Passing the Visitor Query into Ditto Search.extender

How to feed a real input value into Ditto Search.extender instead of hard-coding the search string in the snippet call.

Search.extender becomes useful only when the query really comes from the visitor, not from a fixed value in the snippet call. The common problem is simple: the extension works when &searchString contains a literal word, but nothing happens when the value should come from the search form.

The Core Idea

Take the request value first, then pass it into the extender parameter. Do not try to keep the search term only inside the form markup.

[!Ditto?
  &extenders=`search`
  &searchString=`[(site_search_query)]`
!]

In a real project the placeholder or request variable name may differ, but the rule stays the same: the extender must receive the resolved query value by the time Ditto runs.

Why This Matters

If the input and the extender are not connected cleanly, search looks half-configured: the form submits, but the output stays unchanged. Make the query transport explicit and test it with a visible debug placeholder before polishing the template.

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