Troubleshoot an Unavailable or Failed QCDR Rule Preview

A QCDR Rule Preview can be unavailable before launch, rejected as unauthorized on the frontend, or successfully authorized but show no replacement. Those are different failure classes. Identify which one you have before changing the Rule itself.

QCDR 1.1.05 fails private Preview closed: an invalid diagnostic request does not become an ordinary unrestricted test path.

Preview Button Is Disabled or Unavailable

  • Unsaved Rule: Preview requires a stored Rule ID. Save the Rule first.
  • Plan: Preview & Rule Health require Pro, Max, or All Access.
  • Administrator authorization: the token issuer requires a Super User with QCDR Test Rules.
  • Entitlement fallback: if Effective Tier has fallen to Basic because entitlement/task integrity is unhealthy, restore entitlement health before expecting the Pro preview feature.

The Editor Rejects the Preview URL

Use a valid frontend URL on the same Joomla site. The launcher rejects external origins, paths outside the configured site root, and Joomla /administrator pages. Preview also requires normal frontend HTML; non-HTML formats and selected login/reset/remind routes are outside the runtime processing boundary.

Frontend Shows PREVIEW NOT AUTHORIZED

The signed authorization is missing, malformed, expired, has the wrong Rule ID, or no longer passes the user/ACL checks. Preview tokens last 15 minutes. Return to the saved Rule editor, reload it while signed in as the authorized Super User, and launch a fresh Preview instead of editing the query string manually.

QCDR applies no private Rule in this state. The error response remains private/no-store/noindex and includes an Exit Preview link.

Preview Opens but the Rule Does Not Transform the Page

Read Rule Health rather than assuming Preview failed. Common causes are page/menu scope, missing component/module render region, audience, schedule, IP, technical conditions, no eligible search occurrence, protected-area safety, or an unavailable replacement Token.

A Draft/Disabled Rule can still demonstrate its preview transformation, but the Published / enabled and final Live result checks correctly warn that it is not currently live.

Rule Health Is Missing or Sparse

Confirm the selected Rule is still available and is a rendered-output Rule. Also compare the Rule's required tier with the current Effective Tier: plan-locked Rules can be skipped before detailed Rule Health rows are built.

PHP-Backed Preview Preserves the Original Match

If a replacement PHP Token is unavailable or fails with errors hidden, QCDR leaves the original Rule match in place instead of replacing it with blank output. Temporarily use sanitized Show mode or review logs when appropriate, then restore the desired production error mode.

Emergency Bypass Still Wins

If the preview URL also contains the authorized QCDR emergency bypass, the runtime skips processing and reports that the request used the bypass. Remove the bypass parameter when your goal is to test the Rule.

A Reliable Recovery Sequence

  1. Save the Rule.
  2. Confirm Pro+ Effective Tier and the Super User/Test Rules authorization.
  3. Reload the Rule editor to mint a fresh preview token.
  4. Use a simple same-site frontend HTML URL where the search value is known to exist.
  5. Review Rule Health from top to bottom.
  6. Fix one failed gate, save, and relaunch Preview.
  7. When the private result is correct, verify the normal page again after you intentionally enable the Rule.

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.