insight

Node.js module to help you understand how your tool is being used by anonymously reporting usage metrics to Google Analytics

Code Quality Rank: L5

Programming language: JavaScript

License: BSD 2-clause "Simplified" License

Tags: Command Line Utilities     Stats     Package     Google     Metrics     Track     Analytics     Metrica     Yandex    

Latest version: v0.10.1

README

Insight

Understand how your tool is being used by anonymously reporting usage metrics to Google Analytics or Yandex.Metrica

Install

$ npm install insight

Access data / generate dashboards

Google Analytics (GA)

• Use Embed API to embed charts
• Use Core Reporting API or Real Time Reporting API to access raw data, then build custom visualization, e.g. metrics from Bower
• Use GA's dashboards directly, e.g. metrics from Yeoman:

[analytics screenshot](screenshot-ga-dashboard.png)

Provider Setup

Google Analytics (GA)

Currently, Insight should be used with GA set up as web tracking due to use of URLs. Future plans include refactoring to work with GA set up for app-based tracking and the Measurement Protocol.

For debugging, Insight can track OS version, Node.js version, and version of the app that implements Insight. Please set up custom dimensions per below screenshot. This is a temporary solution until Insight is refactored into app-based tracking.

[GA custom dimensions screenshot](screenshot-ga-custom-dimensions.png)

Collected Data

Insight cares deeply about the security of your user's data and strives to be fully transparent with what it tracks. All data is sent via HTTPS secure connections. Insight provides API to offer an easy way for users to opt-out at any time.

Below is what Insight is capable of tracking. Individual implementation can choose to not track some items.

• The version of the module that implements Insight
• Module commands/events (e.g. install / search)
• Name and version of packages involved with command used
• Version of node.js & OS for developer debugging
• A random & absolutely anonymous ID

Usage

Google Analytics

const Insight = require('insight');
const pkg = require('./package.json');

const insight = new Insight({
    // Google Analytics tracking code
    trackingCode: 'UA-XXXXXXXX-X',
    pkg
});

// Ask for permission the first time
if (insight.optOut === undefined) {
    insight.askPermission();
}

insight.track('foo', 'bar');
// Recorded in Analytics as `/foo/bar`

insight.trackEvent({
    category: 'eventCategory',
    action: 'eventAction',
    label: 'eventLabel',
    value: 'eventValue'
});
// Recorded in Analytics behavior/events section

Yandex.Metrica

const Insight = require('insight');
const pkg = require('./package.json');

const insight = new Insight({
    // Yandex.Metrica counter id
    trackingCode: 'XXXXXXXXX'
    trackingProvider: 'yandex',
    pkg
});

// Ask for permission the first time
if (insight.optOut === undefined) {
    insight.askPermission();
}

insight.track('foo', 'bar');
// Recorded in Yandex.Metrica as `http://<package-name>.insight/foo/bar`

API

Insight(options)

trackingCode

Required Type: string

Your Google Analytics trackingCode or Yandex.Metrica counter id.

trackingProvider

Type: string Default: google Values: google yandex

Tracking provider to use.

pkg

name

Required Type: string

version

Type: string Default: 'undefined'

config

Type: Object Default: An instance of conf

If you want to use your own configuration mechanism instead of the default conf-based one, you can provide an object that has to implement two synchronous methods:

• get(key)
• set(key, value)

Instance methods

.track(keyword, [keyword, ...])

Accepts keywords which ends up as a path in Analytics.

.track('init', 'backbone') becomes /init/backbone

.trackEvent(options)

Accepts event category, action, label and value as described in the GA event tracking documentation via the options object. Note: Does not work with Yandex.Metrica.

.trackEvent({
    category: 'download',
    action: 'image',
    label: 'logo-image'
});

category

Required Type: string

Event category: Typically the object that was interacted with (e.g. 'Video').

action

Required Type: string

Event action: The type of interaction (e.g. 'play').

label

Type: string

Event label: Useful for categorizing events (e.g. 'Fall Campaign').

value

Type: integer

Event value: A numeric value associated with the event (e.g. 42).

.askPermission([message, callback])

Asks the user permission to opt-in to tracking and sets the optOut property in config. You can also choose to set optOut property in config manually.

[askPermission screenshot](screenshot-askpermission.png)

Optionally supply your own message and callback. If message is null, default message will be used. The callback will be called with the arguments error and optIn when the prompt is done and is useful for when you want to continue the execution while the prompt is running.

.optOut

Returns a boolean whether the user has opted out of tracking. Should preferably only be set by a user action, eg. a prompt.

License

BSD-2-Clause © Google