Getting started

How do I test a rule without redirecting real shoppers?

Add ?signallane_preview=1 to any storefront address. You see the banner or notice a visitor would get, nothing is recorded, and you are never redirected.

Last reviewed October 6, 20263 min read

Add ?signallane_preview=1 to the end of any address on your storefront. SignalLane then shows you what a visitor from your location would get, under a dark ribbon that starts SignalLane preview:. You are never redirected, and nothing you do is recorded.

The preview protects you, not your shoppers. It shows rules that are saved and active, which means they are already running for real visitors. To keep shoppers out while you test, see the tip at the end of this article.

Turn the preview on and off

  1. Open your storefront and add ?signallane_preview=1 to the address, for example https://example.com/?signallane_preview=1.
  2. SignalLane removes the parameter from the address bar and remembers the preview in this browser tab, so you can move from page to page.
  3. To stop, add ?signallane_preview=0 to any address, or close the tab.

It is a diagnostic, not a secret: anyone who types it sees the same preview in their own browser, and nothing else changes for them.

What you see

  • A Banner rule: the real banner, with the ribbon saying it is shown to visitors from your country.
  • An Instant rule: a banner standing in for the redirect, with the ribbon saying visitors are redirected automatically. Nothing moves you.
  • A Notice rule: the real notice. If it blocks browsing, the ribbon says it cannot be closed; edit the address to leave the preview.

The preview looks past the answers you gave earlier, so pressing a banner's buttons while testing does not hide it next time.

Read the console line

Open your browser's developer console. SignalLane writes one line that starts [SignalLane] preview: would and says what it would do: show a banner, redirect to an address, or do nothing and why. When it could place you, the line ends with your placement, such as placed USCA for California. That code is how you check a state/province rule.

Reasons you may see after "do nothing":

  • page — visitor rules skip this page, such as the cart or an account page.
  • no rule — no active rule matches you on this page.
  • no country — SignalLane could not tell where you are, so rules that name countries do not run.
  • referrer — a rule matched except for its referring-site condition.
  • hop — you arrived through one of SignalLane's own links, so you are not sent on again.
  • editor — you are inside the theme editor, where nothing runs.

If the preview shows nothing

Check that the app embed is on (the setup guide on Home says so), that the rule is active, and that your own country is one the rule matches. Pages SignalLane never runs on lists the places the preview stays quiet by design.

Questions and answers

Can I preview a rule for a country I'm not in?
Only by browsing from that country, for example through a VPN. The preview uses your real location, the same way a visitor's is read. Open a new tab after switching: the placement is remembered for the tab.
Do I need to keep adding the link to every page?
No. Once armed, the preview stays on in that browser tab until you add ?signallane_preview=0 or close the tab.

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Related articles

  • Getting startedHow do I write my first redirect rule?

    Open Visitor rules, create a rule, choose who sees it and where they go, then save. Saving publishes the rule to your storefront; check it with the preview link.

  • Visitor rulesHow do visitor countries and states/provinces work?

    Leave Visitor countries empty to match anywhere, add countries to narrow the rule, and use Except countries to leave some out. States/provinces are best effort.

  • Getting startedWhich pages does SignalLane never run on?

    No rule redirects or shows a banner on the cart, checkout, account and order pages, or Shopify's password and challenge pages. Only the cart suggestion and the store closed page show on the cart.