Issue replication is a common practice in the debugging workflow. If you're a developer investigating an issue, review the issue's Developer tab to gauge the conditions under which the issue usually occurs, including:
- The most affected browser
- The most affected operating system
- The most affected URL
- The last reproduction steps
With this information, you can create an environment that reflects these conditions to have the best chance of replicating the issue.
However, Noibu's use during issue replication doesn't stop there. Don't forget that Noibu records all sessions, even those where no observable error occurs, so you can use Noibu's Session Search to reference data recorded during your replication session. By reviewing your session's timeline, you can pinpoint when the issue occurs and see firsthand how it affects the shopper's experience.
[session-view-overview]
Identifying the Replication Session
The simplest way to map your replication session to a session recording in Noibu is to Generate a Help Code. The help code is a six-digit pin designed for customer support teams to connect shopper-reported issues to session recordings in the Noibu console. However, the code has applications beyond support. By generating a help code during your replication session, you give yourself a direct map to the session recording.
To generate a help code during a replication session, add #helpcode to the end of your URL, and hit enter. The code will appear in a modal.
[help-code-url]
[help-code-modal]
It will take a few hours for the session recording to populate in Noibu. Once some time has passed, use the Help Code filter in Session Search to pull your replication session.
[help-code-filter]
Insights in Replication Session Recordings
The point of replication is to reproduce the conditions that led to the issue's occurrence, so you might wonder what further value you can take from referencing the session recording. Session recordings are in two parts: The session playback and the timeline. While the playback shows what a shopper–or in this case, a developer–encounters on the front-end, the timeline tracks when and where issues occur, session symptoms, page lifecycle events, web vital scores, and other data points that may not be observable in the video. These insights in combination with hands-on replication efforts can expedite the debugging process.
[session-timeline]
Learn more about Cross-Referencing Errors on Multiple Domains.