Right-clicking on the column headers at the top of the Web Sessions list offers a context menu with two options:
Ensure all columns are visible Ensures that all columns are visible by resizing each to at least 30 pixels
16 | Exploring Fiddler
wide.
Learn about configuring columns... Opens a help topic which explains how to add new columns to the Web Sessions list.
Right-clicking in the body of the Web Sessions list shows a large context menu. Many of the options are available only if one or more sessions are selected in the Web Sessions list. This menu can be extended by FiddlerScript, so it will often contain additional commands that are not listed here.
The AutoScroll Session List option controls whether or not Fiddler automatically scrolls to the bottom of the Web Sessions list as new sessions are added.
The Copy submenu enables you to copy the information of your choice from the sessions selected in the Web Sessions list:
Just Url Copies the Urls of the selected Sessions to the clipboard, one per line. You may also invoke this command by pressing CTRL+U when focus is in the Web Sessions list.
This column
Copies the text in the column over which the context menu was opened. The text for each of the selected Sessions is added to the clipboard, one per line.
Terse summary
Copies a terse summary of the selected Sessions to the clipboard. This summary includes the Request Method and URL, and the responses’ status codes and status text. If a response is a HTTP/3xx redirect, the text will include the target Location header. You may also invoke this command by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+T when focus is in the Web Sessions list.
Headers only
Copies Sessions’ headers to the clipboard. The text is copied in both plaintext and HTML formats, so you will see different results if you paste into an editor that handles only plain text (e.g. notepad) versus one that handles rich text (e.g. Microsoft Word). As this is the “default”
command, double clicking on the Copy submenu itself will invoke a header copy. You may also invoke this command by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+C when focus is in the Web Sessions list.
Session Copies complete Sessions to the clipboard. The text is copied in both plaintext and HTML formats, so you will see different results if you paste into an editor that handles only plain text versus one that handles rich text. You may also invoke this command by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+S when focus is in the Web Sessions list.
Full Summary
Copies the information shown in the Web Sessions list to the clipboard. The columns are delimited by tabs which enables you to paste this information into Microsoft Excel or other programs neatly. You may also invoke this command by pressing CTRL+C when focus is in the Web Sessions list.
The Save submenu exposes options that allow you to save traffic to files:
All Sessions Saves all sessions in the Web Sessions list to a SAZ file.
17 | Exploring Fiddler ...and Open as
Local File
Saves the selected sessions’ response bodies to individual files, then opens each file in the registered handler for the response’s file type. If you hold the CTRL key while invoking this option, Windows will prompt you to select which application to use to open the file.
Selected Sessions In ArchiveZip Saves Sessions selected in the Web Sessions list to a SAZ file.
As Text Saves selected Sessions to a single text file.
As Text (Headers only)
Saves the selected Sessions’ request and response headers to a single text file.
Request Entire Request Saves the selected Sessions’ request headers and bodies to individ-ual files.
Request Body Saves the selected Sessions’ request bodies to individual files.
Response Entire Response Saves the selected sessions’ response headers and bodies to individual files. This option is useful if you would like to create responses file that you can later play back using the AutoRespond-er.
Response Body Saves the selected sessions’ request bodies to individual files. This option is useful if you would like to open the response body (say, an image) in another program that would be confused by the presence of HTTP response headers.
The Remove Submenu allows you to remove All, Selected, or Unselected Sessions from the Web Sessions list. The CTRL+X, Delete, or Shift+Delete keys may be used to activate these commands when focus is in the Web Sessions list.
The Comment… menu command allows you to add or update the Comment field for one or more selected Web Sessions.
The Mark submenu allows you to select a color to mark the Sessions selected in the Web Sessions list. The font of the Sessions will be bolded and colored according to your choice. The Unmark option will unbold the selected Sessions and revert their font color to the default.
The Replay submenu offers commands that replay the currently selected requests.
Reissue Requests Reissues the selected requests as they were originally sent. If you hold SHIFT while invoking this command, Fiddler will prompt you for the number of times the requests should be repeated. You may invoke this command by pressing the R key in the Web Sessions list.
Reissue Unconditionally
Unconditionally replay the selected requests, sending no Modified-Since and If-None-Match headers to prevent the server from returning a HTTP/304 response. If you hold SHIFT while invoking this command, Fiddler will prompt you for the number of times the requests should be repeated. You may invoke this command by pressing the U
18 | Exploring Fiddler
key in the Web Sessions list.
Reissue and Edit Reissues the selected requests as they were originally sent, setting a request breakpoint on each new Session to allow you to use Fiddler’s Inspectors to modify the requests before they are sent to the server.
Revisit in IE For each selected request, navigates to the request URL in Internet Explorer. Note that Internet Explorer will always navigate using a GET request and its own headers and cookies, regardless of what HTTP methods and headers were captured on the sessions you are replaying.
The Select submenu allows you to use your currently-selected session to select other sessions:
Parent Request The Parent Request option will attempt to use this request’s Referer header and request ID to determine what session, if any, was responsible for this request being sent. For instance, if you invoke this command on a JavaScript request, the Session selected will typically be the HTML page that caused this JavaScript file to be downloaded. Pressing the P key while focus is in the Web Sessions list will also invoke this command.
Child Requests The Child Requests option will attempt to use this request’s URL and request ID to select any requests sent as a result of this response. For instance, if you invoke this command on a HTML Session, the Sessions selected will typically be the CSS, JS, and image files mentioned in the HTML markup. Pressing the Ckey while focus is in the Web Sessions list will also invoke this command.
Duplicate Requests
Selects all sessions in the Web Sessions list which share the currently selected session’s URL and HTTP method.
The Compare command is available only when two sessions are selected in the Web Sessions list. Selecting this command will save the sessions to two temporary files and then launch the configured comparison tool to allow you to compare the requests and responses.
The COMETPeek command will take a “snapshot” of an in-progress response, allowing you to inspect a partial response before it has been completed. This command is useful in cases where a web application is using the COMET pattern to return a never-ending stream of data to the client. Since the stream is, by-definition, without end, Fiddler wouldn’t otherwise be able to show the response until the server terminates the connection.
The Abort Session command will terminate the client and server connections for an in-progress request.
The Clone Response command is only available when two sessions are selected in the Web Sessions list and one of the Sessions is currently paused at a breakpoint and the other Session is completed. The command will copy the response from the completed Session to the paused Session. This feature enables you to easily replicate a previously captured (or modified) response to satisfy a later request.
19 | Exploring Fiddler The Unlock for Editing menu command unlocks a single selected Session, allowing you to edit the completed Session’s request and response using the Inspectors. You may invoke this command by pressing F2 when focus is in the Web Sessions list.
The Inspect in New Window command opens a Session Inspector window which allows you to view the session’s request, response, and properties in a standalone window.
The Properties… command opens the Session Properties window which displays information about the currently selected Session, including its timers, session flags, and information about how the request was routed.
20 | Exploring Fiddler
F I D D L E R ’ S M A I N M E N U
The main menu is designed to provide access to almost all of Fiddler’s functionality. The menu system can be augmented by FiddlerScript or Extensions, but in this section, we’ll discuss only Fiddler’s default menu commands.