views:

648

answers:

2

This should be totally simple but I can't get it working no matter what I try. I'm trying to use Google Analytics with GWT application. From what I understood, there are two way to do it:

First is synchronous, by inserting tracking code at the end of <head> section HTML page and then calling this method:

public static native void recordAnalyticsHit(String pageName) /*-{
    pageTracker._trackPageview(pageName);
}-*/;

Second is asynchronous, by inserting tracking code just after <body> tag and then calling this method:

public static native void recordAnalyticsHit(String pageName) /*-{
    _gaq.push(['_trackPageview(' + pageName + ')']);
}-*/;

When running each of those methods, however, I get this exceptions in hosted mode:

[ERROR] [myproject] Uncaught exception escaped
com.google.gwt.core.client.JavaScriptException: (ReferenceError): pageTracker is not defined

[ERROR] [myproject] Uncaught exception escaped
com.google.gwt.core.client.JavaScriptException: (ReferenceError): _gaq is not defined

When observing site in Firebug, I see that ga.js gets loaded, but that's about it.

Did anyone get Analytics working with GWT? Also, does _gaq accept page name as trackPageview parameter, since all the examples I've seen use this call:

_gaq.push(['_trackPageview()']);

(Of course, that also doesn't work for me.)

+5  A: 

This is just a guess, but you probably need to reference the host page (the one where the Google Analytics JS code has been included) via $wnd in the JSNI, like this:

public static native void recordAnalyticsHit(String pageName) /*-{
    $wnd.pageTracker._trackPageview(pageName);
}-*/;

JSNI code (and in general, GWT code) is run in a iframe to keep the namespace clean, that's why you need the $wnd reference to the main window.

Igor Klimer
Yep, that was it. Thanks.
Domchi
This would of course also work with GA async: $wnd._gaq.push(['_trackPageview', pageName]);
Brian
A: 
<script type="text/javascript">
    var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www.");
    document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E"));
</script>

<script type="text/javascript">
   var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-xxxxxx-x");
   pageTracker._trackPageview("/subdirectory/pagename");
</script>

See http://www.google.com/support/analytics/bin/answer.py?hl=en&amp;answer=55485 for details.

Antonio
Antonio, can you please elaborate your answer? Question was about calling Google Analytics from Java GWT code.
Domchi
Actually I just wanted to say two things: 1) ga.js should be included before GWT code calls it; 2) $wnd.pageTracker._trackPageview(pageName); does not work for me and I had to use the code I found in official Google's FAQ.
Antonio