Overview
Newired Hints enhance your application with contextual guidance. However, if Hints are configured too broadly or without proper filtering, they may negatively impact page performance — especially in large or highly dynamic applications.
This guide explains:
Why performance issues can happen
What configurations typically cause them
How to optimize your Hints properly
Why Performance Can Be Affected
Each Hint must locate its target element on the page before it can display.
To do this, Newired uses an internal element finder engine based on information (Identikit) captured when the Hint was created. This may include:
ID
Text
CSS selector
XPath
Element attributes
On large pages or applications with frequent dynamic updates (DOM mutations), repeatedly searching for elements can become resource-intensive.
Performance impact increases when:
Many Hints evaluate on the same page
Hints are active across many pages
Text matching is heavily used
Pages frequently re-render or dynamically update
Common Causes of Performance Issues
1. Too Many Hints Evaluating on the Same Page
If multiple Hints are eligible to evaluate on every page (for example, attached to global menu elements), the system must repeatedly attempt to locate their target elements.
This is especially impactful in:
Applications with complex layouts
Pages with many DOM elements
Single Page Applications (SPA)
2. Precise Filtering Disabled
Precise Filtering is enabled by default.
When enabled:
A Hint evaluates only on the exact URL where it was created.
When disabled:
The Hint may evaluate across many pages.
The element finder engine runs more frequently.
Performance impact increases significantly.
If Precise Filtering is turned off, it is strongly recommended to define strict URL visibility rules.
Location:
Portal → Site → Site Settings → Advanced Settings
Editor → Hint Edit Dialog → Url tab
More details:
3. Missing Visibility Rules
Before performing expensive element searches, Newired evaluates cheap visibility rules.
Fast (Recommended) Rules
These rules do not require DOM scanning:
URL
User Skill
Browser Language
Custom Property
Segment
DateTime
If these rules do not pass, the Hint evaluation stops immediately.
If they are not defined, the system proceeds directly to element searching — which is more costly.
The rules listed above are evaluated by the rule engine in the same order as presented.
More details:
https://support.newired.com/a/solutions/articles/103000015188
https://support.newired.com/a/solutions/articles/103000012675
4. Overuse of Element or Content Rules
The following visibility rules require searching the page DOM:
Element Rule
Content Rule
They behave similarly to target element matching and can increase evaluation cost if used excessively.
Performance Optimization Using Segments
What Is a Segment?
A Segment is a reusable group of rules created in the Segment Editor inside the Newired Editor.
A Segment:
Has a name
Contains one or multiple rules
Can include both cheap and expensive rules
Can be assigned to multiple Hints
Segment as a Top-Level Filter
A Segment can be assigned on top of Visibility Rules, but it can also be used directly as a standard Visibility Rule. Both approaches are valid and supported.
How Top-Level Segments Work
When assigned at the top level:
The Segment is evaluated before Visibility Rules.
The logical operator between the top Segment and Visibility Rules is AND.
If the Segment evaluates as false, the Hint registration stops immediately.
Visibility Rules are evaluated only if the Segment is valid.
If multiple top-level Segments are assigned:
The relationship between them is OR.
If any of the Segments evaluates positively, the Hint continues evaluation.
When to Use a Segment as a Visibility Rule Instead
A Segment does not have to be assigned only as a top-level filter.
It can be added directly inside the Visibility Rules list and combined with other rules as needed.
This approach is especially useful when:
You already use a top-level Segment for high-level conditions (for example, global targeting rules).
You need additional, more specific conditions (such as a URL rule containing a specific path).
You require strict logical control that cannot be achieved due to the OR relationship between multiple top-level Segments.
In such cases, adding the Segment directly into the Visibility Rules allows you to:
Combine it with other rules using the desired logical structure.
Avoid unintended broad activation caused by the OR condition between top-level Segments.
Both methods are valid. The correct approach depends on the logical structure required for your Hint targeting and performance optimization strategy.
Why Segments Improve Performance
When the same logic is needed across multiple Hints (for example, the same URL rule or the same element rule):
Instead of duplicating the rule inside each Hint:
Create a Segment.
Add the rules to the Segment.
Assign the Segment to multiple Hints.
Performance Benefit
Segment rules are evaluated once and shared across all Hints subscribed to that Segment.
The Segment informs all assigned Hints whether its conditions are met.
This reduces:
Repeated rule evaluation
Repeated DOM searching (for Element or Content rules)
Overall page processing overhead
Using Segments is strongly recommended when multiple Hints depend on the same conditions.
More details:
https://support.newired.com/a/solutions/articles/103000098026
https://support.newired.com/a/solutions/articles/103000099719
Site Settings That Influence Performance
1. Mutation Buffering
Mutation buffering groups DOM mutation events and processes them in intervals instead of immediately.
This reduces excessive re-evaluation on dynamic pages.
Location:
Portal → Site → Site Settings → Advanced Settings
More details:
2. Element Search Attempts
These settings define how aggressively Newired tries to locate a target element:
Element Search Attempts Count
Element Search Attempts Interval
Higher values:
Increase chance of finding late-loading elements
Increase performance cost
Lower values:
Reduce performance impact
May cause some Hints not to resolve if elements load slowly
Adjust carefully based on application behavior.
Location:
Portal → Site → Site Settings
More details:
https://support.newired.com/a/solutions/articles/103000012610
3. Automatically Detect Page Changes
This setting enables or disables DOM mutation monitoring.
When enabled:
Hints re-evaluate when the page dynamically changes
Necessary for dynamic applications
Higher performance impact
When disabled:
Hints evaluate only on page load
No re-evaluation on dynamic changes
Lower performance impact
If your application is mostly static, disabling this setting may significantly improve performance.
Location:
Portal → Site → Site Settings
More details:
https://support.newired.com/a/solutions/articles/103000012610
Best Practices for Optimal Performance
Keep Precise Filtering enabled whenever possible.
If Precise Filtering is disabled, consider defining a URL visibility rule to limit where the Hint evaluates.
Use cheap visibility rules (such as URL, Segment, User Skill, Browser Language, Custom Property, or DateTime) when appropriate to reduce unnecessary element searches.
Avoid attaching large numbers of Hints to global elements (such as top navigation or persistent layout components) without additional filtering.
Reuse Segments instead of duplicating the same rules across multiple Hints.
Avoid excessive reliance on Text matching when stable IDs or selectors are available.
Review Mutation Buffering settings if the application is highly dynamic. Adjust interval, threshold, or capacity only when necessary and based on observed performance behavior.
Tune Element Search Attempts Count and Interval carefully to balance reliability and performance.
Quick Troubleshooting Checklist
If page slowdown is reported:
Check how many Hints are active on the page.
Verify whether Precise Filtering is disabled.
Review Visibility Rules — are cheap rules defined?
Check whether multiple Hints share the same logic (consider using Segments).
Review Site Settings:
Mutation buffering
Search attempts configuration
DOM mutation detection
Summary
Performance issues typically arise when Hints are configured too broadly.
The most effective improvements usually come from:
Narrowing Hint scope
Using cheap visibility rules
Keeping Precise Filtering enabled
Reusing Segments across multiple Hints
Optimizing Site Settings for your application type
Careful configuration ensures strong performance while preserving the flexibility of Newired Hints.
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