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The VWO SmartCode Debugger is a self-serve tool that streamlines the identification and resolution of issues for your VWO SmartCode implementations. This feature ensures you proactively prevent issues that could hinder the performance and accuracy of your VWO SmartCode implementation.
For example, a growth marketer wants to optimize their campaign launch validation. Before launching a new campaign, they can use the debugger to ensure the SmartCode executes correctly on the landing page. This prevents data collection discrepancies and ensures accurate campaign tracking.
The debugger scans URLs and provides real-time feedback through comprehensive reports. It also maintains a history of all scans, allowing you to reference historical data for issue analysis.
The debug reports are categorized into four sections:
- Errors: This section identifies critical issues that may cause campaign failures or prevent the SmartCode from functioning correctly. It also provides detailed error descriptions and recommended solutions.
- Warnings: This section highlights potential issues that may impact campaign performance. It provides areas for improvement in the SmartCode implementation with detailed warnings and recommended fixes.
- Checks Passed: This section displays areas where the SmartCode meets all the required checks.
- Checks Skipped: This section displays all checks that do not apply to the URL or website on which you execute the debugger.
This article further explains how you can access and run the debugger for specific campaigns or web pages.
Access and Run the Debugger
You can access and run the debugger from three locations in the VWO app:
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Website and Apps
This section hosts a global debugger, which provides a central dashboard to manage all your scans. From here, you can initiate new scans, review scan history, and access comprehensive reports for all scans conducted across campaigns and web pages. -
Domain View
Each domain configured within the Websites and Apps section hosts the domain debugger. From here, you can initiate scans for URLs specific to the domain. -
Campaign View
From here, you can perform a scan for a specific campaign. This automatically associates the scan results with the campaign for easy tracking and analysis.
To execute the debugger on a URL, follow the steps listed below:
- To run a general scan, go to Configurations > Website and Apps > Debugger.
To run a scan for a particular domain, go to Websites and Apps, select the domain, and go to Debug.
To run a scan for a particular campaign, navigate to the campaign and go to Review > Debugger.
ATTENTION: The Debugger tab is enabled only when the Review tab is activated.
Optionally, you can initiate the first scan by clicking Debug on the Configuration Summary tab once the configuration summary is ready. After the initial scan, the Debug option is replaced with View History, allowing you to review past scans. - Enter the URL you want to analyze.
ATTENTION: When configuring a campaign, if you select the URL Matches option for pages in the Configuration tab, the URL is auto-populated in the campaign’s debugger tab. So, as soon as you add a variation, VWO automatically picks the URL and runs the first scan. You can access the scan details from the Websites & Apps section or in the respective campaign from the Debugger tab. However, if you choose any other option, such as URL Matches Pattern, you must manually enter the URL to be debugged. - Click Debug to initiate the process. A progress loader displays the scan’s progress while the scan is running.
NOTE:Once the scan is complete, the Debugger Report is displayed. The results are categorized as Errors, Warnings, Checks Passed, and Checks Skipped. Each category shows the corresponding number of occurrences.- The scan time varies depending on the page’s complexity but typically takes around 60 seconds.
- Navigating away from the tab while the scan is in progress does not interrupt or stop the scan.
Click on each category to view more details about the issues and recommended fixes, if available. For more information on each check, see Understand SmartCode Debugger Checks.
INFO: Sometimes, due to internal or unknown errors, you may receive a Debug Attempt Failed error in the report. This means the scan did not execute. In this case, click Retry to try again. - Click Rerun to re-scan the URL. If the report has errors and issues, address them before rerunning the debugger.
- To share the report with others, click Email. In the Email Debugger Report, enter the email addresses of all recipients separated by a comma. Check the Send copy to me checkbox to opt to receive a copy of the report and click Send.
The email displays the overall status of the scan. Click View Full Report to open it in VWO and get a detailed view.
INFO: The report opened from the email is a shared report and will appear in read-only mode in the VWO app view. You cannot interact with the app from this view. To exit, close the browser tab. To access the app, open it in a new tab.
View your Scan History
VWO maintains a record of all your scans. There is no limit to the number of checks the debugger stores. It retains and displays all records from the moment you start using it.
The global debugger stores historical scan data across domains, campaigns, and individual web pages. The domain debugger focuses on historical debug data specific to a particular domain, while the campaign debugger retains historical data relevant to a specific campaign. A URL scanned and debugged from one domain is not included in the historical debug data of another domain. However, it is included in the global debugger history.
NOTE: This section explains how to access your global scan history. To access domain or campaign-specific debug history, go to the domain or campaign, access the debugger, and click History.
To view your global scan history:
- Go to Configurations > Website and Apps > Debugger.
The Debug History section displays all previous scans. Each scan displays details such as the Web Page, Run Time, Run By, and Status. Click a scan to view a detailed report. - Use the Filter dropdown to filter the reports based on a specific status.
Understand SmartCode Debugger Checks
| Check Name | Description |
| Archived Domain Check | Ensures that the website's domain is properly registered and not archived. |
| Cookie Consent Failure Check | Detects if a consent manager blocks the SmartCode from loading due to cookie restrictions. |
| Cookie Creation Failure Check | Confirms whether VWO cookies are successfully saved by the browser and are not blocked by settings or extensions. |
| CSP Errors Check | Verifies if your Content Security Policy (CSP) settings are correctly configured to allow VWO to function. |
| Page Syntax Error | Checks for JavaScript syntax errors on the page that might affect the SmartCode execution. |
| SmartCode Detection Check | Verifies that the VWO SmartCode is present on the page. |
| SmartCode Account Mismatch | Detects if the SmartCode on the page is linked to a different VWO account than expected. |
| SmartCode Invalid Script Check | Checks for errors in the SmartCode itself, such as missing characters or incorrect structure. |
| SmartCode jQuery Sequence Check | Ensures that if jQuery is used, it is loaded before the VWO SmartCode to prevent conflicts. |
| SmartCode Syntax Check | Checks the SmartCode for any syntax errors that might cause execution issues. |
| SmartCode Latest Version Check | Ensures that you are using the latest version of the VWO SmartCode. |
| Domain Inaccessibility Error | Identifies whether the website domain is unreachable, which could prevent the SmartCode from functioning. |
| Page Verification Check | Ensures that the page meets all necessary requirements for the SmartCode to work correctly. |
| SmartCode Page Settings Error | Checks if there are any misconfigurations in the page settings affecting the SmartCode. |
| SmartCode Website Setup Error | Detects setup errors that may impact the SmartCode’s ability to track data properly. |
| Async Attribute in Sync Check | Verifies if the SmartCode is using the async attribute incorrectly, which could cause issues. |
| CSP Warning Check | Warns about potential Content Security Policy (CSP) settings that might block the SmartCode. |
| Duplicate SmartCode Check | Detects if multiple instances of the SmartCode are installed on the page, which can cause conflicts. |
| Library Tolerance Configuration Check | Verifies if the SmartCode’s default timeout settings might be causing tracking issues. |
| No Defer Attribute (Sync) Check | Ensures that the defer attribute is not used, as it is not supported by VWO. |
| Script Optimizer and Cookie Consent Checks | Ensures that any script optimizers or cookie consent managers are not interfering with the SmartCode. |
| SmartCode CSP Nonce Check | Verifies if the SmartCode is compatible with CSP nonce-based security policies. |
| SmartCode Placement Check | Ensures that the SmartCode is correctly placed inside the <head> tag for proper execution. |
| Third-Party Load Check | Detects if a third party injects the VWO SmartCode, which can cause flickering and performance issues. |
| Unregistered Domain Check | Ensures that the domain is correctly registered in VWO and not blocked. |
| Rocket Loader Script Detected | Identifies if Cloudflare’s Rocket Loader is enabled and ensures it is configured correctly for compatibility with VWO. |
| SmartCode Dynamically Injected | Detects if the SmartCode is being injected dynamically instead of being placed in the <head>, which can lead to tracking issues. |
Troubleshooting
While using the SmartCode Debugger, you may encounter some errors or issues. This section guides you through identifying and resolving some of the common ones.
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Error: Scan Already in Progress
If you try to scan the same URL while a scan is already in progress, the system displays an error message. Wait for the current scan to finish before starting a new one.
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Issue: No Results Displayed
Check your network connection. If the issue persists, contact VWO Support for assistance. -
Issue: Incorrect URL Entered
Verify you have entered the correct URL. Ensure there are no typos or any other issues with the URL. -
Issue: Website not registered
Register the website to run the scan.
For further assistance, contact VWO Support.
Best Practices
This section lists some recommended best practices for using the SmartCode Debugger in VWO. They help you prevent common mistakes and streamline the debugging process. Follow them to ensure optimal performance and accurate results.
- Proactive Debugging: Use the debugger before launching any campaign or making significant changes to your website to catch potential issues early.
- Regular Checks: Periodically scan your most important web pages to ensure the SmartCode continues to function correctly, especially after website updates.
- Campaign-specific Scans: Always use the debugger in the Campaign view to run scans that are specific to a campaign.
- Share Reports: Use the Email feature to share the report with your peers, collaborate with other team members, and get feedback on reported issues.
- Utilize Scan History: Leverage the scan history to identify patterns and track fixes over time.
FAQs
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Can I run multiple scans concurrently?
Currently, you can run only one scan at a time in the SmartCode Debugger.
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Can I scan URLs from any website?
No, you can scan URLs only from websites registered in your VWO account.
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Can I stop a scan midway?
No, you cannot stop the scan midway.
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How do I interpret the error, warning, and passed audits?
Errors highlight critical issues, warnings indicate potential problems, and passed audits confirm proper functionality. Please refer to the details within each category for specific information and recommended fixes.
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Can a user with Browse-level access also debug the URL using the debugger?
No, a user with Browse-level access cannot debug the URL. Therefore, the Debug option is disabled for them. Only users with Publish, Admin, or Owner-level access can debug a URL.
Need more help?
For further assistance or more information, contact VWO Support.