# Runtime API log to debug panel

**URL:** <https://discourse.nodered.org/t/runtime-api-log-to-debug-panel/2365>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [17 August 2018 12:45 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/runtime-api-log-to-debug-panel/2365 "2018-08-17T12:45:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CatalinFetoiu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@CatalinFetoiu](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/CatalinFetoiu)\
**Post date:** [17 August 2018 12:45 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/runtime-api-log-to-debug-panel/2365/1 "2018-08-17T12:45:08Z")

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Hello,

Can you give me an example of how to write to the debug panel (the one in in the interface beside the info one)? I tried to follow the code of the debug node but I could not understand it completely.

To be more clear, I embedded node-red into and express app and want to write some messages from the app to the debug panel.

Thank you in advance!

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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:** [17 August 2018 13:03 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/runtime-api-log-to-debug-panel/2365/2 "2018-08-17T13:03:27Z")

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You can do this using node.warn, but that may not be what you are looking for.

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**Author:** ![CatalinFetoiu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@CatalinFetoiu](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/CatalinFetoiu)\
**Post date:** [17 August 2018 13:27 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/runtime-api-log-to-debug-panel/2365/3 "2018-08-17T13:27:45Z")

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And how can I do it if I don't have access to any of the nodes? So I am inside an express server which embedds node-red and want to show a welcome message let's say before any flow is deployed?

Thank you!

vin., 17 aug. 2018, 16:13 Colin [nodered@discoursemail.com](mailto:nodered@discoursemail.com) a scris:

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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:** [17 August 2018 13:49 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/runtime-api-log-to-debug-panel/2365/4 "2018-08-17T13:49:23Z")

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I said it might not be what you want. It wasn't clear that you wanted to do it before deploying.

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**Author:** ![knolleary](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/discourse.nodered.org/knolleary/32/3_2.png) [@knolleary](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/knolleary)\
**Post date:** [17 August 2018 13:59 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/runtime-api-log-to-debug-panel/2365/5 "2018-08-17T13:59:13Z")

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@CatalinFetoiu one way to do it is, is by using the log - although, by default the Debug sidebar only shows warning or higher level messages. Assuming you have the `RED` object (from `require('node-red')`:

```
RED.log.warn("Hi there");

```

To do anything else would be to delve into the internals of Node-RED which are not public apis and subject to change.

And of course that only displays a message at that point in time - there's not guarantee that there is a browser connected at that point in time. If someone opens the editor 2 seconds later, they won't get the message.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![CatalinFetoiu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@CatalinFetoiu](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/CatalinFetoiu)\
**Post date:** [17 August 2018 15:04 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/runtime-api-log-to-debug-panel/2365/6 "2018-08-17T15:04:46Z")

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Thank you!

That was what I was looking for 🙂

vin., 17 aug. 2018, 17:09 Nick O'Leary [nodered@discoursemail.com](mailto:nodered@discoursemail.com) a scris: