Analytics

This module includes functionality for interacting with analytics packages.

Turn on debugging in the JavaScript developer console to view calls being made with the analytics module:

localStorage.setItem('debug', 'calypso:analytics*');

You can limit to only calls made to Google Analytics, Tracks, or MC by replacing calypso:analytics* with:

calypso:analytics for Tracks
calypso:analytics:ga for Google Analytics
calypso:analytics:mc for MC

For example:

localStorage.setItem('debug', 'calypso:analytics'); // only show debug for Tracks

localStorage.setItem('debug', 'calypso:analytics:ga'); // only show debug for Google Analytics

Which analytics tool should I use?

Note: Each tool has its own documentation with extensive usage guidelines and examples.

Page Views should be used to record all page views (when the main content body completely changes). This will automatically record the page view to both Google Analytics and Tracks.

Google Analytics should be used to record all events the user performs on a page that do not trigger a page view (this will allow us to determine bounce rate on pages).

Tracks should be used to record events with optional properties.

MC should be used to bump WP.com stats.

Automatticians may refer to internal documentation for more information about MC and Tracks.

What is the Analytics Queue?

The queue allows for delaying analytics events that would otherwise cause a race condition. For example, when we trigger calypso_signup_complete we're simultaneously moving the user to a new page via window.location. This is an example of a race condition that should be avoided by enqueueing the calypso_signup_complete event, and therefore running it on the next pageview.

When you add a new item to the queue, it is held in localStorage under the key analyticsQueue. This queue is read, then emptied, and then processed each time recordPageView() fires.

Example of adding an item to the Queue

import { addToQueue } from 'lib/analytics/queue';

addToQueue( moduleName, trigger, arg1, arg2, ... );

moduleName This is the name of the module where the queued method exists, e.g. signup. Available modules are configured in the modules constant in queue.js.
trigger This can be any exported function in the chosen module.
arg1, arg2, ... Optional. These are the arguments ultimately passed to the trigger function.

Tracker Buckets

Tracker Buckets (./tracker-buckets.ts) is a simple mechanism that allows to categorize new tracker into one of three available categories: essential, advertising, and analytics.

After adding the tracker to allAdTrackers array, and assiging it a category in AdTrackersBuckets object - you may wrap the functionality of the given tracker with a check against the current user tracking preferences, that is based on Automattic-wide used cookie sensitive_pixel_options.

The code is fully typed in Typescript, so to ensure implementing new tracker is straightforward.

There are three checking functions:

mayWeTrackGeneral - that checks if we can track user in general
mayWeTrackByBucket (runs mayWeTrackGeneral underneath) - that checks if user has given consent to track with a specific bucket
mayWeTrackByTracker (runs mayWeTrackByBucket underneath) - that checks if we can track user with a specific tracker (based on the bucket consent)