Tracking API: Basic Configuration

This reference describes the methods that you use for customizing all aspects of Google Analytics reporting.

ga.js Basic Methods

• _getAccount()
• _getVersion()
• _initData()
• _setSampleRate(newRate)
• _setSessionTimeout(newTimeout)
• _setVar(newVal)
• _trackPageview(opt_pageURL)

Method Details

_getAccount()

_getAccount()

Returns the Google Analytics tracking ID for this tracker object. If you are tracking pages on your website in multiple accounts, you can use this method to determine the account that is associated with a particular tracker object.

returns

String Account ID this tracker object is instantiated with.

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_getVersion()

_getVersion()

Returns the GATC version number.

returns

String GATC version number.

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_initData()

_initData()

Initializes or re-initializes the GATC (Google Analytics Tracker Code) object.

var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-12345-1");
pageTracker._initData();
pageTracker._trackPageview();

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_setSampleRate()

_setSampleRate(newRate)

Sets the new sample rate. If your website is particularly large and subject to heavy traffic spikes, then setting the sample rate ensures un-interrupted report tracking. Sampling in Google Analytics occurs consistently across unique visitors, so there is integrity in trending and reporting even when sampling is enabled, because unique visitors remain included or excluded from the sample, as set from the initiation of sampling.

pageTracker._setSampleRate("80"); //sets sampling rate to 80 percent

parameters

String   newRate New sample rate to set. Provide a numeric string as a whole percentage.

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_setSessionTimeout()

_setSessionTimeout(newTimeout)

Sets the new session timeout in seconds. By default, session timeout is set to 30 minutes (1800 seconds). Session timeout is used to compute visits, since a visit ends after 30 minutes of browser inactivity or upon browser exit. If you want to change the definition of a "session" for your particular needs, you can pass in the number of seconds to define a new value. This will impact the Visits reports in every section where the number of visits are calculated, and where visits are used in computing other values. For example, the number of visits will increase if you shorten the session timeout, and will decrease if you increase the session timeout.

parameters

String   newTimeout New session timeout to set in seconds.

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_setVar()

_setVar(newVal)

Sets a user-defined value. The value you supply appears as an option in the Segment pull-down for the Traffic Sources reports. You can use this value to provide additional segmentation on users to your website. For example, you could have a login page or a form that triggers a value based on a visitor's input, such as a preference the visitor chooses, or a privacy option. This variable is then updated in the cookie for that visitor.

parameters

String   newVal New user defined value to set.

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_trackPageview()

_trackPageview(opt_pageURL)

Main logic for GATC (Google Analytic Tracker Code). If linker functionalities are enabled, it attempts to extract cookie values from the URL. Otherwise, it tries to extract cookie values from document.cookie. It also updates or creates cookies as necessary, then writes them back to the document object. Gathers all the appropriate metrics to send to the UCFE (Urchin Collector Front-end).

var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-12345-1");
pageTracker._initData();
pageTracker._trackPageview("/home/landingPage");

parameters

String   opt_pageURL Optional parameter to indicate what page URL to track metrics under. When using this option, use a beginning slash (/) to indicate the page URL.

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