Paradox Chatbot Not Displaying Consistently in RMK site

[joeburkart11]

Hello,

I am having an issue with the adding the Paradox Chatbot to a RMK site in a test instance.  We have added the code provided to us by the Paradox representative in Appearance -> Global -> JavaScript -> Footer JavaScript and also added the required Custom Allowed Domains in Data Privacy & Security Settings. 

The issue that we are encountering is that if we access the test career site using the Preview functionality in CSB (access the homepage configuration and click the Preview icon in the top right corner of the screen), the Paradox Chatbot displays.  However, if we copy the career site URL from CSB and paste it into a web browser, the chatbot does not display.  What I am noticing is that whenever the URL includes a "/" and additional characters behind it, such as "/home", the Chatbot will display.  If just the standard career site URL is used to access the site (i.e. no "/" and additional characters at the end of the URL), the Chatbot will not display.  

I have reviewed the configuration in the production instance and there does not appear to be any differences in configuration between test and production.  I am also not experiencing this issue with other clients who's configuration looks the same/similar.  The Paradox Representative has also reviewed things on their end and it appears that things are set up correctly in their systems as well.  

Is there anything else that I should review besides the code for the chatbot being added to Appearance -> Global -> JavaScript -> Footer JavaScript and the required Custom Allowed Domains being present in Data Privacy & Security Settings in RMK?  Has anyone else experienced this and, if so, what was the solution?

Thank you,

Joe B

[karthick_0905]

Hi @NianmarieSmith ,

There are a few more things to try and some clarifications on the potential limitations I mentioned.

1. Staging Environment Limitations:

When I mentioned "staging environment limitations," I was referring to situations where a test or staging environment (like the one you're working in) may have restrictions on external resources or scripts, such as:

Blocked external scripts: Sometimes, staging environments are configured to block third-party scripts (like the Paradox Chatbot script) for security or performance reasons.

SSL/HTTPS issues: If your test site isn’t fully set up for HTTPS, some scripts may fail to load because they require secure connections.

Limited API access: Some environments may restrict API calls or require special access tokens for testing.

How to check for these limitations:

Check network requests: Open the developer tools in the browser, go to the Network tab, and refresh the page. Look for any requests to external resources (especially the chatbot script) and see if they’re being blocked due to CORS, SSL issues, or other restrictions.

Check for mixed content warnings: If your site is using HTTPS, but some resources (like scripts) are served over HTTP, browsers may block those resources, resulting in the chatbot not displaying. Look for mixed content warnings in the browser console.

Review server settings: Check with your IT or dev team to see if there are any specific restrictions on the test domain for external resources or APIs.

2. Custom Plugin and Conditional Loading:
Since the script is working fine in production but not when added globally in the CSB settings, it's possible that the custom plugin on the homepage has some additional logic that helps the chatbot initialize correctly. Specifically, this plugin might be:

Loading the script conditionally (only on the homepage), ensuring that the script executes in the correct environment.

Modifying the page structure or other settings that the chatbot relies on to load properly.

Things to try with the plugin:

Check the plugin's initialization logic: See if the custom plugin has any special conditions (like loading only on the homepage, or checking for a certain DOM element) that the chatbot script relies on.

Compare plugin to global settings: If possible, review the code in the custom plugin and compare it to how the global script is added. Look for any differences in how the chatbot is triggered or initialized.

Script delay or timing: The chatbot might rely on a specific delay or sequence of events on page load. If the plugin is handling that in a way that differs from the global JS settings, it could explain why it works on the homepage but not globally.

3. Vendor-Specific Issues:
Finally, if none of the above steps reveal any issues, it’s possible that there’s something on Paradox’s end that is causing the script to behave differently in a test environment versus production environment.

Hope this helps!!

Thank you,

kr,

karthick.

[NianmarieSmith]

@karthick_0905 

Thank you for the recommendations....much appreciated. 

I have added the client URLs to the Custom Allowed Domains (both the root URL and one with /home at the end)

I checked the script execution and did not see any errors with the scripts running

I have tried adding the script to the header and this did not work.  Please note that the client has the script added to a custom plugin on the home page because they only want the chatbot displaying on the homepage.  This is working fine in production and also works fine in test when the career site URL has something like /home at the end of it.  I have attempted removing the custom plugin from the home page and adding the script to both the header and footer in CSB -> Appearance -> Global -> JavaScript and get the same results.  

I've been accessing the site in an incognito window as well.

Not sure if you have any other suggestions or if perhaps this could be an issue on the vendor's side.  You also referenced hitting a staging environment with limitations........what type of limitations are you referring to and do you know how I could check for such limitations?

Thank you,

Joe

[karthick_0905]

Hi @joeburkart11 ,

Thanks for the detailed description — this sounds like an issue related to how the Paradox Chatbot script is triggered based on the URL structure or path handling in the RMK site.

Here are a few things to check and try:

1. Ensure the Base URL is Included in Custom Allowed Domains
Even if you've added specific paths like /home, make sure the root/base domain (without any path) is explicitly added to Data Privacy & Security Settings under Custom Allowed Domains. For example, add

https://yourtestcareersite.com
...not just:

https://yourtestcareersite.com/home
If this is missing, the chatbot script might not initialize on the root URL.

2.confirm Script Execution on Root URL, Use browser developer tools (F12 → Console & Network tabs) and do the following:

Open the root URL (e.g., https://yourtestcareersite.com)

Check if the Paradox script loads at all in the Network tab (filter by "JS")

Check for JavaScript errors in the Console that may prevent it from initializing

If the script isn't loading or there’s a CORS or domain-based security issue, it should be visible here.

3.Try Adding Script in Header JavaScript (Instead of Footer)

Sometimes, third-party scripts require being loaded in the Header JavaScript section instead of the Footer to ensure they initialize early. Try temporarily moving the script there and retesting.

4.Cache issues

Clear the browser cache or use an incognito window to eliminate cached JS interference. Also confirm you're not hitting a staging environment with some limitations (some test domains may block external script execution).

If all of the above checks out and the issue still occurs, you might want to compare the exact rendered HTML between the /home page and the root page to see if there are structural differences preventing script initialization.

Would you like help analyzing the Paradox script snippet itself (if you're able to share it, removing sensitive info)

Thanks,

kr,

karthick.