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Documentation Search - Deployment Checklist

Pre-Deployment Validation

Core Functionality Tests

  • Search index exists: Verify search.json file is present and valid
  • Search data loads: 28+ items indexed from documentation pages
  • Search algorithm works: Test queries return relevant results
  • Text highlighting works: Search terms highlighted in yellow
  • No console errors: Check browser developer tools for JavaScript errors
  • Mobile responsive: Test search on mobile devices

Performance Validation

  • File size acceptable: search.json under 250KB (currently 234KB)
  • Search speed optimal: <1ms average search response time
  • Memory usage reasonable: <500KB estimated memory usage
  • No memory leaks: Repeated searches don’t accumulate memory

Browser Compatibility

  • Chrome/Edge: Latest versions tested
  • Firefox: Latest version tested
  • Safari: Latest version tested
  • Mobile browsers: iOS Safari and Chrome Mobile tested
  • ES6 features: Arrow functions, template literals, destructuring supported

Deployment Steps

1. Generate Search Index

# Navigate to docs directory
cd docs

# Generate/update search index
npm run docs:search

# Verify output
ls -la search.json

Expected output: Generated search.json with XX items

2. Validate Files

# Run validation script
node validate-search.cjs

# Expected: All 5 tests should pass
# Search index validation
# Search algorithm validation  
# Documentation layout validation
# Generator script validation
# Performance validation

3. Test Deployment Scenarios

# Test different deployment contexts
node deployment-scenarios-test.cjs

# Verify all scenarios show Valid status:
# - Root Domain
# - Subdirectory  
# - GitHub Pages
# - Custom Domain with Path

Platform-Specific Deployment

Static File Hosting (Netlify, Vercel, etc.)

Build Configuration

# netlify.toml or vercel.json
[build]
  command = "npm run docs:search"
  publish = "docs"

[[headers]]
  for = "/search.json"
  [headers.values]
    Cache-Control = "public, max-age=3600"
    Content-Type = "application/json"

Pre-deployment Steps

  • Build process includes: npm run docs:search
  • search.json included: In deployment artifact
  • Relative URLs work: No absolute paths in search index
  • CORS headers set: If serving from different domain

GitHub Pages

Repository Setup

  • Jekyll enabled: For processing liquid templates
  • baseurl configured: In _config.yml if using subdirectory
  • Custom domain: CNAME file if using custom domain
  • Build includes search: GitHub Actions or manual process

_config.yml Configuration

# For subdirectory deployment
baseurl: "/repository-name"
url: "https://username.github.io"

# For custom domain
baseurl: ""
url: "https://docs.yourdomain.com"

Pre-deployment Steps

  • Jekyll builds locally: Test with bundle exec jekyll serve
  • Search works locally: Verify search functionality
  • Liquid tags process: Template variables resolve correctly
  • Fallback mechanism: Works without Jekyll processing

CDN Deployment

CDN Configuration

  • search.json included: In CDN distribution
  • Cache headers set: Appropriate TTL for content updates
  • Gzip compression: Enabled for JSON files
  • CORS configured: If docs and main site on different domains

Cache Strategy

search.json: 1 hour cache (frequent updates)
CSS/JS: 1 week cache (versioned files)
Images: 1 month cache (rarely change)

Post-Deployment Verification

Functional Testing

  • Search loads: Visit deployed site, verify search box appears
  • Search executes: Type query, verify results appear
  • Navigation works: Click search results, verify correct pages load
  • Error handling: Test invalid queries, verify graceful failure
  • Cross-platform: Test on different devices and browsers

Search Quality Testing

Test Queries

| Query | Expected First Result | Status | |——-|———————-|———| | volunteer | Volunteer Safety | [ ] | | dashboard | Dashboard | [ ] | | account | Creating Account | [ ] | | contact | Contact Us | [ ] | | help | Need Help | [ ] | | xyz123 | No results found | [ ] |

Performance Testing

  • Page load speed: Search doesn’t slow down page loading
  • Search response time: Results appear within 100ms
  • Network requests: Only one request to load search.json
  • Memory usage: No memory leaks on repeated searches

Error Monitoring

  • Browser console: No JavaScript errors
  • Network errors: search.json loads successfully (200 OK)
  • Fallback works: If search.json fails, navigation search works
  • Analytics setup: Track search usage (optional)

Content Management

Adding New Content

  1. Create markdown file with proper frontmatter
  2. Run update command: npm run docs:search
  3. Test new content: Verify searchable after deployment
  4. Deploy changes: Include updated search.json

Regular Maintenance

  • Weekly: Regenerate search index after content updates
  • Monthly: Review search analytics and popular queries
  • Quarterly: Performance review and optimization
  • As needed: Update exclusion patterns for test files

Troubleshooting

Search Not Loading

  1. Check network tab: Verify search.json loads (200 OK)
  2. Check file path: Ensure correct relative URL
  3. Check JSON validity: Validate search.json syntax
  4. Check console: Look for JavaScript errors

No Search Results

  1. Verify search index: Check search.json contains expected data
  2. Test queries: Try simple one-word queries first
  3. Check content: Verify pages have content in search index
  4. Regenerate index: Run npm run docs:search

Search Too Slow

  1. Check file size: search.json might be too large
  2. Run optimization: Consider content truncation
  3. Check hosting: Ensure adequate server performance
  4. Enable compression: Gzip for JSON files
  1. Check URL structure: Verify relative URLs in search.json
  2. Check base URL: Ensure deployment path matches URLs
  3. Test navigation: Verify actual page URLs work
  4. Regenerate index: With correct URL patterns

Security Considerations

Content Security

  • No sensitive data: Search index doesn’t expose private information
  • XSS protection: Search input properly escaped
  • Content filtering: Inappropriate content excluded from search
  • Access control: Search respects page-level permissions

Network Security

  • HTTPS only: Search works over secure connections
  • CORS configured: Appropriate cross-origin restrictions
  • Rate limiting: If applicable, protect against search abuse
  • Input validation: Search queries properly validated

Analytics and Monitoring

Search Analytics (Optional)

// Track search usage
function trackSearch(query, resultCount) {
  // Google Analytics, Mixpanel, etc.
  gtag('event', 'search', {
    search_term: query,
    search_results: resultCount
  });
}

Monitoring Metrics

  • Search usage: Number of searches per day
  • Popular queries: Most common search terms
  • No results: Queries that return no results
  • Error rates: Failed search requests

Success Metrics

  • User engagement: Do users find relevant content?
  • Task completion: Do searches lead to desired actions?
  • Content gaps: Are there missing topics users search for?
  • Performance: Search speed and reliability

Final Deployment Sign-off

Production Ready Checklist

  • All pre-deployment validation tests pass
  • Platform-specific configuration complete
  • Post-deployment verification successful
  • Content management process documented
  • Monitoring and analytics configured
  • Team trained on maintenance procedures

Deployment Record

  • Deployment Date: _______
  • Deployed By: _______
  • Version: _______
  • Search Index Items: _______
  • Platform: _______
  • Base URL: _______

Go-Live Approval

  • Technical Lead Approval: _______
  • Content Team Approval: _______
  • QA Approval: _______
  • Product Owner Approval: _______

Congratulations! Your documentation search is ready for production!

This checklist ensures a smooth, error-free deployment of the search functionality across any platform.

Last updated: August 25, 2025

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