# Writing to the output console help

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/writing-to-the-output-console-help/82144>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Created:** [November 20, 2023, 5:05pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/writing-to-the-output-console-help/82144 "2023-11-20T17:05:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Matthew\_Irving](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Matthew\_Irving](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Matthew_Irving)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2023, 5:05pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/writing-to-the-output-console-help/82144/1 "2023-11-20T17:05:13Z")

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How come in this video from university the guy creating the video can write directly to the console

[Working with Datasets Video at Inductive University](https://inductiveuniversity.com/videos/working-with-datasets/8.1)

But when I do it I have to go to the gateway to check the logs, which is a hilariously annoying dev experience.

I am simply trying to log to the Output Console a string when a button is clicked

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**Author:** ![JordanCClark](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/jordancclark/32/83362_2.png) [@JordanCClark](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/JordanCClark)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2023, 5:11pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/writing-to-the-output-console-help/82144/2 "2023-11-20T17:11:30Z")

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The video is using Vision components. I suspect you are developing in Perspective.

See [system.perspective.print()](https://docs.inductiveautomation.com/display/DOC81/system.perspective.print)

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**Author:** ![pascal.fragnoud](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pascal.fragnoud/32/24728_2.png) [@pascal.fragnoud](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pascal.fragnoud)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2023, 5:14pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/writing-to-the-output-console-help/82144/3 "2023-11-20T17:14:00Z")

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If Jordan is right and you're indeed trying this from perspective, try `system.perspective.print()` instead.  
This will print to the designer's console AND the browser's console.

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**Author:** ![Matthew\_Irving](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Matthew\_Irving](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Matthew_Irving)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2023, 5:29pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/writing-to-the-output-console-help/82144/4 "2023-11-20T17:29:13Z")

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Thank you that worked. Do you have any tips on how to access the data within a table? My button is in a flex container and my table is in a different flex container .

In the above video he does

event.source.parent.getComponent("table")

however, my event object is entirely empty, and certainly do not have a "source" option

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**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2023, 5:32pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/writing-to-the-output-console-help/82144/5 "2023-11-20T17:32:02Z")

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`event.source` is purely a Vision thing. In Perspective, the equivalent is simply `self`. You should use the property selector tool to help you connect to other components' properties. (Though, generally, it is best to connect to view custom properties bidirectionally--avoids later problems when you rearrange your components.)

(Also, don't use videos from Vision as references in Perspective. Utterly different technologies.)

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**Author:** ![Matthew\_Irving](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Matthew\_Irving](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Matthew_Irving)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2023, 5:34pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/writing-to-the-output-console-help/82144/6 "2023-11-20T17:34:22Z")

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in trying "self" I do not see a parent property either.

Thank you for the response as well

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**Author:** ![cmallonee](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/cmallonee/32/6416_2.png) [@cmallonee](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/cmallonee)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2023, 5:40pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/writing-to-the-output-console-help/82144/7 "2023-11-20T17:40:14Z")

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> [@Matthew\_Irving](#):
>
> in trying "self" I do not see a parent property either.

Not all attributes are exposed there. Review [this section](https://docs.inductiveautomation.com/display/DOC81/Perspective+Component+Methods#:~:text=Custom%20Methods-,Object%20Traversal,-In%20most%20Perspective) of the manual for documentation on what is truly available.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Matthew\_Irving](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Matthew\_Irving](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Matthew_Irving)\
**Post date:** [November 20, 2023, 7:47pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/writing-to-the-output-console-help/82144/8 "2023-11-20T19:47:38Z")

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thank you