# \[FeatureRequest/Discussion\]Alter Debug indentation

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/featurerequest-discussion-alter-debug-indentation/24169>\
**Category:** Feature Requests\
**Created:** [3 April 2020 16:15 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/featurerequest-discussion-alter-debug-indentation/24169 "2020-04-03T16:15:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![cymplecy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/cymplecy/32/2773_2.png) [@cymplecy](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/cymplecy)\
**Post date:** [3 April 2020 16:15 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/featurerequest-discussion-alter-debug-indentation/24169/1 "2020-04-03T16:15:42Z")

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This may be just me, but when dealing with complex messages - I easily get confused (and then spend time trying to work out why I can't access a property) by the debug indentation

![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/9/b/9b3191a6817eb6d759b25402e4a0bc3fe9893a8f.png)

When I first look at this example, its saying to me that deviceSerialNumber / name deviceType etc are properties of description

I think this because they are indented.to same level as description

Is this just me?

Could they be made to be at the same indentation as the \> symbol before description e.g.

![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/e/1/e1c2f656b07c8346754c3ba250fecc6a914c3b67.png)

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**Author:** ![dceejay](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dceejay/32/38_2.png) [@dceejay](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dceejay)\
**Post date:** [3 April 2020 16:31 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/featurerequest-discussion-alter-debug-indentation/24169/2 "2020-04-03T16:31:24Z")

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does not the arrowhead give it away that it is not expanded ? and is therefore all on one line ?  
 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/6/d/6d953ae60d2cc0255832c51d188cfa59112fce7e.png)

eg like the file viewer on a Mac  
 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/7/a/7af9b8ad15512737ff50022ee2057ac7bbee0892.png)

or windows  
 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/1/3/13871149563e705eabb1add2601cb211fee25f57.png)

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**Author:** ![Christian-Me](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/christian-me/32/10774_2.png) [@Christian-Me](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Christian-Me)\
**Post date:** [3 April 2020 16:40 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/featurerequest-discussion-alter-debug-indentation/24169/3 "2020-04-03T16:40:00Z")

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The difference might be the icon more than the arrow indicating that there is more to find?  
I trapped in the same pit as @cymplecy from time to time.  
The ident is not the only solution, perhaps printing objects and arrays bold could help.

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**Author:** ![Colin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/colin/32/17040_2.png) [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)\
**Post date:** [3 April 2020 16:57 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/featurerequest-discussion-alter-debug-indentation/24169/4 "2020-04-03T16:57:45Z")

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What do those look like if you expand the folder?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![dceejay](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dceejay/32/38_2.png) [@dceejay](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dceejay)\
**Post date:** [3 April 2020 17:04 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/featurerequest-discussion-alter-debug-indentation/24169/5 "2020-04-03T17:04:41Z")

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Debug looks like  
 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/b/9/b99d57487c599591e69f3866ee3ab001ae5de4f1.png)

mac looks like  
 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/b/5/b53ffe5491aa70c3934e1ea1593d4a3e00a25ac2.png)

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**Author:** ![cymplecy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/cymplecy/32/2773_2.png) [@cymplecy](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/cymplecy)\
**Post date:** [3 April 2020 17:10 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/featurerequest-discussion-alter-debug-indentation/24169/6 "2020-04-03T17:10:25Z")

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> [@dceejay](#):
>
> does not the arrowhead give it away that it is not expanded ?

I don't remember what the arrow head signifies but my brain reacts to the indentation

I end up thinking that description is an object and then deviceSerialNumber is 1st item within that object

Obviously - when I click on the arrow - I find out that its not 🙂

I don't see any arrows in my normal Win10 explorer view

![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/f/3/f3950ebbffb722581d6bff3df4109834f0c7ff6c.png)

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**Author:** ![Colin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/colin/32/17040_2.png) [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)\
**Post date:** [3 April 2020 17:17 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/featurerequest-discussion-alter-debug-indentation/24169/7 "2020-04-03T17:17:24Z")

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The inconsistency is at the top level. In your example host is contained within ping and is indented two spaces, so are indented three from the down arrow. However payload, topic and ping are contained with the top level but are only indented one from the top level object arrow.

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**Author:** ![dceejay](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/dceejay/32/38_2.png) [@dceejay](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dceejay)\
**Post date:** [3 April 2020 18:08 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/featurerequest-discussion-alter-debug-indentation/24169/8 "2020-04-03T18:08:09Z")

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So no inconsistency at all then. 🙂

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Colin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/colin/32/17040_2.png) [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)\
**Post date:** [3 April 2020 19:32 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/featurerequest-discussion-alter-debug-indentation/24169/9 "2020-04-03T19:32:01Z")

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They should be two further right

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Colin](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/colin/32/17040_2.png) [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)\
**Post date:** [3 April 2020 20:14 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/featurerequest-discussion-alter-debug-indentation/24169/10 "2020-04-03T20:14:19Z")

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So instead of  
 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/9/c/9cfe24508a1ae6269a40b0194a56840df0702de7.jpeg)  
it should be  
 ![debug1](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/5/4/544686c4770b4086ae9df454a2310e7ceb3f4b39.jpeg)  
and instead of  
 ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/0/1/01a91f80cc6a925623ab067a295f3bb1e3971fff.png)  
it should be  
 ![debug2](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/uploads/nodered/original/3X/a/c/acdd24b35a01735e388bf6bbeb0b83a9aaec526b.jpeg)

Which you may say makes no significant difference, but I think it is the inconsistency at the top level that injects the confusion into the brain.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![cymplecy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/cymplecy/32/2773_2.png) [@cymplecy](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/cymplecy)\
**Post date:** [2 June 2020 20:14 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/featurerequest-discussion-alter-debug-indentation/24169/11 "2020-06-02T20:14:27Z")

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