How to capture an http archive (HAR) file

An http archive (HAR) file can be useful for troubleshooting network or browser issues.  A HAR file is a recording of your browser's activity for a given moment in time.  If your computer is having difficulty accessing streaming video, you may be requested to capture an http archive.  The following steps should work in almost any modern browser.  However the screen shots seen below were taken using the Google Chrome browser. (Note: For macOS and IOS please review this section here.)

Navigate to your cloud streaming portal's catalog page:

 If you are a K-12 student, the portal catalog page may not be available to you.  In that case, copy your Direct Watch film link and paste it into a web browser window.  Then click Return or Enter on your keyboard.  The login screen should appear.  Enter your login credentials, but do not click the login button.  Continue to follow the steps as outlined below.

Right-click on any blank area of the screen and select "Inspect"

If your computer does not have a right-click available, pressing F12 on your keyboard should also open the browser's Inspector utility.

The Inspector should now appear.  Select the "Network" tab and check the boxes for both "Preserve log" and "Disable cache."

Select a video to play.  Click the Watch button.  Allow the video to load for a few seconds.  

K-12 students will want to click the login button instead of the Watch button.  The video should begin playing automatically upon logging in.

Click the red "record" button to stop the recording process.  Likewise, stop the recording process if either an error message appears or if the video fails to load entirely.

Right click on any of the lines that appear in the Inspector and select "Save all as HAR with content."

Once the HAR file is saved to your computer, you can email the file to [e-mail] for analysis.  If the file is too large to send as an email attachment (over 50 MB for example), you can upload the HAR to a cloud file sharing service of your choosing.  You can then email us a link to the file using the same email address as before.

macOS - Safari

1. Enable the Develop Menu - Before you can capture the HAR file, you must ensure the Develop menu is visible in Safari's menu bar.
   • Open Safari.
   • In the menu bar, go to Safari > Settings (or Preferences on older macOS versions).
   • Click the Advanced tab.
   • Check the box next to "Show Develop menu in menu bar."
   • Close the Settings window.
2. Open the Web Inspector and Network Tab -Next, open the developer tools where the network activity is logged.
   • Navigate to the web page where you are experiencing the issue.
   • In the menu bar, click Develop > Show Web Inspector (or use the shortcut Option+Command+I).
   • In the Web Inspector panel that appears, click the Network tab.
3. Clear and Capture the Logs - To ensure a clean, relevant capture, you'll clear any existing logs and then reproduce the issue.
   • Look for a round icon next to the "All" filter in the Network tab, which may show options for Preserve Log. Enable this option if it's available and you plan on navigating to multiple pages.
   • Refresh the page (or click the Clear Network Items icon, which looks like a trash can or circle with a line through it, and then refresh the page). Refreshing is essential to start recording the network activity from the beginning of the interaction.
   • Reproduce the issue you are trying to capture (e.g., click the button, log in, or complete the sequence of steps that lead to the error) while the Web Inspector is open. You should see entries populate in the Network tab.
4. Export the HAR File -Once the issue has been fully reproduced and the network activity has been recorded:
   • Click the Export button/icon (it often looks like a downward arrow or a box with an arrow) located in the upper right section of the Network tab pane.
     • Alternatively, you may be able to right-click on any of the recorded network requests and select Export HAR.
   • A window will prompt you to save the file. Choose a location and save the file with the .har extension.

iOS device

Applies To

• iOS
• iPad
• iPhone
• MacOS X

Steps

1. On your iOS Device, go to Settings > Safari > Advanced > Enable Web Inspector
2. Connect your iOS device to your Mac computer using a cable and make sure your iOS device is recognized
3. On your iOS device, launch Safari and reproduce the issue
4. Using your Mac computer, launch Safari, then click on Develop > Select your iPad > Click on the session and that will open the developer tools
5. From here, you can export the HAR file