Recherche avancée

Sur d’autres sites (7370)

• How to add new pages and menu items to Piwik – Introducing the Piwik Platform

  11 septembre 2014, par Thomas Steur — Development

  This is the next post of our blog series where we introduce the capabilities of the Piwik platform (our previous post was How to create a widget). This time you’ll learn how to extend Piwik by adding new pages and menu items. For this tutorial you will need to have basic knowledge of PHP and optionally of Twig which is the template engine we use.

  What can be displayed in a page ?

  To make it short : You can display any corporate related content, key metrics, news, help pages, custom reports, contact details, information about your server, forms to manage any data and anything else.

  Getting started

  In this series of posts, we assume that you have already set up your development environment. If not, visit the Piwik Developer Zone where you’ll find the tutorial Setting up Piwik.

  To summarize the things you have to do to get setup :

  • Install Piwik (for instance via git).
  • Activate the developer mode : ./console development:enable --full.
  • Generate a plugin : ./console generate:plugin --name="MyControllerPlugin". There should now be a folder plugins/MyControllerPlugin.
  • And activate the created plugin under Settings => Plugins.

  Let’s start creating a page

  We start by using the Piwik Console to create a new page :

  ./console generate:controller

  The command will ask you to enter the name of the plugin the controller should belong to. I will simply use the above chosen plugin name “MyControllerPlugin”. There should now be two files plugins/MyControllerPlugin/Controller.php and plugins/MyControllerPlugin/templates/index.twig which both already contain an example to get you started easily :

  Controller.php

  class Controller extends \Piwik\Plugin\Controller
  {
      public function index()
      {
          return $this->renderTemplate('index', array(
               'answerToLife' => 42
          ));
      }
  }
  Télécharger

  and templates/index.twig

  {% extends 'dashboard.twig' %}
   
  {% block content %}
      <strong>Hello world!</strong>
      <br/>
   
      The answer to life is {{ answerToLife }}
  {% endblock %}
  Télécharger

  Note : If you are generating the Controller before Piwik 2.7.0 the example will look slightly different.

  The controller action index assigns the view variable answerToLife to the view and renders the Twig template templates/index.twig. Any variable assigned this way can then be used in the view using for example {{ answerToLife }}.

  Using a Twig template to generate the content of your page is actually optional : instead feel free to generate any content as desired and return a string in your controller action.

  As the above template index.twig is extending the dashboard template the Logo as well as the top menu will automatically appear on top of your content which is defined within the block content.

  

  How to display the page within the admin

  If you would like to add the admin menu on the left you have to modify the following parts :

  • Extend \Piwik\Plugin\ControllerAdmin instead of \Piwik\Plugin\Controller in the file Controller.php. In a future version of Piwik this step will be no longer neccessary, see #6151
  • Extend the template admin.twig instead of dashboard.twig
  • Define a headline using an H2-element

  {% extends 'admin.twig' %}
   
  {% block content %}
      <h2>Hello world!</h2>
      <br/>
   
      The answer to life is {{ answerToLife }}
  {% endblock %}
  Télécharger

  Note : Often one needs to add a page to the admin to make a plugin configurable. We have a unified solution for this using the Settings API.

  

  How to display a blank page

  If you would like to generate a blank page that shows only your content the template should contain only your markup as follows :

  <strong>Hello world!</strong>
  <br/>
   
  The answer to life is {{ answerToLife }}
  Télécharger

  Predefined variables, UI components, security and accessing query parameters

  In this blog post we only cover the basics to get you started. We highly recommend to read the MVC guide on our developer pages which covers some of those advanced topics. For instance you might be wondering how to securely access $_GET or $_POST parameters, you might want to restrict the content of your page depending on a user role, and much more.

  If you would like to know how to make use of JavaScript, CSS and Less have a look at our Working with Piwik’s UI guide.

  Note : How to include existing UI components such as a site selector or a date selector will be covered in a future blog post. Also, there are default variables assigned to the view depending on the context. A list of those variables that may or may not be defined is unfortunately not available yet but we will catch up on this.

  Let’s add a menu item to make the page accessible

  So far you have created a page but you can still not access it. Therefore we need to add a menu item to one of the Piwik menus. We start by using the Piwik Console to create a menu template :

  ./console generate:menu

  The command will ask you to enter the name of the plugin the menu should belong to. I will use again the above chosen plugin name “MyControllerPlugin”. There should now be a file plugins/MyControllerPlugin/Menu.php which contains an example to get you started easily :

  Menu.php

  class Menu extends \Piwik\Plugin\Menu
  {
      public function configureUserMenu(MenuUser $menu)
      {
          // reuse an existing category. 
          $menu->addManageItem('My User Item', $this->urlForAction('showList'));
   
          // or create a custom category
          $menu->addItem('My Custom Category', 'My User Item', $this->urlForDefaultAction());
      }
  }
  Télécharger

  This is only a part of the generated template since all the examples of the different menus are similar. You can add items to four menus :

  • configureReportingMenu To add a new item to the reporting menu which includes all the reports like “Actions” and “Visitors”.
  • configureAdminMenu To add a new item to the admin menu which includes items like “User settings” and “Websites”.
  • configureTopMenu To add a new item to the top menu which includes items like “All Websites” and “Logout”.
  • configureUserMenu To add a new item to the user menu which is accessible when clicking on the username on the top right.

  In this blog post we will add a new item to the user menu and to do so we adjust the generated template like this :

  class Menu extends \Piwik\Plugin\Menu
  {
      public function configureUserMenu(MenuUser $menu)
      {
          $menu->addManageItem('My User Item', $this->urlForAction($method = 'index'), $orderId = 30);
      }
  }
  Télécharger

  That’s it. This will add a menu item named “My User Item” to the “Manage” section of the user menu. When a user chooses the menu item, the “index” method of your controller will be executed and your previously created page will be first rendered and then displayed. Optionally, you can define an order to influence the position of the menu item within the manage section. Following this example you can add an item to any menu for any action. I think you get the point !

  

  Note : In Piwik 2.6.0 and before the above example would look like this :

  class Menu extends \Piwik\Plugin\Menu
  {
      public function configureUserMenu(MenuUser $menu)
      {
          $menu->addManageItem('My User Item', array($module = 'MyControllerPlugin', $action = 'index'), $orderId = 30);
      }
  }
  Télécharger

  How to test a page

  After you have created your page you are surely wondering how to test it. A controller should be usually very simple as it is only the connector between model and view. Therefore, we do usually not create unit or integration test for controllers and for the view less than ever. Instead we would create a UI test that takes a screenshot of your page and compares it with an expected screenshot. Luckily, there is already a section UI tests in our Automated tests guide.

  Publishing your Plugin on the Marketplace

  In case you want to share your page with other Piwik users you can do this by pushing your plugin to a public GitHub repository and creating a tag. Easy as that. Read more about how to distribute a plugin.

  Advanced features

  Isn’t it easy to create a page ? We never even created a file ! Of course, based on our API design principle “The complexity of our API should never exceed the complexity of your use case.” you can accomplish more if you want : You can make use of Vanilla JavaScript, jQuery, AngularJS, Less and CSS, you can reuse UI components, you can access query parameters and much more.

  Would you like to know more about this ? Go to our MVC (Model-View-Controller) and Working with Piwik’s UI guides in the Piwik Developer Zone.

  If you have any feedback regarding our APIs or our guides in the Developer Zone feel free to send it to us.

• Matomo’s 2021 Year in Review

  13 décembre 2021, par erin — Community

  2021 has been an exciting year at Matomo !

  We’re grateful for all community members who reported feedback and suggestions, our awesome team of translators for their work, and our Premium features customers and Matomo Cloud hosting customers for their amazing support. 

  We wanted to share some quick highlights to remind you of the exciting things that happened in 2021.

  Matomo continues to develop

  In 2021 we released a number of new features including :

  • SEO Web Vitals

  The new SEO Web Vitals feature helps you track your critical website performance metrics, which are a core element of SEO best practice.

  

  • Advertising Conversion Export 

  Measure the performance of your ads without giving up privacy.

  This exciting new feature supports privacy and compliance requirements by eliminating the need to put third-party advertising tracking codes on your site. Now marketers can easily import conversion data from Matomo into Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising or Yandex Ads.

  • Tracking Spam Prevention 

  Say goodbye to spammers & bots making your data inaccurate and say hello to reliable data. 

  This powerful plugin provides our self-hosting users various options to prevent spammers and bots from making data inaccurate so you can rely on your data again.

  • In 2021 we moved from Matomo 4.1.0 to Matomo 4.6.0, with our new releases delivering over 600 updates to improve the stability and functionality of the product.

  Some of our team’s favourite updates in 2021 included :

  • • Graphs now show a difference for data of “unfinished” and “complete” periods, with unfinished periods now indicated by a dashed line.
    • Improvements to Matomo Tag Manager’s debugger – now you can simply enter the URL in a form and click Debug.
    • Dashboards now show proportional evolution comparison for incomplete periods (rather than absolute values).
     
  • We also rolled out general bug fixes in Matomo Mobile 2.5 for iOS and Android.
  • Continuous improvements to Matomo for WordPress. 

  In other news

  • Au revoir, tracking consent. France’s data protection authority, Commission nationale de l’informatique et des libertés (CNIL), announced that Matomo is now exempt from tracking consent in France (under conditions).
  • We lowered the pricing for Matomo Cloud, the starting price is now 19 EUR or 19 USD per month.
  • For our self-hosting users, we introduced a 30-day Free Trial for Marketplace Premium Plugins. 

  If you haven’t explored our Marketplace yet, some of our most popular plugins include :

  • • Form Analytics
    • Search Engine Keyword Performance
    • Heatmaps and Session Recordings
     
  • Out of a substantial list of 320 products, Matomo was recognised by Capterra as a leading global Web Analytics Software solution for 2021.

  Matomo Community working together

  MatomoCamp 2021 was a massive success thanks to our passionate community, sponsors and speakers. This virtual event was run by the Matomo Community, for the Matomo Community. 

  

  Some of the most popular sessions included :

  • How to stay compliant with privacy regulations with Matomo 
  • Use Matomo properly for SEO (German)
  • How does risk for a DPO differ from classical risk perceptions ?
  • Are we there yet ? The present & future of surveillance societies
  • How to manage a Matomo with millions of pageviews per month ?

  All MatomoCamp sessions are now available on-demand. Enjoy !

  More people are choosing ethical analytics 

  We surpassed the incredible milestone of 30K active Matomo for WordPress installations.

  How can you get involved in 2022 ?

  Our mission at Matomo is :

  “To create, as a community, the leading open digital analytics platform, that gives every user full control of their data”

  Join our mission by writing about Matomo on your blog, website, Twitter, talk at conferences or let your friends and colleagues know what is Matomo. 

  Use the Matomo forum if you have any questions or feedback (free support), or purchase a Support Plan to get professional support and guidance.

  To improve Matomo in your language, consider contributing to translations.

  You can also support our efforts by purchasing Premium Features for Matomo or try our Matomo Cloud solution.

  Thank you for being part of our Matomo community, we wish you all the best for 2022 !

• Making Your First-Party Data Work for You and Your Customers

  11 mars, par Alex Carmona

  At last count, 162 countries had enacted data privacy policies of one kind or another. These laws or regulations, without exception, intend to eliminate the use of third-party data. That puts marketing under pressure because third-party data has been the foundation of online marketing efforts since the dawn of the Internet.

  Marketers need to future-proof their operations by switching to first-party data. This will require considerable adjustment to systems and processes, but the reward will be effective marketing campaigns that satisfy privacy compliance requirements and bring the business closer to its customers.

  To do that, you’ll need a coherent first-party data strategy. That’s what this article is all about. We’ll explain the different types of personal data and discuss how to use them in marketing without compromising or breaching data privacy regulations. We’ll also discuss how to build that strategy in your business. 

  So, let’s dive in.

  The different data types

  There are four distinct types of personal data used in marketing, each subject to different data privacy regulations.

  Before getting into the different types, it’s essential to understand that all four may comprise one or more of the following :

  Identifying data	Name, email address, phone number, etc.
  Behavioural data	Website activity, app usage, wishlist content, purchase history, etc.
  Transactional data	Orders, payments, subscription details, etc.
  Account data	Communication preferences, product interests, wish lists, etc.
  Demographic data	Age, gender, income level, education, etc.
  Geographic Data	Location-based information, such as zip codes or regional preferences.
  Psychographic Data	Interests, hobbies and lifestyle preferences.

  First-party data

  When businesses communicate directly with customers, any data they exchange is first-party. It doesn’t matter how the interaction occurs : on the telephone, a website, a chat session, or even in person.

  Of course, the parties involved aren’t necessarily individuals. They may be companies, but people within those businesses will probably share at least some of the data with colleagues. That’s fine, so long as the data : 

  • Remains confidential between the original two parties involved, and 
  • It is handled and stored following applicable data privacy regulations.

  The core characteristic of first-party data is that it’s collected directly from customer interactions. This makes it reliable, accurate and inherently compliant with privacy regulations — assuming the collecting party complies with data privacy laws.

  A great example of first-party data use is in banking. Data collected from customer interactions is used to provide personalised services, detect fraud, assess credit risk and improve customer retention.

  Zero-party data

  There’s also a subset of first-party data, sometimes called zero-party data. It’s what users intentionally and proactively share with a business. It can be preferences, intentions, personal information, survey responses, support tickets, etc.

  What makes it different is that the collection of this data depends heavily on the user’s trust. Transparency is a critical factor, too ; visitors expect to be informed about how you’ll use their data. Consumers also have the right to withdraw permission to use all or some of their information at any time.

  

  Second-party data

  This data is acquired from a separate organisation that collects it firsthand. Second-party data is someone else’s first-party data that’s later shared with or sold to other businesses. The key here is that whoever owns that data must give explicit consent and be informed of who businesses share their data with.

  A good example is the cooperation between hotel chains, car rental companies, and airlines. They share joint customers’ flight data, hotel reservations, and car rental bookings, much like travel agents did before the internet undermined that business model.

  Third-party data

  This type of data is the arch-enemy of lawmakers and regulators trying to protect the personal data of citizens and residents in their country. It’s information collected by entities that have no direct relationship with the individuals whose data it is.

  Third-party data is usually gathered, aggregated, and sold by data brokers or companies, often by using third-party cookies on popular websites. It’s an entire business model — these third-party brokers sell data for marketing, analytics, or research purposes. 

  Most of the time, third-party data subjects are unaware that their data has been gathered and sold. Hence the need for strong data privacy regulations.

  Benefits of a first-party data strategy

  First-party data is reliable, accurate, and ethically sourced. It’s an essential part of any modern digital marketing strategy.

  More personalised experiences

  The most important application of first-party data is customising and personalising customers’ interactions based on real behaviours and preferences. Personalised experiences aren’t restricted to websites and can extend to all customer communication.

  The result is company communications and marketing messages are far more relevant to customers. It allows businesses to engage more meaningfully with them, building trust and strengthening customer relationships. Inevitably, this also results in stronger customer loyalty and better customer retention.

  Greater understanding of customers

  Because first-party data is more accurate and reliable, it can be used to derive valuable insights into customer needs and wants. When all the disparate first-party data points are centralised and organised, it’s possible to uncover trends and patterns in customer behaviour that might not be apparent using other data.

  This helps businesses predict and respond to customer needs. It also allows marketing teams to be more deliberate when segmenting customers and prospects into like-minded groups. The data can also be used to create more precise personas for future campaigns or reveal how likely a customer would be to purchase in response to a campaign.

  Build trust with customers

  First-party data is unique to a business and originates from interactions with customers. It’s also data collected with consent and is “owned” by the company — if you can ever own someone else’s data. If treated like the precious resource, it can help businesses build trust with customers.

  However, developing that trust requires a transparent, step-by-step approach. This gradually strengthens relationships to the point where customers are more comfortable sharing the information they’re asked for.

  However, while building trust is a long and sometimes arduous process, it can be lost in an instant. That’s why first-party data must be protected like the Crown Jewels.

  

  Components of a first-party data strategy

  Security is essential to any first-party data strategy, and for good reason. As Gartner puts it, a business must find the optimal balance between business outcomes and data risk mitigation. Once security is baked in, attention can turn to the different aspects of the strategy.

  Data collection

  There are many ways to collect first-party data ethically, within the law and while complying with data privacy regulations, such as Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Potential sources include :

  Website activity	forms and surveys, behavioural tracking, cookies, tracking pixels and chatbots
  Mobile app interactions	in-app analytics, push notifications and in-app forms
  Email marketing	newsletter sign-ups, email engagement tracking, promotions, polls and surveys
  Events	registrations, post-event surveys and virtual event analytics
  Social media interaction	polls and surveys, direct messages and social media analytics
  Previous transactions	purchase history, loyalty programmes and e-receipts
  Customer service	call centre data, live chat, chatbots and feedback forms
  In-person interactions	in-store purchases, customer feedback and Wi-Fi sign-ins
  Gated content	whitepapers, ebooks, podcasts, webinars and video downloads
  Interactive content	quizzes, assessments, calculators and free tools
  CRM platforms	customer profiles and sales data
  Consent management	privacy policies, consent forms, preference setting

  Consent management

  It may be the final item on the list above, but it’s also a key requirement of many data privacy laws and regulations. For example, the GDPR is very clear about consent : “Processing personal data is generally prohibited, unless it is expressly allowed by law, or the data subject has consented to the processing.”

  For that reason, your first-party data strategy must incorporate various transparent consent mechanisms, such as cookie banners and opt-in forms. Crucially, you must provide customers with a mechanism to manage their preferences and revoke that consent easily if they wish to.

  Data management

  Effective first-party data management, mainly its security and storage, is critical. Most data privacy regimes restrict the transfer of personal data to other jurisdictions and even prohibit it in some instances. Many even specify where residents’ data must be stored.

  Consider this cautionary tale : The single biggest fine levied for data privacy infringement so far was €1.2 billion. The Irish Data Protection Commission imposed a massive fine on Meta for transferring EU users’ data to the US without adequate data protection mechanisms.

  Data security is critical. If first-party data is compromised, it becomes third-party data, and any customer trust developed with the business will evaporate. To add insult to injury, data regulators could come knocking. That’s why the trend is to use encryption and anonymisation techniques alongside standard access controls.

  Once security is assured, the focus is on data management. Many businesses use a Customer Data Platform. This software gathers, combines and manages data from many sources to create a complete and central customer profile. Modern CRM systems can also do that job. AI tools could help find patterns and study them. But the most important thing is to keep databases clean and well-organised to make it easier to use and avoid data silos.

  Data activation

  Once first-party data has been collected and analysed, it needs to be activated, which means a business needs to use it for the intended purpose. This is the implementation phase where a well-constructed first-party strategy pays off. 

  The activation stage is where businesses use the intelligence they gather to :

  • Personalise website and app experiences
  • Adapt marketing campaigns
  • Improve conversion rates
  • Match stated preferences
  • Cater to observed behaviours
  • Customise recommendations based on purchase history
  • Create segmented email campaigns
  • Improve retargeting efforts
  • Develop more impactful content

  Measurement and optimisation

  Because first-party data is collected directly from customers or prospects, it’s far more relevant, reliable, and specific. Your analytics and campaign tracking will be more accurate. This gives you direct and actionable insights into your audience’s behaviour, empowering you to optimise your strategies and achieve better results.

  The same goes for your collection and activation efforts. An advanced web analytics platform like Matomo lets you identify key user behaviour and optimise your tracking. Heatmaps, marketing attribution tools, user behaviour analytics and custom reports allow you to segment audiences for better traction (and collect even more first-party data).

  

  How to build a first-party data strategy

  There are five important and sequential steps to building a first-party data strategy. But this isn’t a one-time process. It must be revisited regularly as operating and regulatory environments change. There are five steps : 

  1. Audit existing data

  Chances are that customers already freely provide a lot of first-party data in the normal course of business. The first step is to locate this data, and the easiest way to do that is by mapping the customer journey. This identifies all the touchpoints where first-party data might be found.

  2. Define objectives

  Then, it’s time to step back and figure out the goals of the first-party data strategy. Consider what you’re trying to achieve. For example :

  • Reduce churn 
  • Expand an existing loyalty programme
  • Unload excess inventory
  • Improve customer experiences

  Whatever the objectives are, they should be clear and measurable.

  3. Implement tools and technology

  The first two steps point to data gaps. Now, the focus turns to ethical web analytics with a tool like Matomo. 

  To further comply with data privacy regulations, it may also be appropriate to implement a Consent Management Platform (CMP) to help manage preferences and consent choices.

  4. Build trust with transparency

  With the tools in place, it’s time to engage customers. To build trust, keep them informed about how their data is used and remind them of their right to withdraw their consent. 

  Transparency is crucial in such engagement, as outlined in the 7 GDPR principles.

  5. Continuously improve

  Rinse and repeat. The one constant in business and life is change. As things change, they expose weaknesses or flaws in the logic behind systems and processes. That’s why a first-party data strategy needs to be continually reviewed, updated, and revised. It must adapt to changing trends, markets, regulations, etc. 

  Tools that can help

  Looking back at the different types of data, it’s clear that some are harder and more bothersome to get than others. But capturing behaviours and interactions can be easy — especially if you use tools that follow data privacy rules.

  But here’s a tip. Google Analytics 4 isn’t compliant by default, especially not with Europe’s GDPR. It may also struggle to comply with some of the newer data privacy regulations planned by different US states and other countries.

  Matomo Analytics is compliant with the GDPR and many other data privacy regulations worldwide. Because it’s open source, it can be integrated with any consent manager.

  Get started today by trying Matomo for free for 21 days,
  no credit card required.

  Try Matomo for free