Overview
 Search Form
 Output Format 
 Advanced Integration 
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 Troubleshooting 
   Cannot Reach Server 
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   Server Unavailable 
   No Graphics 
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 FAQs

 
   Troubleshooting

When I click on my search form, nothing happens.

The first step in troubleshooting is to determine if your search form is correct. Try submitting a search request manually by typing it into a Web browser. For example, suppose your search index is number 101, try typing 
https://searchBlossom.com/query/101?key=test"
into the address bar of your browser. If the manual search is successful, then the problem is most likely in your search form.

If the manual search was not successful, test to see whether your system can reach a Blossom search server. In order reach a search server, these steps must happen in succession:

  1. The domain name "searchBlossom.com" has to be turned into an IP address.
  2. The browser must contact the search server at that IP address.

You can test both steps by running the "ping" command. On Windows, bring up a "cmd" window (in the start menu, run "cmd.exe") and type "ping searchBlossom.com". You should see something like: 

Pinging  searchBlossom.com [72.51.41.198] with 32 bytes of data:

Reply from 72.51.41.198: bytes=32 time=137ms TTL=43
Reply from 72.51.41.198: bytes=32 time=121ms TTL=43
Reply from 72.51.41.198: bytes=32 time=127ms TTL=43
Reply from 72.51.41.198: bytes=32 time=124ms TTL=43
If you see output like that shown above, then both steps have succeeded. Contact Blossom Support to see if there is a problem with your search index. If instead you receive the message 
Ping request could not find host searchBlossom.com.
then step 1 has failed. Most likely the problem is with your Doman Name Server (DNS).

I get the message "Please select at least one search category".

In order for a search to be successful, you must specify at least one search index. This message tells you that no indexes have been specified in your search command. Make sure that either the ACTION URL in your search form includes your index ID, or you have an "ID" option that specifies the index ID. (If you are using the "ID" option attached to radio buttons or checkboxes, the button associated with the default ID should have the "CHECKED" attribute.)

I get the message "The search index is currently unavailable".

The most likely cause of this message is an incorrect index ID. You can test your ID manually by following the instructions above. If you have verified that you are submitting the correct ID, contact Blossom Support to see if there is a problem with your search index.

None of my graphics show up on the search results page.

Missing graphics are usually caused either by relative URLs without a BASE tag or URLs constructed dynamically in javascript. When a search is triggered by your search form, the results page is delivered by a Blossom search server. If you use relative URLs in your head or tail file (that is, URLs that do not begin with a domain name), your browser will assume those URLs refer to files at searchBlossom.com. To tell the browser to look on your website instead, either use absolute URLs or add a BASE tag to your head file.

If your Web pages construct URLs dynamically and you are using relative URLs, then the problem may be with your Web browser. Some browsers do not use the BASE tag when interpreting dynamic URLs. For dynamic javascript URLs, the safest strategy is to use absolute URLs.

I am not receiving the weekly search activity report.

Each week you should receive an email letting you know that your Search Activity Report is ready. You can check and set the email address for the notification by logging in to your Search Configuration page at BlossomSoftware.net and following the link "Spidering, Indexing, and Reporting".