> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://captivatehelp.newbluelive.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://captivatehelp.newbluelive.com/troubleshooting/playback-doesnt-behave-as-expected.md).

# Playback doesn't behave as expected

Use this when a graphic, data binding, or playback action doesn’t do what you expected and you can’t tell why from the Project List and Program Monitor alone. The Message Log records what Captivate thinks is happening; recording the run captures the exact sequence so you (or NewBlue support) can play it back later.

## Open the Message Log

The Message Log is a dock panel that records the actions Captivate took on each graphic — when the cache built, when a Data Controller pushed a value, when a layer played in or out, when a graphic was taken on or off air. Reading the log is the fastest way to see whether a misbehaviour is upstream (a value never arrived, the wrong value arrived) or downstream (the value arrived correctly but the graphic didn’t respond as expected).

1. Open **View > Message Log**. The dock appears (default position: right side, tabbed with related dialogs).
2. The newest events appear at the bottom. Scroll back to find the moment the problem started.

The Log doesn’t have severity levels — every entry is an event, not a warning or error. What you’re looking for is whether something **that should have happened** is missing, or whether something **that did happen** doesn’t match what you expected.

For a full guide to reading the columns and recognizing common action patterns, see [Read the Message Log](/troubleshooting/read-the-message-log.md).

## Send the project and a Support Package to NewBlue support

If you can reproduce the problem on demand, the fastest path to a resolution is sending NewBlue support enough material to reproduce it on their side: the project file, the graphics it references, and a Support Package that captures Captivate’s recent logs and diagnostic state.

1. Reproduce the problem so it’s fresh in the logs.
2. With the problem visible (or having just occurred), open **Help > Create Support Package**. Captivate writes a zip file containing recent logs, system information, and project state. Save it where you can find it.
3. Open **File > Save Project As…** and pick **Captivate project with Assets** from the **Save as type** dropdown — that filter bundles the current project together with the graphics, fonts, and media it references into a single archive. (You can also use **File > Export Project…** for a packaged copy.)
4. Send both files — the Support Package zip and the packaged project — to NewBlue support along with a written description of:
   * What you expected to happen.
   * What actually happened.
   * The sequence of actions that triggered the problem.

For details on what’s in a Support Package and how to handle crash cases, see [Create a Support Package](/troubleshooting/report-a-problem-with-a-support-package.md).

## Related

* [A graphic flickers on playback](/troubleshooting/graphic-flickers-on-playback.md)
* [Create a Support Package](/troubleshooting/report-a-problem-with-a-support-package.md)
* [Send diagnostics to NewBlue Support](/troubleshooting/send-a-diagnostic-report.md) — when and how to package logs and a project for NewBlue Support.


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