Visual filtering

Filter Builder

Use the Filter Builder window to review, combine, save, and clear filters and highlight rules applied to the live log view.

Open the builder
Filter mental model
Tabs and rule states
Highlight rules
Presets, clearing, and workflows

What It Does

The Filter Builder is Azkar Console's visual workspace for narrowing or visually marking a noisy log session without changing the captured log data. It builds the same filter and highlight state used by the toolbar, status bar, quick-filter context menus, exports, and live log view.

When you change a filter or highlight rule, the visible list updates immediately. The original log stream remains intact and chronological.

Open It

Click the Filters button in the console toolbar.
Choose Open Filter Builder from the filters menu.
Press the default Action+K shortcut.
Create filters or highlights from a row's right-click Quick Filters menu, then use the builder to review, refine, save, or clear them.

Action means Command on macOS and Control on Windows/Linux.

Mental Model

Rule	Meaning
Within one filter type	Include selections behave like OR. Including Network and Gameplay categories shows logs whose category is Network or Gameplay.
Across different filter types	Filters behave like AND. Including category Network and alias Server shows Network logs that also came from Server.
Excludes	Exclude rules hide matching rows even when another rule would include them.
Highlights	Highlight rules mark matching rows without changing visibility. Multiple matching highlights share the row background as theme-controlled diagonal stripes.
Tags	Tags use any selected tag matching. A row with either Combat or Boss can pass a tag filter that includes both.
Sources	Source filters can target either a whole file or one exact `File.cs:line` callsite.

Builder Layout

The top summary strip shows every active rule as chips grouped by type: severity, search, alias, category, tag, thread, source, volatile filters, volatile highlights, persistent filters, persistent highlights, and context rules. Highlight chips include a color circle at the right edge; click the circle to open the color picker directly, or right-click the chip to change its state or remove it.

The Active Presets strip shows stacked presets currently contributing rules. Presets can be removed one at a time. If a preset rule is overridden by another rule, the preset chip shows an override count.

The tab row contains Alias, Category, Tag, Thread, Source, and Context. A number beside a tab means that tab has active rules.

Each normal tab has a local search box, a sort toggle, Clear Column, and a list of discovered values.

Rule States

Each value row has six state buttons. A value can only have one state at a time. Clicking a different state moves it; clicking the active state again removes it.

Button	Meaning	Cleared By
`+`	Volatile include. Show logs matching this value.	`Clear Volatile` or `Clear Everything`.
`-`	Volatile exclude. Hide logs matching this value.	`Clear Volatile` or `Clear Everything`.
`H`	Volatile highlight. Mark matching rows without hiding other rows.	`Clear Volatile` or `Clear Everything`.
`P+`	Persistent include. Keep showing only this value across volatile clears.	`Clear Everything` or column clear.
`P-`	Persistent exclude. Keep hiding this value across volatile clears.	`Clear Everything` or column clear.
`PH`	Persistent highlight. Keep marking matching rows across volatile clears.	`Clear Everything` or column clear.

Highlight Rules

Highlight rules use the same structured values as include and exclude filters, but they only mark matching rows. Use H for temporary highlights and PH for persistent highlights.

Each highlight rule stores its own color in the Filter Builder. Active highlight chips show that color in a small circle on the right side of the chip; click the circle to open the color picker directly, or use the chip's context menu when you are already working from right-click actions.

When several highlight rules match the same row, Azkar Console draws a diagonal stripe for each matching color instead of choosing one winner. The stripe renderer supports any number of matching highlights, and the row text, badges, and source colors are drawn above the highlight layer so content keeps its normal readability and colors.

Filter Tabs

Tab	Use For
Alias	Logical source names such as SaveSystem, Server, Client A, or runtime-created aliases. Alias include filters do not match unaliased rows.
Category	Each row's primary category, such as Gameplay, Network, UI, or a custom project category.
Tag	Structured labels for cross-cutting concerns such as Combat, Boss, Verbose, Prediction, or Autosave.
Thread	Captured thread id. Thread `1` is displayed as `Main Thread`; other ids are shown as numbered worker threads.
Source	Caller filename or exact source location. File filters match by filename for portability, not by absolute path.
Context	Dragged GameObjects or Components that should highlight, include, or exclude matching logs.

Source Filters

Expanding a source file reveals logged line callsites. Use file filters to focus on one script, and line filters to mute or inspect one noisy log statement.

Peek opens a source preview for a specific callsite when the file can be resolved.

Context Filters

Drop a GameObject or Component into the Context tab to choose whether matching logs should be highlighted, included, or excluded. Context highlight rules use the same row-highlight layer as Filter Builder highlights; include and exclude rules affect visibility.

GameObject rules cover the object plus its components, while Component rules target that component's context id. Context rules apply only to logs with explicit Azkar Console context metadata.

Presets

Save Preset stores the current effective filter setup as a reusable preset. Saved presets include resolved alias, category, tag, thread, source, severity, search, regex, include, exclude, highlight, and persistent rules. Dragged context highlight, include, and exclude rules are session rules and are not part of saved filter presets.

Add Preset stacks a saved preset into the current builder instead of replacing everything. If the incoming preset says to include a value that another rule excludes, Azkar Console opens a conflict resolver and asks whether the effective result should be include or exclude. The chosen result is remembered while the conflict exists.

The main filters menu can also apply a saved preset as a replacement for current filters, overwrite an existing preset with the current setup, delete presets, or save the current setup under a new name.

Clearing Filters

Action	What It Clears
`Clear Volatile`	Search, regex, severity, volatile includes, volatile excludes, volatile highlights, active presets, preset overrides, and context rules. Persistent `P+`, `P-`, and `PH` rules remain.
`Clear Everything`	All filters and highlight rules, including persistent rules, active presets, and context rules.
`Clear Column`	Every include, exclude, and highlight rule in the current tab, both volatile and persistent.

Practical Workflows

To focus on one system, open Category, press + on Network, then optionally press - on noisy tags or source lines.
To mute one spammy log statement, open Source, expand the file, find the line, and press P-. That hides only that callsite while leaving the rest of the file visible.
To mark an important system without hiding surrounding context, press H on its category, tag, alias, source, or context rule, then click the chip's color circle to choose the highlight color.
To build a reusable debugging view, combine categories, aliases, tags, and source rules, then click Save Preset.
To temporarily narrow or mark a session without disturbing long-term filters, use +, -, and H. To keep a filter or highlight around while you clear temporary work, use P+, P-, or PH.