🔥 Timeline / Flame Chart

Use the Timeline to visualize code execution, event durations, and performance bottlenecks. Zoom, pan, navigate with the minimap overview, and interact with detailed tooltips for efficient Salesforce apex log analysis and debugging.

The new experimental timeline is up to 7X faster than the legacy timeline, with improved performance especially for large logs. It includes text labels on frames, faster zoom/pan operations, and a more natural time axis scaling.

Legacy Timeline

To revert to the legacy timeline, navigate to Settings → Apex Log Analyzer → Timeline → Legacy and enable it.

Navigation

Zoom + Pan

Action	Mouse	Keyboard
Zoom In/Out	Scroll wheel (mouse-anchored)	W / S or + / -
Pan Horizontally	Alt/Option + Scroll, Trackpad swipe, or Drag	A / D
Pan Vertically	Shift + Scroll or Drag	Shift+W / Shift+S
Reset Zoom	—	Home or 0

• When zooming, the mouse pointer position is kept on screen (mouse-anchored zoom).
• Trackpad users can swipe left/right for natural horizontal panning.
• Time markers are shown with a ms time value (e.g., 9600.001 ms).

Frame Selection

Click on any event to select and highlight it. Selection enables keyboard navigation through the call stack.

Action	Mouse	Keyboard
Select Frame	Click	—
Clear Selection	Click empty space	Escape
Navigate to Parent	—	Arrow Down
Navigate to Child	—	Arrow Up
Navigate to Sibling	—	Arrow Left / Arrow Right
Focus/Zoom to Frame	Double-click	Enter or Z

Arrow Key Behavior

When no frame is selected, arrow keys pan the viewport. When a frame is selected, arrow keys navigate the call stack. Hold Shift to always pan.

Selecting a frame also fills the inspector, so you can read its governor metrics, call stack and scoped call tree beside the chart.

Go to Call Tree

Action	Mouse	Keyboard
Show in Call Tree	Cmd/Ctrl + Click	J
Show Context Menu	Right-click	—

Use J or Cmd/Ctrl+Click to navigate to the selected frame in the Call Tree. Right-click opens a context menu with additional actions.

Context Menu

Right-click on any frame to access:

• Show in Call Tree (J) - Navigate to the frame in the Call Tree
• Go to Source - Jump to the source method in your project (when available)
• Zoom to Frame (Z) - Zoom and center the selected frame
• Copy Name (Cmd/Ctrl+C) - Copy the frame name to clipboard
• Copy Details - Copy tooltip information
• Copy Call Stack - Copy the full call stack

Right-click on empty space shows Reset Zoom (0).

Markers

Log issue markers (truncation, errors, exceptions, etc.) can be selected and navigated. Exceptions draw as a thin red hairline at the moment each was thrown; a dense cluster collapses into a single "N exceptions" marker. Method tooltips also show a Throws count for exceptions thrown anywhere in that method's subtree.

Action	Mouse	Keyboard
Select Marker	Click	—
Navigate Markers	—	Arrow Left / Arrow Right (when marker selected)
Jump to Call Tree	Cmd/Ctrl + Click	J

Search + Highlight

The timeline supports search functionality that dims non-matching events, making it easier to find specific matches visually.

Action	Keyboard
Next Match	Enter
Previous Match	Shift+Enter
Continuous Navigation	Hold Enter or Shift+Enter

Measurement & Zoom Tools

Measure Range

Use Shift+Drag to measure the duration between any two points on the timeline. This is useful for precisely measuring the time span of specific operations or groups of events.

Action	Mouse/Keyboard
Create Measurement	Shift+Drag on timeline
Resize Measurement	Drag the left or right edge of the measurement
Zoom to Measurement	Double-click inside measurement, or click zoom icon
Clear Measurement	Escape or click outside the measurement area

The measurement overlay displays:

• The time duration of the selected range
• A zoom icon to quickly zoom to fit the measured area

Resize Handles

Hover near the edges of an existing measurement to see the resize cursor. Drag to adjust the measurement boundaries - edges can be dragged past each other to swap positions.

Area Zoom

Use Alt/Option+Drag to select a time range and instantly zoom to fit it. This provides a quick way to focus on a specific portion of the timeline.

Action	Mouse/Keyboard
Area Zoom	Alt/Option+Drag on timeline

Release the mouse button to zoom the viewport to fit the selected area exactly.

Tooltip

Hovering over an element displays detailed information about that event. Use J or Cmd/Ctrl+Click to navigate to the frame in the Call Tree.

The tooltip provides the following information:

• Event Name - e.g., METHOD_ENTRY, EXECUTION_STARTED, SOQL_EXECUTION_BEGIN
• Event Description - Additional information about the event such as method name or SOQL query executed
• Timestamp - The start and end timestamp for the given event which can be cross-referenced in the log file
• Time - Wall-clock time of day for the event (e.g., 14:30:05.122 → 14:30:06.625). Only shown when wall-clock data is available in the log.
• Duration - Made up of Total Time (time spent in that event and its children) and Self Time (time directly spent in that event)
• Rows - Shows Total Rows (rows from that event and its children) and Self Rows (rows directly from that event)
• Throws - Number of exceptions thrown within that event's subtree, when any occurred

Minimap

The minimap gives you instant context of your entire log. Spot hotspots at a glance, jump anywhere with a click, and always know exactly where you are, all without scrolling.

What the Minimap Shows

• Skyline Chart: A density-based visualization:
  • Height = maximum call stack depth at that point
  • Color = dominant event category (Apex, SOQL, DML, etc.)
  • Opacity = event density (brighter = more events)
• Viewport Lens: A window showing exactly what's visible in the main timeline (time range horizontal, depth range vertical)
• Time Axis: Time reference markers at the top
• Markers: Error, skip, and truncation markers from the main timeline
• Cursor Mirroring: Hover to see a guide line on the main timeline

Mouse Interactions

Action	Mouse	Result
Create Zoom	Drag anywhere	Draw a viewport area and zoom to it
Resize Viewport	Drag lens edge	Adjust zoom range
Move Viewport	Drag top/Shift+Drag	Pan the viewport
Teleport Lens	Cmd/Ctrl+Click	Center the lens on click position
Zoom In/Out	Scroll (vertical)	Zoom at cursor position
Pan Horizontally	Scroll (horizontal)	Move viewport left/right
Pan Depth	Drag (vertical)	Scroll the main timeline up/down
Reset	Double-click	Zoom out to fit entire timeline

Teleport Navigation

Cmd/Ctrl+Click is the fastest way to jump to any point in a massive log. The lens teleports to center on your click while preserving the current zoom level.

Keyboard Shortcuts

When your mouse is hovering over the minimap, these keyboard shortcuts are available:

Key	Action
Arrow Left	Pan viewport left (10% of selection width)
Arrow Right	Pan viewport right (10% of selection width)
Arrow Up	Pan depth up (show deeper frames)
Arrow Down	Pan depth down (show shallower frames)
W / + / =	Zoom in (narrow the lens)
S / -	Zoom out (widen the lens)
Home	Jump to timeline start
End	Jump to timeline end
0 / Escape	Reset zoom (fit entire timeline)

Lens Label

When hovering over the viewport lens or dragging, a label appears showing:

• The duration of the selected time range (e.g., "1.23s")
• The time range start and end (e.g., "0.5s - 1.73s")

Governor Limits Strip

The Governor Limits strip displays Salesforce governor limit usage over time, positioned below the main timeline. It provides instant visual feedback on limit consumption to help identify potential limit breaches.

Display Modes

Collapsed Mode (Default)

A compact heat-style visualization showing the maximum limit usage across all metrics at each point in time.

Traffic Light Colors:

Usage Range	Color	Meaning
0-50%	Transparent	Safe
50-80%	Amber/Orange	Warning
80-100%	Red	Critical
>100%	Purple	Breach

Expanded Mode

Click the chevron icon (◀/▼) in the top-left corner or Shift+Click anywhere to expand to a full step chart showing:

• Tier 1 Metrics: Top 3 metrics by usage (solid colored lines)
• Tier 2 Metrics: Any metric exceeding 80% (solid colored lines)
• Tier 3 Metrics: Remaining metrics (aggregated as grey dashed line)
• Danger Zone: Semi-transparent band from 80-100%
• 100% Limit Line: Red dashed line at the limit threshold
• Breach Areas: Purple shading for values above 100%

Where the log reports no limits

A percentage needs a limit, and the log is the only source of one. Where it reports none, each metric is scaled to its own highest point instead, so the shape of usage over time still reads. The band, the 100% line, the breach shading and the traffic-light colours all mark a distance from a limit, so they come off; the collapsed strip shades by level in a single neutral grey, and the tooltip reads 770 of 1,240 rather than 770 / 1,240.

Mouse Interactions

Action	Mouse	Result
Toggle View	Click chevron or Shift+Click	Switch between collapsed/expanded
Show Tooltip	Hover	Display metric breakdown
Center Timeline	Click on strip	Pan timeline to clicked position
Zoom	Scroll (vertical)	Zoom at cursor position
Pan	Scroll (horizontal)	Move timeline left/right
Reset View	Double-click	Fit entire timeline

Keyboard Shortcuts

When your mouse is hovering over the Governor Limits strip, these keyboard shortcuts are available:

Key	Action
Arrow Left	Pan viewport left (10% of selection width)
Arrow Right	Pan viewport right (10% of selection width)
W / +	Zoom in
S / -	Zoom out
Home	Jump to timeline start
End	Jump to timeline end
0 / Escape	Reset zoom (fit entire timeline)

Tooltip

Hovering over the metric strip displays a detailed breakdown showing:

• Always-visible metrics: CPU Time, Heap Size, SOQL Queries, Query Rows, DML Statements, DML Rows
• Top 3 by percentage: Highest usage metrics (if not already shown)
• Critical metrics: Any metric at or above 80%
• Summary: Count of remaining metrics with max percentage

Each row displays: color swatch, metric name, percentage, and used/limit values.

Wall-Clock Time

The timeline supports switching between two time display modes:

• Elapsed Time (default): Time relative to the start of the log (e.g., 0 ms, 1500 ms, 2.5 s)
• Wall-Clock Time: Actual time of day from the log (e.g., 14:30:05.122)

Click the clock icon button in the top-right corner of the timeline toolbar to toggle between modes.

Themes

The timeline supports multiple color themes for better visual clarity and personalization. The extension includes 19 built-in themes with improved contrast and readability.

Built-in Themes

The following themes are available out of the box:

• 50 Shades of Green (default)
• 50 Shades of Green Bright
• Botanical Twilight
• Catppuccin
• Chrome
• Dracula
• Dusty Aurora
• Firefox
• Flame
• Forest Floor
• Garish
• Material
• Modern
• Monokai Pro
• Nord
• Nord Forest
• Okabe-Ito
• Salesforce
• Solarized

Switching Themes

There are two ways to change the active timeline theme:

Command Palette

1. Open the Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P on macOS or Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux)
2. Type "Log: Timeline Theme"
3. Select a theme from the list
4. Preview themes by navigating through the options with arrow keys
5. Press Enter to confirm, or Esc to revert to the previous theme

Settings

Navigate to Settings → Apex Log Analyzer → Timeline → Active Theme and select your preferred theme from the dropdown.

Custom Themes

You can create custom color themes to match your preferences or specific use cases.

Creating Custom Themes

1. Navigate to Settings → Apex Log Analyzer → Timeline → Custom Themes
2. Define your custom theme(s) using the following structure:

"lana.timeline.customThemes": {
  "Glacial Warmth": {
    "apex": "#6882A6",
    "codeUnit": "#7A9B6E",
    "system": "#9E8E7C",
    "automation": "#D98650",
    "dml": "#C85A5A",
    "soql": "#57A89A",
    "callout": "#C9A64D",
    "validation": "#8B7BAC"
  },
  "Orchid Slate": {
    "apex": "#647C96",
    "codeUnit": "#8872A8",
    "system": "#8A7E7E",
    "automation": "#C08545",
    "dml": "#C94C6E",
    "soql": "#5A9E85",
    "callout": "#B5A044",
    "validation": "#4EA6A6"
  }
}

Theme Color Properties

Each theme requires the following color properties (in hex format):

• apex - Apex method entry/exit events
• codeUnit - Code Unit events
• system - System method calls
• automation - Workflow, Flow, and Process Builder events
• dml - DML operations (insert, update, delete, etc.)
• soql - SOQL queries
• callout - HTTP callout events
• validation - Validation rule events

Custom themes will appear in the theme selector alongside built-in themes and can be switched using the Command Palette or settings.

note

Custom theme names cannot override built-in theme names. If you use the same name as a built-in theme, the built-in theme will take precedence.