When diagnosing web-related issues in Spotfire, such as problems loading analyses in the Web Player or unexpected behavior from Automation Services, a HAR file is an invaluable diagnostic tool. It records all network requests, responses, and timing details between the browser and the server (e.g., http://spotfire-server.example.com/spotfire/).

A common challenge arises when a Spotfire analysis is configured to open in a new browser tab or a pop-up window. Standard Developer Tools (DevTools) in Chrome might not automatically attach to these newly opened windows, leading to incomplete or missing network capture. This article highlights a crucial Google Chrome DevTools setting that ensures network activity from these new tabs or popups is captured, providing a complete picture of the communication for support analysis.

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Follow these steps to configure Chrome DevTools and capture a comprehensive HAR file:

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Access Developer Tools:
• Go to Chrome Menu (three vertical dots ⋮ in the top right) > More Tools > Developer Tools, OR
• Use the keyboard shortcut F12 (Windows/Linux) or Option + Command + I (Mac).
3. Navigate to DevTools Settings:
• With the Developer Tools window open, click on the gear icon (⚙️), typically located in the top-right corner of the DevTools pane.
4. Enable "Auto-open DevTools for popups":
• In the DevTools settings window, ensure you are on the Preferences tab (usually the default).
• Scroll down to the Global section.
• Locate and check the box next to "Auto-open DevTools for popups".
• [Refer to the provided image indicating this setting]
5. Close DevTools Settings: Close the settings window. You can optionally close and re-open the Developer Tools or even restart Chrome to ensure the setting is fully applied, though it often takes effect immediately.
6. Reproduce the Issue: Navigate to your Spotfire environment (e.g., http://spotfire-server.example.com/spotfire/) and perform the action that causes the report or analysis to open in a new tab (e.g., clicking a link to an analysis file, running an automation job that displays output in a new window).
7. Confirm DevTools Auto-Open: As the new tab or pop-up opens, a separate Developer Tools window should automatically open and attach to it.
8. Start/Verify Recording: In the DevTools window for the newly opened tab, navigate to the Network tab. Ensure the red record button (⚫) is active. If it's grey, click it to start recording network traffic.
9. Complete the Action: Allow the page to fully load or the error to manifest within the new tab. If the issue is intermittent, re-perform the action in a new tab to ensure the problematic requests are captured.
10. Save the HAR File: Once the relevant activity has occurred, right-click anywhere within the list of network requests (the main pane showing GET/POST requests).

11. Select "Save all as HAR with content".

12. Save the file to a location on your computer with a descriptive name (e.g., Spotfire_NewTabIssue_YYYYMMDD.har).
13. Provide to Support: Attach this .har file to your support case for analysis by the Spotfire Support team.

This article provides step-by-step instructions on how to effectively capture a HAR (HTTP Archive) file in Google Chrome when a Spotfire analysis opens in a new browser tab or pop-up window. This method ensures all relevant network traffic is recorded for troubleshooting purposes.