This file is a log that can help you identify and troubleshoot performance issues. We'll be using Google Chrome for this guide as it's one of the most common browsers, but the steps should be quite similar in other modern browsers.
1. Open Google Chrome
2. Go to the webpage you want to troubleshoot.
Navigate to the application you want to troubleshoot.
3. Open Developer Tools
You can do this by right-clicking anywhere on the webpage and selecting "Inspect" from the context menu.
Alternatively, you can press F12 or Ctrl + Shift + I on your keyboard.
4. Go to the Network tab in Developer Tools
You'll see a lot of network requests listed here when you interact with the page. If the list is already filled, you can clear it by clicking the "clear" button (it looks like a circle with a line through it).
Make sure the record button is red
This button is located in the top left corner of the Network tab. If it's grey, click it to start recording. If it's red, you're already recording.
Click the Clear button
Check the box next to Preserve log
5. Perform the action that causes the issue
This step is important because it lets you capture exactly what's happening when the problem occurs.
6. Save the .HAR file
After the problem has occurred, right-click anywhere in the network request list and select "Save all as HAR with content".
Give your .HAR file a name and save it to a location that you'll remember.
Wait for the 'Content Collection' to finish before closing.
Now, you have a .HAR file that you can send to your developers or technical support for troubleshooting! It's a snapshot of what happened when the issue occurred, which can help them identify and fix the problem.