topic Re: Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB? in ArcGIS Web AppBuilder Questions

Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB?

BrianO_keefe — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 16:02:44 GMT

So I want to have Google Analytics for my WAB Maps. I realize this is a MUCH better environment for this than back in Flex (where you had to have widgets and such to do this) but I am curious what the best way to do this would be?

I have considered creating a WAB Template map that has Google Analytics code pre-populated requiring minor adjustments. I have considered trying my hand at a Widget (for several reasons). I have considered just editing the code once the WAB Map is completed.

Is there a recommended process for this? Or are we wild westing this stuff right now since WAB is still in BETA?

Re: Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB?

RobertScheitlin__GISP — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 16:44:58 GMT

Brain,

I don't believe that esri has come out with a recommended process for this. The way that I always did it in Flex and will continue to do it in the StemApp is to add the GA code to the StemApp template (index.html).

Re: Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB?

ReneRubalcava — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 16:51:04 GMT

This kind of depends on what you are looking to get out of it. GA will give you page/session stats, but not much details as to whether anyone ever clicks on a draw or search button.

Check out Dave Bouwmans post on this subject, lots of good stuff there. His samples are in Backbone, but no reason you couldn't do same hooks in widgets. Only problem is this is only good for widgets you write. It would be much easier if widget interaction in WAB was done via dojo/topic, but I'm not sure if it is.

Re: Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB?

BrianO_keefe — Fri, 14 Nov 2014 17:24:08 GMT

My thoughts are simply a webcounter (if you will) showing each time a REST Service is hit. It would be GREAT if it could compile these hits into sessions. So that I could tell that USER X accessed the map, hit the REST Service 25 times (probably by scrolling or address locating) and access this REST Service twice via popups (I could tell popups because certain layers have popups and certain layers don't).

Re: Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB?

AmyKnight — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 20:44:50 GMT

We also have a need to have Google Analytics tracking each time our WAB app is opened. We have a web map application built with WAB for Developers 1.1 and recently deployed to our web server. We have a snippet of GA code that goes into all our other web pages and I was asked to add it to the web map 'page'. I am not sure where to paste it or best practice for doing so. Any help would be appreciated!

Re: Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB?

StanMcShinsky — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 21:11:32 GMT

Amy,

If you just want to know when the app was opened and some user stats on that then you just need to place the GA script tags in the head of the index.html file for the app.

-Stan

Re: Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB?

AmyKnight — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 21:16:25 GMT

Thank you Stan! I think I've got it- I was just doing what you suggest following Robert's post above.

Re: Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB?

SebastianRoberts — Fri, 04 Sep 2015 18:02:32 GMT

Thanks for this thread. It was very useful. I got analytics going, and thought I would share my method. In the index.html, before the closing </head> tag, I added the Analytics code from the top of this Google Page

I wrapped the whole thing in an if statement:

if (document.domain === 'gis.nevcounty.net' )

so that the tracking only occurs once the app is deployed to our production web server.

We have a separate tracker code for our widget analytics, so I also added this line:

ga('create', 'XX-XXXXXX-X', 'auto',{'name': 'widgetTracker'});

widgetTracker is just a name that is assigend so that you can send page views or events to either tracker. Just use ga('send'.... for the first tracker, or ga('widgetTracker.send'..... for the second tracker.

So when the eSearch tool is opened, I log a pageview using the widgetTracker code, by adding this code to the beginning of the postCreate function:

if (ga){

ga('widgetTracker.send', 'pageview','MN_Widget/' + this.name);

}

The above will only log once when the widget is created, so it tells you that the tool was used during this session. I log specific events for various widget functions. So for instance if a user does a search using the eSearch tool, I added the following lines in Widget.js to the onSearch function that will track the type of search that they did:

if (ga){

var trackerLabelString = this.config.layers[this.AttributeLayerIndex].name

ga('widgetTracker.send', 'event', 'search', 'by Attribute: ' + trackerLabelString , {'nonInteraction': 1});

}

According to the documentation, the 'nonInteraction' object will send the event without impacting your bounce rate.

Re: Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB?

MegPeterson — Fri, 04 Mar 2016 17:27:53 GMT

Hi Sebastian -

I just wanted to thank you for posting this! I have GA running on my index.html but now need to track individual widget hits, so this post will be very helpful. (I may have questions as I go along....).

Thanks again for the info. - Meg

Re: Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB?

IanGrasshoff — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 21:03:57 GMT

Try this out..

GitHub - igrasshoff/esri-wab-widget-google-analytics: A google analytics widget & template for use in Esri Web AppBuilde…

Re: Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB?

DanielChantlos1 — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 19:27:58 GMT

This widget doesn't appear to open in WAB.

Re: Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB?

IanGrasshoff — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 21:12:35 GMT

That's right, it's not supposed to be visible to the user. That's part of the changes I made to original when I forked it. I didn't want it sitting in a menu somewhere for a user to click it wondering what it was for. It's still logging to GA in the background. Does that make sense? I should update the README file in the repo...there really was nothing there from the original.

Re: Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB?

BillSpiking__GISP — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 14:12:07 GMT

Hi Ian,

I'm testing your branch of the GA widget in WAB 2.3 and the widget IS appearing within my app. Maybe I'm deploying incorrectly? Have you tested the widget in 2.3?

Thank you,

Bill

Re: Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB?

IanGrasshoff — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 16:05:05 GMT

Thanks...I haven't worked on it recently. I believe I did notice this before. I am thinking a simple hack would be to switch the widget icon to an blank image. If I remember correctly, I was searching the UI components for a specific CSS tags that get injected by the WAB. Problem is the Esri seems to change them between templates and versions. I think the simplest way to handle it would be to switch the icon. It will still occupy space on the header controller...but oh well.

Re: Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB?

BillSpiking__GISP — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 17:08:10 GMT

Not a problem Ian. I think I'll try to make it an on screen widget and hide it using the code provided by Robert Scheitlin, GISP‌ . https://community.esri.com/thread/187640-hide-widget-icon

Re: Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB?

IanGrasshoff — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 17:13:02 GMT

That's great, do you plan to fork my repo?

Re: Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB?

StanMcShinsky — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 17:14:23 GMT

I just tried this on 2.3 and it was not letting me add the widget to the map and configure it. I just changed the name of the folder from "esri-wab-widget-google-analytics-master" to "GoogleAnalytics" in the WebAppBuilderForArcGIS\client\stemapp\widgets folder and all seams to be working now.

-Stan

Re: Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB?

BillSpiking__GISP — Fri, 24 Mar 2017 12:54:30 GMT

I haven't tested yet, but I don't think any changes will need to be made to your code. Just redeploying as on screen widget.

Re: Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB?

DanielChantlos1 — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 19:14:12 GMT

Robert,

I would like to use Google Analytics to track widget usage rather than paste the tracking code into the index.html of of the WebApp. I've see Rene's post above, however some time has passed.... Is this possible?

Re: Best Use Case for Google Analytics in WAB?

RobertScheitlin__GISP — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 19:55:47 GMT

Daniel,

I have not had the need to track widget usage but since the widget manager uses events when a widget is opened then a developer could easily add widget usage to Ian's widget.