Chapter 05

Variables: how to pass blog author data

By Anna Tomalik

In Tag Manager, we can use variables like custom JavaScript, random number, URL and more. The list is long, so we’ll pick one type and use it as an example to show you how variables work.

A DOM element variable lets you access data on your site or app through HTML DOM (Document Object Model). You can use an element ID, CSS selector or XPath to point to the element from which you want to collect information. In our example, we’d like to capture information about a blog author on our site. Then we’d like to pass that information to Analytics to see blog post statistics by the author. Let’s see how all of that can be done.

To use a DOM element variable, follow these steps:

  1. Open your site on a page with a blog author name.
    Blog author on a site
  2. Right-click on the blog author and click Inspect or Inspect element, depending on the browser you’re using.
  3. Look for the ID or class of the author element among the lines of code.
    Site's source code
  4. The code could look like this: <span class="author">John Doe</span>. In this case, we’ve got the class author.
  5. Go to Menu > Tag Manager.
  6. Navigate to Variables.
  7. Click Add a variable.
  8. Name the variable. Example: Blog author.
  9. Select the following variable type: DOM element.
  10. In Variable settings, set Element ID or CSS selector. In our example, we’ll use a CSS selector .author.
    DOM element variable in Piwik PRO
  11. Check Extract text from an element. This option will extract the blog author’s name from the code:  <span class="author">John Doe</span>.
    DOM element variable in Piwik PRO
  12. Click Save.
  13. Click Debug.
  14. Go to the page with the blog author’s name.
    Debug mode in Piwik PRO
  15. Navigate to Events log in debug mode.
  16. Click stg.PageView on the event list.
  17. Navigate to Variables.
    Debug mode in Piwik PRO
  18. Look for your variable on the list and see if the value is assigned correctly.
    Debug mode in Piwik PRO
  19. If everything looks okay, go back to Tag Manager and click Publish.

Done! Your variable is ready. Now we need to complete another step and send variable data to Analytics.

Add a custom dimension

To see statistics for a blog author on our site, we now need to pass variable data to Analytics using a custom dimension.

To add and set up a custom dimension, follow these steps:

  1. Go to Menu > Analytics.
  2. Navigate to Settings.
  3. On the left, click Custom dimensions.
  4. In Event dimensions, click Add an event dimension.
    Custom dimension in Piwik PRO
  5. Name the dimension.
  6. Click Save.
  7. After creating the custom dimension, note Dimension name or ID.
    Custom dimension in Piwik PRO
  8. Go to Menu > Tag Manager.
  9. Navigate to Tags.
  10. On the left, click Piwik PRO. This is the tag with the tracking code.
  11. In Collect data for custom dimensions, click + Add a dimension.
    Custom dimension in Piwik PRO
  12. Enter Dimension name or ID from step 7.
    Custom dimension in Piwik PRO
  13. Enter Dimension value. This is our variable {{ Blog author }}.
    Custom dimension in Piwik PRO
  14. Scroll down to the bottom and click Save.
  15. Click Publish.
  16. You can quickly check if data is being collected correctly by going to Menu > Analytics > Settings > Tracker debugger.
    Custom dimension in Piwik PRO

    Note: Data in the tracker debugger appears instantly. Data in reports appears in about 30 minutes.

  17. After data is collected, you’ll see it under Menu > Analytics > Reports > Custom dimensions.
    Custom dimension report in Piwik PRO
  18. You can also see your custom dimension under Analytics > Reports > Session log.
    Custom dimension in Piwik PRO

    Tip: You can also use your custom dimension in a custom report.