Applies to:
- Plan - Any
- Deployment - Any
- Use case - Generating shareable trace links that open directly in a custom or thread view
Summary
Goal: Generate trace URLs that open directly in Thread or a custom view. Features:Span.permalink(), Project Logs API URL construction, tvt query parameter.
Configuration steps
Step 1: Generate the base trace URL
SDK approach:id from the Project Logs API, then substitute the values above.
Step 2: Append the tvt query parameter
Append &tvt= to the base URL to control which view opens:
On desktop,
thread and custom open the Thread or Custom view tab in the Views pane, even if the recipient last selected the other tab, and open the Spans tab in the trace pane. If the recipient’s saved trace layout is Trace, a custom link switches it to Views and trace. A thread link leaves the layout unchanged, so the Views pane stays hidden until the recipient switches layouts.
Switching between Thread and Custom view updates tvt in your browser’s address bar, so a URL copied from there opens the same tab.
Example:
Step 3: Save the custom view project-wide
For&tvt=custom links, the target custom view must be saved at the project level. Otherwise, recipients may see a different view or none at all.
To save a custom view project-wide: Save → Save as new view version → Update.
Step 4: Pin a specific custom view
To open a particular saved custom view instead of the project’s default, append the view’s ID:
The view ID appears in the URL when you select a saved view in the UI. Copy it from there. The
tv and dv parameters take precedence over each recipient’s locally remembered view selection, so the link opens the exact view you specify. Unsaved views can’t be pinned this way.
Example:
Notes
tvtcontrols the visualization mode only. To open a specific saved custom view, usetv(traces) ordv(datasets) as described in Step 4.- Thread view is a visualization mode, not a distinct object — it has no separate permalink type. See Thread view span extraction and filtering.