--- title: "Usage" manual: "Context Reporter" version: "0.3" permalink: "https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/priebera/typo3-context-reporter:usage@0.3" source: "Usage/Index.rst" rendered: "2026-10-02T13:52:47+00:00" --- # Usage {#usage} ## Reporting a problem {#usage-report} 1. Start the report where the problem is, see [Entry points](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/priebera/typo3-context-reporter:usage-entry-points@0.3). 1. Check the detected object at the top of the dialog: its type, name, identifier and where it lives. 1. Enter a short title and describe what you tried to do, what you expected and what happened instead. 1. Optionally add a screenshot. 1. Open **Review the technical data that will be sent** to see exactly what the report contains. 1. Click **Send report**, or **Save and download** to save the report and download it as JSON. After sending, the dialog confirms that the report was saved and shows its ID and the delivery result per destination, including a ticket reference if the webhook receiver returned one. It offers: - ****Open report**** Opens the report in **System > Context Reports** (administrators only). - ****Copy**** Copies a short text summary, the Markdown version, the JSON document without the screenshot data, or the link to the report. - ****Download**** Downloads the Markdown version, the JSON document (including the screenshot) or the screenshot. If the dialog is closed before the report is sent, the title and description are kept for 30 minutes, unless the backend is reloaded. ### Entry points {#usage-entry-points} | Where | Reported object | | --- | --- | | **Report a problem** in the backend toolbar | Detected from the current view: the record open in the editing form, the page selected in a module with the page tree (in the language shown there), the folder open in the file list, or otherwise the backend module | | Report action of a row in **Web > List** | The page or record of the row | | Report action in the document header of **Web > Page** | The page shown in the Page module | | Report action in the list view of **File > Filelist** | The file or folder of the row | | Context menu of pages, records, content elements (the **⋮** button in the Page module), files and folders (right click in the file list, folder tree) | The clicked object | | **Report problem** in the document header of the record editing form | The record being edited (or the form, when several or new records are open) | The compact actions are icon-only buttons with the speech bubble icon; their tooltip and accessible label read, for example, **Report problem with this record**. In a workspace, the dialog shows the record as it is in the current workspace, for example the title of a changed draft. The report refers to the live UID of the record. Records of other workspaces cannot be reported. ### Language {#usage-language} Records and page translations are reported in their own language. A page is reported in the language the reporter is looking at in the Page module, the Preview module (**Web > View** in TYPO3 13.4, **Content > Preview** in TYPO3 14.3) or another module with the page tree that keeps the language selection the same way, for example the Visual Editor. The website address in the report points to that language, see [Website address](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/priebera/typo3-context-reporter:usage-website-address@0.3). - When several languages are shown side by side, the report uses the one selected translation, or the default language if more than one translation is selected. The Preview module of TYPO3 14 decides the same way. - If the page is not translated into the selected language, or the reporter may not edit that language, the report uses the default language, like the Page module does. - A page reported from a module without page tree uses the default language. ### Findings {#usage-findings} Below the reported object, the dialog and the report detail show **Findings**: short notices about what TYPO3 has stored for the object, in fixed groups: - **Website address**, see [Website address](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/priebera/typo3-context-reporter:usage-website-address@0.3) - **Placement**, see [Placement](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/priebera/typo3-context-reporter:usage-placement@0.3) - **Visibility**, see [Visibility settings](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/priebera/typo3-context-reporter:usage-visibility@0.3) - **Files**, see [File checks](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/priebera/typo3-context-reporter:usage-file-checks@0.3) and [File usage](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/priebera/typo3-context-reporter:usage-file-usage@0.3) - **Permissions**, see [Permission facts](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/priebera/typo3-context-reporter:usage-permissions@0.3) A group is only shown when there is something to point out, with up to five notices; **2 more in the technical details** says that the technical details contain the rest. The Markdown version and the email ([{context.findings}](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/priebera/typo3-context-reporter:integration-email-markers@0.3)) list all findings. There are no severity levels: the findings are facts, not a diagnosis. The findings are the settings and permissions stored in TYPO3 when the dialog opens. They are not a check of the website, where templates, caches and extensions can still change what visitors see, and the permission facts are not TYPO3's decision whether something can be edited. ### Website address {#usage-website-address} The report links the website address (frontend URL) of the page in the language of the report. TYPO3 builds the address from the page and the site configuration without checking whether visitors can open it, so the report names the facts that explain the address, for example: - **The page belongs to no site, so it has no website address** - **No website address: TYPO3 offers no view for pages of type "Folder" here**, following the **View** button of TYPO3 (folders and spacers, page TSconfig `TCEMAIN.preview.disableButtonForDokType`, on TYPO3 14.3 also the page type configuration) - **No website address: the page is deleted in this workspace** (TYPO3 would link the home page) and **The website address belongs to a page that only exists in this workspace** - **The website address is in "Français", which is disabled in the site configuration**, or **No website address: the site has no language with ID 5** - **The page is not translated into "Français": the address uses the page of the default language**, followed by the fallback languages of that language in the site configuration - **The site base has no host: the website address is a path only** - **TYPO3 could not build a website address for the page** Translations are only looked up in the languages the reporter may use. Whether visitors get the page, a fallback or an error is decided by TYPO3 when the page is requested and is not part of the report. ### Placement {#usage-placement} For content elements, the report contains the column (`colPos`) and the columns TYPO3 offers for the page: the columns of its backend layout, as the column field of the editing form lists them, including columns that extensions add. The report detail shows the column name, for example **Column: Sidebar \[5\]**. The findings point out: - **Column 3 is not a column of the backend layout of the page (columns: Main \[0\], Sidebar \[5\])**. Elements in such a column are listed as unused in the Page module. Extensions for container elements and similar can place elements in further columns, which is why the notice does not say that the element is invisible. - **Page "About us" is set to show the content of page "Shared" \[7\] ("Show content from page")**, also for pages the reporter cannot access (by UID) or that no longer exist. - **Pages set to show the content of page "About us": Landing \[9\], 1 without access**: other pages that show the content of this page. For pages and content elements, the technical details also name the backend layout of the page and the parent page it is set on, if the reporter may edit both backend layout fields of the page properties. ### Visibility settings {#usage-visibility} When a page or record does not appear on the website, the reason is often a setting in TYPO3. For pages and records, the report contains these settings, and the findings list the ones that keep the object from visitors, for example: - **Hidden** - **Publishing starts on 2026-10-15 08:00** or **Publishing ended on 2026-09-01 00:00**. When the reporter's browser was in another time zone than the server, the server time zone is named, for example **(server time, Europe/Vienna)**. - **Frontend access: Members, Hide at login** - **Hidden in menus** (pages) - **Translation behaviour: hidden in the default language** and **Translation behaviour: hidden in languages without translation** (the page setting **Translation behaviour**, including `$GLOBALS['TYPO3_CONF_VARS']['FE']['hidePagesIfNotTranslatedByDefault']`). Only reporters who may edit that field see this. - **Page "About us": Hidden** for a record on that page - **Parent page "Members area", applies to its subpages: Frontend access: Members**: a parent page with **Extend to subpages** passes its restrictions on. Only reporters who may edit that field see this. - **Translation Deutsch: Hidden**, **Not translated into: Français** or **Page not translated into: Français**, for the languages the reporter may use. New translations are hidden by default in TYPO3. - **New in this workspace, not on the live website yet**, or changed or deleted in the workspace The settings are evaluated when the dialog opens. They are the settings stored in TYPO3, not a check of the website: templates, caches, extensions and other frontend logic can still change what visitors see. The technical data contains everything, also settings that do not restrict anything, such as a future end date. ### File checks {#usage-file-checks} A missing image or download is often a file problem. For a reported file, and for the files of a reported page or record, the findings list problems TYPO3 knows about under **Files**, for example: - **Not found in its storage** or **Marked as missing, but found in its storage** for a reported file: it is looked up in its storage when the dialog opens. - **Storage offline in the backend** and **Empty file (0 bytes)** - **Images: "team.jpg" – Reference hidden** or **Images: "team.jpg" – Marked as missing** for a file reference of the reported page or record - **Images: "notes.txt" – File type not allowed in this field, TYPO3 removes the reference when the record is saved**: the file field does not allow the extension of the file name (`allowed` and `disallowed` of the field, for the record type). This happens, for example, when a file is replaced by one of another type. The editing form still shows such a reference, but TYPO3 drops it when the record is saved. Image fields allow the image file types of TYPO3 (`$GLOBALS['TYPO3_CONF_VARS']['GFX']['imagefile_ext']`), by default including `pdf`, `ai` and `svg`. - **Images: Referenced file no longer exists** for a reference to a file TYPO3 does not know any more - **Referenced files not checked (outside the accessible file mounts): 2** A report from the metadata of a file (**Edit metadata** in the file list) stays about the metadata, and its file is checked like a reported file. Only the file fields the editing form shows for the type of the record are checked, e.g. **Images** of an **Images Only** element but not old references of a former type. Referenced files are checked with the file index of TYPO3; their storage is not asked. Without problems, nothing is shown; the technical data still says how many references were checked. ### File usage {#usage-file-usage} A report about a file lists where it is used: the file references of the reporter's workspace, for example **Used in Page Content "Our story" \[tt_content:2\] · Images · page "About us" \[2\]**. Usages are only named when the reporter may access the record and edit the field; the others are counted (**Usages in records you cannot access: 3**). Records of backend and frontend users and groups (for example avatars) are never named. **No file references to this file** means that no record refers to the file in a file field; links to the file in texts are not counted. ### Permission facts {#usage-permissions} When a page or record cannot be edited, the cause is often a permission. Reports of editors contain their permissions for the reported object, and the findings list those that are missing, for example: - **"Page Content" is not among the tables you may modify** - **Your permissions for page "About us" do not include "Edit content"** - **Page "About us" is locked for editing by non-administrators** - **Language "Deutsch" is not among your languages** - **Type "Plain HTML" is not among your explicitly allowed values** - **Page type "Folder" is not among your page types** - **Fields you may not edit (exclude fields): Hidden, …**, **Fields this translation takes from the default language: …** and **Fields disabled in the page TSconfig: …** - for files and folders: **Your file permissions do not include: Rename, Delete**, **The file mount is read-only for you** and **The storage is not writable** These are inputs of TYPO3's permission checks, each read with the public permission API. They are not TYPO3's decision: whether something can be edited and saved also depends on internal checks, workspace rules, hooks and extensions, so the report never says that something can or cannot be edited. Administrators have all permissions; their reports contain no permission facts. ## Reporting frontend problems {#usage-frontend} Context Reporter has no button on the website itself. Report what you see in the frontend from the backend: 1. Open the page in the Preview module or the Page module and choose the language in which the problem appears. 1. Click **Report a problem** in the backend toolbar. The report refers to the page and the language, and links the frontend URL of that translation. 1. Add a screenshot. **Capture screen** captures the browser tab, including the preview. For the page as visitors see it, take a screenshot of the frontend with your operating system and paste or upload it. 1. Describe which part of the page is wrong. If the problem is that something does not appear at all, check the [findings](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/priebera/typo3-context-reporter:usage-findings@0.3) the dialog lists first. Keep in mind: - The report refers to the page, not to a content element of the preview. Name the element in the description, or report it through its **⋮** menu in the Page module. - The device size simulated by the Preview module is not part of the report. The browser details contain the size of the backend window. - In a workspace, the report refers to the reporter's current workspace. ## Screenshots {#usage-screenshot} Screenshots are created and edited in the browser. Nothing is uploaded before the report is sent. - **Capture screen** The browser asks which tab, window or screen to share. The dialog hides while the picture is taken. Only one frame is captured and the capture stops immediately. - **Upload image** PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF or BMP files. - **Paste or drop** Paste an image with `Ctrl+V` / `Cmd+V`, or drop an image file onto the screenshot area. The editor provides these tools: | Tool | Key | Purpose | | --- | --- | --- | | Select | `V` | Move, resize, recolor or delete annotations | | Rectangle | `R` | Frame an area | | Arrow | `A` | Point at something | | Draw | `D` | Draw freehand, for example to circle or underline something | | Text | `T` | Add a note | | Redact | `B` | Cover confidential content with an opaque black box | Annotations use one of five colors: red, orange, green, blue and black. Existing annotations can be selected with every tool: click an annotation to select it, then drag it to move it, use the handles to resize it, pick a color to recolor it (redactions stay black), or press `Delete` / `Backspace` or the trash button to remove it. `Esc` clears the selection. With the select and text tools, notes can be dragged right away. To change a note, click it with the text tool, double-click it, or select it and press `Enter`; an emptied note is removed. Undo and redo are available as buttons and with `Ctrl+Z` / `Cmd+Z` and `Ctrl+Y` / `Shift+Cmd+Z`. When the report is sent, annotations and redactions are merged into the image, so redacted content cannot be recovered. Large screenshots are scaled down and compressed to stay below [reporting.maxScreenshotSizeKb](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/priebera/typo3-context-reporter:confval-setting-reporting-maxscreenshotsizekb@0.3). ## Report history {#usage-history} **System > Context Reports** lists the reports, newest first. Two filters can be combined: - the review state: **Open** (the default), **Resolved** or **All**, each with the number of reports, - the delivery state: **Delivered**, **Partially delivered**, **Delivery failed** or **Stored locally**. Each row shows the report title and ID, the reported object with its identifier and page or folder, the reporter, the creation time, the review state and the delivery state. Long titles are shortened; content elements with a long title are listed by their type, for example **Plain HTML** with `tt_content:142 · About us`. A click anywhere on a row opens the report; the title is a regular link. ![A saved report in System > Context Reports with its state, the reported object, the screenshot, the description, the reporter and the delivery history, and the Copy and Download actions](../Images/context-reporter-report-detail.png) The detail view shows, in this order: - title, report ID, creation time and entry point, the review and delivery state, and **Mark as resolved** or **Reopen**, - the reported object with its identifier, page, site, language, workspace and module, and the actions **Open in TYPO3**, **Edit metadata** (files) and **Open frontend** (pages and records), - the screenshot, - the description, the reporter and the delivery history with destination, time, attempt, result, HTTP status code, safe error message, external ticket reference and the user who triggered the delivery or download, - **Technical details**, collapsed by default: all attached data as tables and as raw JSON, - **Delete report**, separated from everything else. It asks for confirmation. The document header offers: - ****Copy**** Copies a short text summary, the Markdown version, the JSON document without the screenshot data, or the link to the report to the clipboard. - ****Download**** Downloads the Markdown version, the complete JSON document including the screenshot (base64), or the screenshot itself. Failed deliveries can be retried as long as the destination is enabled. Apart from the delivery history and the review state, reports cannot be changed. ## Open and resolved reports {#usage-review} New reports are open. When a problem has been dealt with, an administrator marks the report as resolved; the report remembers who resolved it and when. Resolved reports can be reopened. The review state is independent of the delivery state and is not part of downloads, emails or webhook payloads. Context Reporter deliberately has no assignments, priorities, comments or due dates: use your ticket system for those. ## Retention and cleanup {#usage-retention} Reports stay in the database until they are deleted or removed by the cleanup. Deleting a report always deletes its screenshot and delivery history as well. The retention is configured with [reporting.retentionDays](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/priebera/typo3-context-reporter:confval-setting-reporting-retentiondays@0.3) and defaults to keeping reports forever. Nothing is removed automatically: the cleanup runs only when an administrator starts it. In **System > Context Reports > Settings > Reports & storage**, the cleanup panel shows how many reports (and how many of them are still open), screenshots with their size, and delivery attempts would be removed, and asks for confirmation before it removes them. The cleanup also removes screenshots and delivery attempts whose report no longer exists. The same cleanup is available as console command: ```bash # Show what the configured retention would remove vendor/bin/typo3 context-reporter:cleanup --dry-run # Apply the configured retention vendor/bin/typo3 context-reporter:cleanup # Remove reports older than 90 days, regardless of the configured retention vendor/bin/typo3 context-reporter:cleanup --days=90 ``` With the retention "keep forever", the command removes no reports unless `--days` is given. The command can run from cron or as **Execute console commands** task of the TYPO3 Scheduler.