Verify in Preview (PrestaShop)

This page describes how to open the storefront in preview mode, what to check while you are in preview, and how to exit preview cleanly when you are done.

Preview mode lets you see exactly what Kea-powered search will look like on your storefront, without making it visible to real shoppers. Preview is independent of the live search switch on UI Settings -> Integration: even if live search is currently on for shoppers, opening a tab with ?kea-preview=true changes only that browser flow.

Open preview in PrestaShop

You can open preview from either of two places.

1. From the wizard’s Build & Preview step. If you finished the first setup wizard in the last session and the build is still ready, click Open Preview on that step.
2. From the dashboard Home card. Open Modules → Module Manager → Kea Labs Search Pro → Configure. The dashboard Home card shows a preview status. When the status is Preview ready, click OPEN PREVIEW.

Both paths open your storefront in preview mode in a new browser tab. The URL contains ?kea-preview=true.

Open preview manually (fallback)

If the buttons above do not work — for example because the dashboard is in a session that expired, or you are validating search on a staging storefront that does not have the module installed — open preview by hand:

1. Open the storefront in a normal browser tab.
2. Add ?kea-preview=true to the end of the URL in the address bar, then press Enter.
3. Confirm the URL now ends with ?kea-preview=true. Search on that page is now in preview mode.

Caveat: PrestaShop server-side redirects (canonical URL, language switcher, multi-store shop picker) can drop the ?kea-preview=true parameter. If the URL bar no longer shows the parameter after a redirect, add it back before continuing your checks.

What to validate

Run through this checklist on the storefront in preview mode. Cover both the desktop and mobile templates, and at least one non-default language if your shop has more than one. Click each item as you finish it.

1. Search input renders and is reachable. The search input is visible in the header (or wherever your theme places it), and you can focus it with the keyboard.
2. Typing behaviour. As you type a query, suggestions appear in a dropdown and the dropdown updates as you type. There is no full-page reload for each keystroke.
3. Submit and results page. Submitting a query opens a results page that renders product tiles, prices, and product links.
4. Filters and facets. If your theme uses filters or facets, applying a filter narrows the result list, clearing the filter restores the unfiltered list, and selected filters are visible in the URL.
5. Product links open the right product page. Click a product tile; the link takes you to the correct PrestaShop product page. If the link is broken or opens a 404, the integration is not complete.
6. Empty query. With an empty search input, the default page (no redirect, no error) loads. This is the expected behaviour unless you have configured an empty-query override.
7. No-result query. A query that should return zero results (for example zzzqqqxxx) shows a “no results” state, not a broken page.
8. Mobile breakpoint. Open the same flows on a phone-sized viewport. The search input, the dropdown, and the results page all stay usable.

For each item, note the page template you tested (home, category, product, search results) and the language. You will need this list when you escalate any issue to Kea Labs support.

Common PrestaShop pitfalls during preview

• PrestaShop Smarty cache hides recent changes. If a config change does not appear on the storefront, clear the cache under Advanced Parameters → Performance → Clear cache, then reload the preview tab.
• CDN or reverse proxy serves a stale page. If your storefront sits behind a CDN, a web application firewall, or a reverse proxy, those layers can cache the storefront HTML independently. Purge the relevant layer, then reload the preview tab.
• Theme overrides break layout even when search logic works. A custom theme that overrides the header markup can hide the search input, even though preview mode is on. Disable recent CSS or template overrides temporarily, retest, and re-apply the override incrementally.
• Browser cache shows the previous version. Hard-reload the storefront tab (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+R) after any major change.
• Multistore or multi-language stores. If you run more than one shop or more than one language, validate in at least one non-default shop and one non-default language. See Multistore and Languages (PrestaShop).
• Session or cookie state. If preview works in an incognito window but not in your normal session, your browser is sending a stale session cookie. Sign out of the storefront and back in, or retest in incognito.

Turn preview off

When you are done validating, switch the tab back to the shopper view:

1. Open the storefront URL with ?kea-preview=false at the end. The page reloads in the regular shopper view.
2. Confirm the URL still shows ?kea-preview=false and that search behaviour matches what an unconnected visitor would see (PrestaShop’s default search, unless the module is already live).
3. Close the preview tab. Preview state is per-tab, so closing the tab also exits preview.

If you only see the preview build even after ?kea-preview=false, hard-reload the page (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+R) or open the storefront in a new private/incognito window.

Evidence to collect before going live

Keep a short list of the following. Kea Labs support will ask for it if anything goes wrong later.

• The PrestaShop version and the active theme name.
• The Kea Labs Search Pro module version (shown on the module row in Modules → Module Manager).
• The list of templates and languages you tested.
• A screenshot of each validation step in the checklist above.
• A screenshot of the dashboard Home card showing Preview ready.

After the checklist is green

You are ready to enable search for shoppers.

Next: Go Live (PrestaShop)

Related page: Verify in Preview