# Changes are missing

URL: https://docs.ablyft.com/guides/troubleshooting/changes-missing/

> The experiment runs, but a variation looks like the original. Find out why.



Use this page if you are sure that you are in the experiment (for example through a preview link), but the page
still looks like the original, or only some of your changes show up.

> If you are not sure whether the experiment runs for you at all, check
> [Experiment does not appear](https://docs.ablyft.com/guides/troubleshooting/experiment-not-showing/) first.

## 1. Are you really seeing the right variation?

The variation **Original** and variations of the type **Unchanged** look like the original page by design. A visitor
also stays in the variation they were first given, so you may simply be assigned to the original.

Open the variation on purpose with the preview link of the experiment (**Open preview directly in browser** in the
**Preview** section). See [Preview & QA](https://docs.ablyft.com/guides/experiments/preview-and-qa/).

## 2. The latest changes are not live yet

Wait until the **Publishing …** indicator in the top bar disappears, then reload the page. See
[Publishing delay](https://docs.ablyft.com/guides/experiments/start-pause-stop/#publishing-delay).

## 3. The element cannot be found (selectors)

Visual changes are tied to an element through a **CSS selector**. If it matches nothing, nothing happens. Likely causes:

* The page changed after you built the variation (for example after a website release).
* The selector depends on generated class names, or the element exists only on some pages or for some visitors.
* The element is inside an iFrame. ABlyft cannot change content of another document.

Open the variation in the Visual Editor again and check that the element is still found. Prefer stable selectors, such
as an `id` or a dedicated class. See [Selectors do not find elements](https://docs.ablyft.com/developers/debugging/common-issues/#selectors-do-not-find-elements).

## 4. The element appears late

ABlyft waits for elements that do not exist yet. If your own **Code** variation uses `document.querySelector()` directly,
ask your developer to use `ablyftTools.waitForElement()` instead, see
[Dynamic content](https://docs.ablyft.com/developers/application-integration/dynamic-content/).

## 5. The website overwrites the change

If the change appears for a moment and then disappears, your website probably re-renders the element, which is common on
single-page applications. Use a page with a **URL Change** trigger, see
[SPA navigation](https://docs.ablyft.com/developers/application-integration/spa-navigation/).

## 6. An error in your own code

In **Code** variations, in the code of the experiment and in the project code, an error in JavaScript stops this piece of
code at the line with the error. Everything after it does not run, but the rest of your website continues to work. CSS
of the variation is applied separately.

* Turn on the debug mode of the project and open the browser console. Errors are shown with the prefix `ABlyft #`.
  See [Debug mode](https://docs.ablyft.com/developers/debugging/preview-and-live-log/#debug-mode).
* Test the code in the browser console to find the faulty line.

## 7. Flicker: the change shows too late

If the change appears, but visitors briefly see the original first, this is flicker. It is not a missing change, but it
should be fixed. See [Flicker](https://docs.ablyft.com/developers/debugging/common-issues/#flicker).

## 8. A redirect variation

Variations of the type **Redirect** send the visitor to another URL. Check that the target URL is correct and that the
snippet is also installed on the target page. If the target is on another domain, see
[Results look implausible](https://docs.ablyft.com/guides/troubleshooting/implausible-results/#goals-on-another-domain).

## Next steps

* [Preview & QA](https://docs.ablyft.com/guides/experiments/preview-and-qa/) to check variations before launch
* [Debugging](https://docs.ablyft.com/developers/debugging/) for the technical tools