Troubleshooting

Common MobileDetect issues and fixes.

Content does not change between desktop and mobile

Check:

1. Plugin MobileDetect is enabled, md_disable_plugin = No
2. For HTML tags — markup <standard>, <mobile> is in page output (after MODX parsing), event OnWebPagePrerender fires
3. For Fenom — pdoTools is installed, template is parsed via Fenom (pdoToolsOnFenomInit)
4. Cookie with old mode: open ?browser=detect or clear the browser cookie

Fenom blocks are always empty

Possible causes:

1. No pdoTools — blocks {mobile}, {desktop} register only on pdoToolsOnFenomInit
2. Plugin disabled — md_disable_plugin = Yes
3. Static Fenom cache — ensure pdoTools parses the template per request or device type is part of the cache key
4. Wrong block — {mobile} does not show on desktop; {desktop} does not show on phone

Desktop site in mobile browser

Chrome and Safari may send a desktop User-Agent. MobileDetect reads UA and headers: the result will be standard.

Fix: forced mode ?browser=mobile or tplMobileDetectSwitch switcher.

Mode cookie is not saved

Cookie is not written:

• in CLI (cron, console scripts);
• after response headers are sent (headers_sent());
• when md_use_cookie = No.

Check MODX cookie settings: session_cookie_path, session_cookie_domain, session_cookie_secure.

Snippet always returns the same value

1. Call uncached: [[!MobileDetect]], not [[MobileDetect]]
2. Parameter &input must match current type: standard, tablet, mobile
3. Cookie may have locked another mode — reset via ?browser=detect

HTML tags: snippet inside block still runs

Expected behavior. The plugin filters HTML after MODX parsing. Snippets in hidden blocks have already executed.

Use Fenom modifier {if 'mobile' | mobiledetect} or Fenom blocks.

Upgrade from 2.0.x to 2.1.0-pl

Change	Action
PHP 8.2+	Upgrade PHP on hosting
Detector class	Detection\MobileDetect instead of \Mobile_Detect
Service API	resolveDevice(), getDeviceType(), isMobile(), isTablet(), isDesktop()
Fenom	Fixed blocks and memory leak on repeated registration

Update custom code using $md->getDetector() for mobiledetectlib 4.x.

modstore version vs documentation

modstore.pro may list 2.0.2-pl while docs describe 2.1.0-pl from GitHub. Features in 2.1.0 (Fenom modifier, tplMobileDetectSwitch, PHP API) are available after installing the current transport.

FAQ

Do I need composer install on the server?

No. vendor/ is bundled in the transport package.

Does it work with MODX 2.8?

Yes. Transport targets MODX 2.8+ and 3.x.

Do I need a separate mobile context?

No. MobileDetect filters content on the page without redirect or a second context.

Can I disable HTML tags but keep Fenom?

There is no separate toggle. With md_disable_plugin = Yes the whole plugin stops. Simply do not use HTML tags in markup.

Related

• Quick start
• Integration
• System settings