Preview a Saved QCDR Rule on a Real Frontend Page

QCDR Preview applies one exact saved Rule to a real frontend request and adds a private Preview & Rule Health panel to the response. It is designed for testing current rendered output without first exposing the Rule to ordinary visitors.

Preview is available with Pro, Max, or All Access and requires an authorized Super User with the QCDR Test Rules permission.

Save the Rule First

Preview works from the stored Rule ID and stored configuration. Unsaved editor changes are not what the preview engine tests. Save the Rule before each meaningful test so the request reflects the exact targeting, replacement, Token, occurrence, schedule, IP, condition, and protected-area settings you intend to validate.

Launch a Preview

  1. In Joomla Administrator, open Components > QC Dynamic Replacer > Rules and edit the saved Rule.
  2. Scroll to Preview & Rule Health.
  3. Enter a frontend URL on this Joomla site. QCDR accepts the configured site origin and normal www/non-www form, but it does not allow an external site or Joomla Administrator URL.
  4. Select Preview Rule. QCDR opens the frontend request in a new tab with a short-lived signed preview authorization.
  5. Inspect both the transformed page and the QCDR panel at the bottom of the response.
  6. Use Exit Preview to reopen the page without QCDR preview parameters.

What the Preview Panel Shows

The panel identifies the request as PRIVATE PREVIEW and reports the Rule count checked, matched Rules, selected replacements, Rule Health checks, and up to a small set of change snippets when available. It also states that the selected saved Rule is the Rule being tested.

Preview Is Isolated from Ordinary Visitors

An authorized preview request can test the selected Rule even when Rule Live Processing or Token Live Processing is normally disabled. QCDR does not change the saved Rule state or turn on either global live switch. Ordinary requests without the signed preview authorization continue to use normal runtime rules.

The preview response is marked private/no-store/no-cache and noindex, and Joomla page caching is disabled for that request as an additional guard.

The Request Context Is Real

Page/menu scope, component/module regions, audience, schedule, IP, technical conditions, Token readiness, search matches, occurrence controls, and protected-area behavior are evaluated against the actual frontend request you opened. QCDR removes its own preview parameters from the URL/query context before evaluating the Rule, so those diagnostic parameters do not accidentally satisfy or break normal Rule URL/query targeting.

Preview Does Not Make Side-Effecting Code Harmless

If the Rule reaches a PHP Token replacement, that PHP can execute on the server during Preview. The request is private from visitors, but custom PHP may still perform whatever side effects its code contains. Use staging or non-destructive test PHP when validating side-effecting logic.

Community Discussion

Want to compare workflows, share practical tips, or discuss how you use this QCDR feature? Visit the QC Dynamic Replacer Community. For private support, bug reports, account-specific issues, or feature requests, use the QuantaCade support system.