History change trigger

A history change trigger fires a tag when the hash in the page URL changes or when the history object in the browser changes. It’s mostly used for tracking single-page applications (SPAs) where a regular tracking code fails to capture page reloads.

By default, the trigger fires a tag with every history change. However, you can change its conditions so that the tag fires for a specific page or specific conditions.

Note: In this trigger we use the option: Wait 1 second before firing the tag. It helps to match page URLs with page titles in single-page applications.

When turned on: The tag will fire if the visitor stays on the page for at least one second. This option also affects how events are reported. Events that occur before the one-second delay will be attributed to the previous page. If multiple history changes occur during the delay, only the last one will be recorded as a page view, and the previous changes will be ignored.
When turned off: The tag will fire each time a hash or history object changes. All events will fire the tag.

We recommend that you turn it on because then your data will be more accurate.

Here’s a list of conditions available in this trigger.

Event conditions

Condition type	Description	Example
Page URL	Fires the tag when a history object or hash changes for the selected page URL. For example, a visitor is on the page `https://clearbank.com/product-tour` and a history object or hash changes.	`Page Url equals https://clearbank.com/product-tour/`
Page path	Fires the tag when a history object or hash changes for the page with the selected page path. For example, a visitor is on the page that contains the path `/product-tour` and a history object or hash changes.	`Page Path contains /product-tour`
Page hostname	Fires the tag when a history object or hash changes for the page hosted on the selected domain. For example, a visitor is on the page that is hosted on `clearbank.com` and a history object or hash changes.	`Page Hostname equals clearbank.com`
History source	Fires the tag when a visitor is on a page where a specific history event (`pushState`, `replaceState`, `popState` or `hashchange`) occurs. For more on the `history` object, see this article.	`History source equals pushState`
History fragment	Fires the tag when a visitor is on a page where the hash in the page URL matches the selected condition.	`History fragment equals pricing` Example URL: https://example.com/#pricing
Old history fragment	Fires the tag when a visitor is on a page where the previous hash in the page URL matches the selected condition. For more on the `hashchange` event, see this article.	`Old history fragment equals about-us` Example previous URL: https://example.com/#about-us
History state	Fires the tag when a visitor is on a page where the history state in the page URL matches the selected condition. For more on the `history.state` property, see this article.	`History state is set` or History state equals my-state
Old history state	Fires the tag when a visitor is on a page where the previous history state in the page URL matches the selected condition. For more on the `history.state` property, see this article.	Old history state is set or Old history state equals my-state
Referrer	Fires the tag when a history object or hash changes for the page a visitor was directed to by the selected referrer. This referrer is internal, meaning that it belongs to the same domain as your site. For example, a visitor comes from `https://clearbank.com/blog` and a history object or hash changes.	`Referrer equals https://clearbank.com/blog`
External referrer	Fires the tag when a history object or hash changes for the page a visitor was directed to by the selected external referrer. This referrer is external, meaning that it has a different domain than your site. For example, a visitor comes from `https://google.com` and a history object or hash changes.	`External referrer equals https://google.com`
Campaign	Fires the tag when a history object or hash changes for the page a visitor was directed to by the selected campaign (based on the utm_campaign parameter).	`Campaign equals winter-promo`
Traffic source	Fires the tag when a history object or hash changes for the page a visitor was directed to by the selected traffic source. Possible values: campaign, organic search, social, referral, direct.	`Traffic source equals direct`
Returning visitor	Fires the tag when a visitor is a returning visitor and a history object or hash changes. The returning visitor is recognized by Tag Manager, which uses the stg_returning_visitor cookie.	`Returning visitor is true`
Variable-based conditions	Any variable you add will appear in the list of conditions and you can use it to define trigger conditions.	––

Tip: Learn more about trigger conditions.

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