Walker.js is a lightweight, open-source library to capture analytics events in the browser and send them to any destination.
// Walker.js creates a full event for you
{
"event": "promotion view", // combination of entity and action
"data": {
// arbitrary set properties with the data-elb-promotion attribute
name: "Setting up tracking easily",
category: "analytics",
},
"context": {
// Related properties defined with the data-elbcontext attribute
test: ["engagement", 0] // Value and order
},
"globals": {
// General properties defined with the data-elbglobals attribute
language: "en"
},
"user": {
// stored user ids (manually added once)
id: "userid",
device: "cookieid",
session: "sessionid",
},
"nested": [], // all nested entities within the promotion
"consent": { functional: true }, // status of the consent state(s)
"id": "1647968113641-01b5e2-5", // timestamp, group & count of the event
"trigger": "visible", // name of the trigger that fired
"entity": "promotion", // entity name
"action": "view", // entity action
"timestamp": 1647968113641, // time when the event fired
"timing": 3.14, // how long it took from the page load to trigger the event
"group": "01b5e2", // random group id for all events on a page
"count": 2, // incremental counter of the events on a page
"version": {
// Helpful when working with raw data
walker: 1.5, // used walker.js version
config: 42, // a custom configuration version number
},
"source": {
// Origins of the event
type: 1, // Source type of the event (1=Web)
id: "https://github.com/elbwalker/walker.js", // Source id of the event's origin (url)
previous_id: "https://www.elbwalker.com/" // Previous source id of the event's origin (referrer)
},
"walker": true, // flag to filter events
}
”I used walker.js in multiple projects to create a first-party data foundation for marketing analytics. I like the overall simplicity and flexibility of the library.”
Walker.js is a descriptive approach to creating a vendor-agnostic data collection layer.
Walker.js is building upon data-attributes instead of traditional code.
The walker comes with a bunch of integrated triggers that will fire your events at the right moment.
Events consist of entities & actions. The concept forces you to capture events clean and consistent across tools.
Easily add global properties like logged-in status or language settings to give events the important context.
Walker.js is extendable with destinations to speed up the implementation of analytics tools and minimize code maintenance.
Start with setting up a new analytics tool, or extending an existing one.
Install the walker.js library either via npm or as a script.
You define the entity scope by setting the data-elb attribute with the name of an entity to an element. Then set a data-elbaction attribute on the same level or all child elements in combination with a matching trigger.
Optionally set composited attributes to define the entities' properties. Properties that are related to all entities can be collected once using our global attributes.
<body data-elbglobals="language:en;test:darkmode;pagetype:home">
<div data-elb="hero">
<h1 data-elb-hero="title:analytics_hacks">
Awesome Analytics Hacks
</h1>
<button data-elbaction="click:github">Check it out on GitHub</button>
</div>
<div data-elb="newsletter" data-elb-newsletter="position:overlay">
<h1 data-elb-newsletter="list:analytics_hacks">
Awesome Analytics Hacks Newsletter
</h1>
<button data-elbaction="click:signup">Signup</button>
</div>
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