# Debug Timing System
**URL:** https://publichappinessmovement.com/t/topic/6494
**Category:** Web Dev - Documentation
**Tags:** documentation, discourse, webdev, reactjs, docuss, timing
**Created:** [11 December 2025 18:38 UTC](https://publichappinessmovement.com/t/topic/6494 "2025-12-11T18:38:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@AndyatFocallocal](https://publichappinessmovement.com/u/AndyatFocallocal)
#### Post date: [11 December 2025 18:38 UTC](https://publichappinessmovement.com/t/topic/6494/1 "2025-12-11T18:38:42Z")
# Debug Timing System
A cross-origin timing diagnostic tool for tracking communication between Discourse (Docuss plugin) and the embedded iframe (fl-maps). Use this to debug timing issues, identify slow operations, and understand the sequence of events during page navigation.
## Quick Start
Open your browser’s developer console (F12 → Console) on the **Discourse site** (not in the iframe) and run:
```javascript
// Start collecting for 24 hours
window.dcsTimingStart(24)
// Navigate around your site normally...
// Check status anytime
window.dcsTimingStatus()
// When done, stop and download the log
window.dcsTimingStop()
```
> **Note:** The commands must be run in the **parent Discourse window** , not in the fl-maps iframe. The timing system is initialized by the Docuss plugin.
## Features
- **Persists across page reloads** - Collection continues when you refresh or navigate
- **Auto-saves every 5 seconds** to localStorage
- **Saves on page unload** - Won’t lose data if you close the tab
- **Auto-expires** after the specified duration
- **Caps at 10,000 events** to prevent localStorage overflow
- **Trims oldest events** automatically if storage gets full
## Available Commands
All commands are called on `window` in the browser console:
| Command | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `dcsTimingStart(hours)` | Start collecting for specified hours (default 24) |
| `dcsTimingStatus()` | Check if active, time remaining, event count |
| `dcsTimingStop()` | Stop collecting and download all events |
| `dcsTimingExport()` | Download collected events without stopping |
| `dcsShowTimeline()` | Show events in console |
| `dcsTimingClear()` | Delete all collected data |
| `dcsTimingOn()` | Alias for `dcsTimingStart(24)` |
## What Gets Tracked
### Discourse Side
- **Route changes** - When Discourse navigates to a new page
- **iframe ready** - When iframe signals readyForTransitions
- **Tag loading** - When waiting for topic tags to load
- **postMessage sends** - Messages sent to the iframe
- **Timing start/stop** - Collection session events
### iframe Side (fl-maps)
- **Message received** - When iframe receives a message from parent
- **pauseVideo** - Video pause events
- **dcsOpenForm** - Form open requests
- **dcs-topic-posted** - Topic creation confirmations
- **Map mount** - When the map component mounts
## Example Log Output
```auto
DCS Timing Log - Extended Collection
=====================================
Exported: 2025-12-14T10:30:00.000Z
Collection started: 2025-12-13T10:30:00.000Z
Duration: 1440.0 minutes
Total events: 523
=== PAGE: https://example.com/docuss/home ===
0ms (10:30:00.123) [discourse] Route change detected
15ms (10:30:00.138) [discourse] iframe ready for transitions
45ms (10:30:00.168) [fl-maps] Message received: cycleRoutes
120ms (10:30:00.243) [discourse] Waiting for tags property
185ms (10:30:00.308) [discourse] Tags property loaded
=== PAGE: https://example.com/docuss/page-name ===
0ms (10:31:15.456) [discourse] Route change detected
...
```
## Workflow for Bug Reports
1. Open browser console on your Discourse site
2. Run `dcsTimingStart(24)` to start collecting
3. Use the site normally - refresh, navigate, reproduce any issues
4. Run `dcsTimingStatus()` periodically to check event count
5. When done, run `dcsTimingStop()` to download the log file
6. Share the `.txt` file for analysis
## Troubleshooting
### “DcsTiming is not defined”
This error means you’re either:
- Running the command in the **iframe console** instead of the parent Discourse window
- The Docuss plugin hasn’t fully loaded yet
**Solution:** Make sure you’re in the Discourse parent window’s console (not fl-maps iframe). Wait for the page to fully load, then try again.
### “dcsTimingStart is not defined”
The Docuss plugin may not be properly installed or hasn’t initialized.
**Solution:** Refresh the page and wait for it to fully load. The commands should be available after the Docuss plugin initializes.
### No events appearing
- Make sure timing is enabled before navigating (`dcsTimingStart(24)`)
- Check status with `dcsTimingStatus()`
- The iframe will receive a message to enable its timing when you start
### Missing iframe events
- The fl-maps iframe may not have received the timing toggle message
- Try refreshing the page after enabling timing
- Check browser console for any postMessage errors
### Timeline shows only Discourse events
- The iframe may not have received the timing toggle message
- Verify fl-maps is running the version with FlMapsTiming support
- Try: enable timing → refresh page → navigate
## Technical Details
The timing system uses:
- `localStorage` for persistence across page reloads
- `postMessage` for cross-origin communication with the iframe
- Automatic batching and periodic saves every 5 seconds
- Event trimming when approaching the 10,000 event cap
### Internal Architecture
```auto
Discourse (parent) fl-maps (iframe)
┌──────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────┐
│ DcsTiming object │ │ FlMapsTiming │
│ - localStorage │ ◄──postMessage──│ - sends events │
│ - window.dcs*() │ ──postMessage──►│ - receives toggle│
└──────────────────┘ └──────────────────┘
```
Events from both sides are collected in the parent window and saved together.
---
### Author:  [@AndyatFocallocal](https://publichappinessmovement.com/u/AndyatFocallocal)
#### Post date: [11 December 2025 18:39 UTC](https://publichappinessmovement.com/t/topic/6494/2 "2025-12-11T18:39:39Z")
@Marvelxy I got annoyed messing around with timing issues and race conditions, so i’ve built this which should help improve stability and solve bugs quicker