Troubleshooting guide

This guide helps you solve common errors and issues when installing or starting to use Motive Commerce Search in your e-commerce store.

Errors

Mission abort error

Error message:
“Mission abort, the sync couldn’t be finished.”

When/Where you see it:
During the synchronisation process between your store and Motive Playboard.

Why it matters:
Your products will not be indexed correctly, meaning search results may be incomplete or unavailable.

How to fix it:

  1. In Motive Playboard, update your security token.
  2. Run a manual indexation.
  3. Check if the sync completes.
  4. If the problem persists, contact Motive Support (opens new window).

Outdated plugin

Error message:
“The plugin version is out of date.”

When/Where you see it:
Displayed in Motive Playboard or your e-commerce back office when the installed plugin is no longer compatible.

Why it matters:
Outdated plugins may block synchronisation and prevent access to new features.

How to fix it:
Download and install the latest version from the Setup Wizard.

Common synchronisation errors

These errors may appear when trying to sync your catalog from Motive Playboard.

Something went wrong

When/Where:
An unknown error occurs during sync.

How to fix:
Click Try again on the synchronisation page. If the issue repeats, contact Motive Support (opens new window).

Your site can’t be reached

When/Where:
Motive cannot connect to your store.

Possible causes:
Your store is in maintenance mode or inaccessible.

How to fix:

  • PrestaShop: Turn off Maintenance Mode.
  • WooCommerce: Reload your site and check access from different devices.
  • Then click Try again.

It’s taking too long to connect

When/Where:
Connection attempt times out during sync.

Possible causes:
High server load or restrictive timeout settings.

How to fix:

  • Check your server load.
  • Increase timeout settings.
  • Then click Try again.

Internal server error

When/Where:
Your server blocks catalog synchronisation.

Possible causes:

  • Conflict with another plugin.
  • Server running out of memory.


How to fix:

Issues

Checking if Motive is installed

Situation:
You want to confirm whether Motive is correctly installed and active.

Why it matters:
If Motive is not installed, no search features will be available.

How to check:

PrestaShop
  1. Open your shop’s URL.
  2. Add one of these at the end:
    • If the URL ends with /: add module/motive/check
    • If not: add /module/motive/check
  3. Press Enter.
    • ✅ If installed, you’ll see OK.
    • ❌ If not, Motive is not installed or not active.
WooCommerce
  1. Open your shop’s URL.
  2. Add one of these at the end:
    • If the URL ends with /: add wp-json/motive/check
    • If not: add /wp-json/motive/check
  3. Press Enter.
    • ✅ If installed, you’ll see OK.
    • ❌ If not, Motive is not installed or not active.

note

If Motive is not installed, restart the Installation process.

CSS Selector issues

Situation:
The Motive search bar does not appear in your shop.

Why it matters:
Motive needs the correct CSS Selector to locate your search box. Without it, the search bar will not work for shoppers.

How to fix it:

Find your CSS Selector
  1. Open your website.
  2. Right-click the search box and select Inspect.
  3. In the Elements tab, look for an element with id or class that includes the word search.
    • Example: .search-widget or #mobile_search_btn.
  4. If your search box and magnifying glass use different selectors, list both separated by a comma.
    • Example: .selector.search.desktop, #selector.search.mobile.
  5. Repeat the same process for the mobile version of your site.
Test your selector

  1. In your browser console, type: 

    document.querySelectorAll('.your-selector')

  2. Hover over the highlighted elements.

    • ✅ Correct: Only the search box (and magnifying glass if present) is selected.
    • ❌ Incorrect: Extra elements are selected.

Notes and tips

If unsure, check the CSS selection documentation.

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