Project Description
The website in question is https://cut-price-tiles.co.uk/, and we have 2 issues that we need fixing. they are Search bar is not producing results, and sorting by certain categories on pages is not working
First issue brief
1. Background & Context
The eCommerce website relies on its header search functionality to help customers find products quickly. Currently, there is a disconnect between the quick-search (AJAX/dropdown) feature and the dedicated search results page.
2. Problem Statement
When a user types a query into the header search bar, the predictive dropdown successfully fetches and displays relevant products. However, upon submitting the search form, the dedicated search results page yields zero results, failing to populate the matched products.
3. Steps to Reproduce
Navigate to the homepage: https://cut-price-tiles.co.uk/
Locate the search bar in the global header.
Type a keyword (e.g., "Beige").
Observe: The dropdown autocomplete successfully shows relevant "Beige" products.
Press 'Enter' or click the search icon to submit the query.
Observe: The user is taken to https://cut-price-tiles.co.uk/search/?q=Beige, but the page displays no product results.
4. Attempted Solutions (Already Ruled Out)
Search Indexing: We have already tried reindexing the search index from the backend. This did not resolve the issue, suggesting the problem lies in the search page template, query routing, or frontend/backend integration, rather than the database index itself.
5. Objectives & Scope of Work
Investigate: Debug the query payload and routing on the /search/ page to find out why the query parameters (e.g., ?q=Beige) are being ignored or failing to fetch data.
Resolve: Fix the underlying code or configuration so that the search results page properly queries the database/search app and renders the correct products.
Test: Ensure that the search results page matches (or accurately expands upon) the results shown in the header dropdown across multiple different browsers and device types.
6. Deliverables
Bug Fix: A fully operational search results page that accurately returns products based on user queries.
Root Cause Summary: A short explanation of what caused the issue and exactly what was changed to fix it (for future reference).
*** Additional Notes for the Developer: Please ensure that fixing the search page does not break the currently functioning predictive dropdown search. Both should draw from the same data pool.
Second issue brief
The following categories: "All Tiles", "Floor", "Wall", "Bathroom", "Kitchen", "Outdoor" and "Star Buys under £20/m2" on the navigation header bar to sort by the lowest price per m2 in descending order.
In summary, we want all items inside these pages to show the lowest price first.
Normally, it can be achieved by just setting this to sort by price by default on the backend, however, the categories above display sub-categories instead of products. The subcategories already have a "from" price, so that can be used to override the sorting of the display on the XML files and correctly show the correct information.