Synthetic transaction troubleshooting

This topic assumes that you have created a Synthetic transaction and that you have some familiarity with that process. For information about adding a Synthetic transaction in SolarWinds Observability SaaS, see Add a Synthetic transaction.

Can't find a website selector?

When you are add or edit a Synthetic transaction, you will include steps that 'test' the desired functions of your website. These steps can include many commands, many of which use specific CSS selectors to target the aspect of your website you want to test. Most of the time you can search for a CSS selector within the Add Synthetic transaction dialog, but sometimes you may be unable to find the desired selector. You can find CSS selectors directly from the source of your website.

1. Open the website you are testing in a Chrome browser window, and right click website element that has the desired selector.

2. Click Inspect. The element will automatically be highlighted in the code.

3. Right-click on the element in the source code, and then click Copy > Copy selector.

4. Paste the HTML selector in the Add a Synthetic transaction dialog and configure your commands.

Things to note

When you are adding or editing a transaction, note the following.

You must specify a CSS selector

Paragraph elements <p>element</p> are only offered if they have an associated ID. If the paragraph element doesn't have an associated ID, it will not display in the autocomplete suggestion. You must specify at least a CSS selector to search for a paragraph element.

Commands cannot always be copied and pasted during configuration

Sometimes when you are adding or editing a transaction, commands returned by the search cannot be copied and pasted. This occurs because the search feature may display text that looks different than the selector behind the elements. To avoid copying a command that won't function, you should begin typing your command with the desired CSS selector, and then click the desired command from the autocomplete suggestions. This will ensure that the proper elements are listed in the command step.

Some websites have Shadow Roots that block page accessibility

Some of the websites you want to test may have Shadow Roots enabled which blocks SolarWinds Observability SaaS's ability to access certain website elements.