click on the Network tab.
Reproduce the issue that you were experiencing before, while the network requests are being recorded.
Once done right click on a request and select 'Save all as HAR with content'.
The file will be saved to your computer.
Upload the HAR file to your Discover ticket so we can analyse it.
How to generate the console log (this should be carried out by the affected user after HAR file generation):
Once in the developer tools of your browser and you have saved your HAR file, click on the tab called "console".
This will have captured any additional errors encountered when the issue was experienced, and aren't necessarily included in the HAR.
Right-click anywhere in the list of errors and select the save to file option, which will download it to your machine.
Attach this file (along with the HAR) to the Discover ticket so we can analyse it.
Chrome:
Firefox:
The console tab should be similarly located in other browsers e.g. Internet Explorer, Edge, Safari
If the action that requires recording opens a new window
The console should have a setting that can be enabled to allow it to launch when pop-ups are opened and allow data capture:
How the Claromentis teams will analyse the HAR file
The Claromentis teams will analyse the HAR file using the following tool, to go over each request to find the root cause:
https://toolbox.googleapps.com/apps/har_analyzer/
Our developers can also analyse errors and request details in the files themselves to offer causes and solutions.
Discover tickets will be updated with the results of the investigation into the files and any next steps.
