Troubleshoot autosuggest

If Autosuggest isn’t working as expected and you need to troubleshoot autosuggest, it helps to first understand how autosuggest functions.

For Autosuggest to work, ElasticProbe needs to inject JavaScript into your site and locate your search bar. With a standard WordPress theme—such as Twenty Twenty—or any theme that follows WordPress markup conventions, ElasticProbe can usually detect the search bar automatically. However, if you’re using a custom theme that does not include the typical WordPress search bar classes or markup, you may need to manually specify the CSS selector in the ElasticProbe → Features→Autosuggest menu.

Autosuggest and Autocomplete settings

Steps to Troubleshoot Autosuggest

  1. Verify that Autosuggest is enabled

    • Navigate to ElasticProbe → Features and select the Autosuggest tab.

    • Ensure the Enabled toggle is switched on.

    • Note: Enabling Autosuggest requires resync, as the feature adds a new field for partial string matching.

  2. Check for JavaScript errors

    • Open your browser’s Developer Tools and inspect the Console tab.

    • If you see errors, resolve them in your code or temporarily disable plugins that may be causing conflicts.

    • Once errors are cleared, test Autosuggest again.

  3. Inspect network requests

    • In your browser’s Developer Tools, open the Network tab.

    • If you’re using ElasticProbe.com, you should see HTTP requests to URLs ending in /autosuggest each time you type or delete a character in the search bar.

    • Remember: Autosuggest only activates after at least three characters are entered.

  4. Confirm the CSS selector

    • If no network requests appear, ElasticProbe may not be targeting the correct search input.

    • Add the appropriate CSS selector for your search field under Additional Selectors in the Autosuggest feature settings.

  5. Address HTTP errors

    • If Autosuggest requests are made but fail with a HTTP error, try re-saving your search weighting settings.

    • Go to ElasticProbe → Search Fields & Weighting in your WordPress dashboard and click Save.

    • If the issue persists, contact ElasticProbe support for assistance through our contact page or open a GitHub issue.