Track screens

Contentsquare aggregates user behavior and engagement at the screen level. To do so, it is required to track screen transitions by calling a dedicated API. When the API is called, the SDK logs a screen_view event that identifies the new screen with the screen name provided.

import ContentsquareModule

Contentsquare.send(screenViewWithName: String, cvars: [CustomVar] = [])

@import ContentsquareModule;

[Contentsquare sendWithScreenViewWithName:(NSString * _Nonnull)];
// or
[Contentsquare sendWithScreenViewWithName:(NSString * _Nonnull) cvars:(NSArray<CustomVar *> * _Nonnull)]; // To add custom variables to screen tracking

The screen name is limited to 2083 characters. However, this limit is not enforced by the SDK, but rather by the Contentsquare servers.

The SDK triggers a screenview automatically after the app is put in background and foreground, as long as a screenview with a screen name has been triggered previously. It will use the last screen name set.

From a functional standpoint, we expect a screenview to be sent:

• Right after the SDK has started
• When the screen appears
• When a modal/pop-up is closed and the user is back on the screen
• When the app is put in the foreground (after an app hide)

We advise you to take a look at our reference implementations of screenviews in our sample app ↗. Learning from them is the best way to make sure your implementations are correct. Regardless, here is some general advice.

Most events collected by the SDK require a screenview event to be sent first so they can be associated with that screen; otherwise, they will be discarded. If you need to collect events from the moment the app launches, you should trigger a screenview event immediately after the SDK has started.

If the SDK is started automatically, you should send your first screenview when your app’s life cycle begins. For instance, you can send it in application:didFinishLaunchingWithOptions: of your UIApplicationDelegate if you are using UIKit, or in the init() of your App struct if you are using SwiftUI:

func application(_ application: UIApplication, didFinishLaunchingWithOptions launchOptions: [UIApplication.LaunchOptionsKey: Any]?) -> Bool {
    // ...
    Contentsquare.send(screenViewWithName: "Launch screen")
    // ...
    return true
}

@main
struct MyApp: App {

    init() {
        // ...
        Contentsquare.send(screenViewWithName: "Launch screen")
        // ...
    }

}

If the SDK is started manually, you should send your first screenview right after calling start():

Contentsquare.start()
Contentsquare.send(screenViewWithName: "Launch screen")

import ContentsquareModule

var body: some View {
    Text("My first screen")
        .foregroundColor(Color.blue)
    .onAppear() {
        Contentsquare.send(screenViewWithName: "First screenView")
    }
}

Be careful when tagging screens with paged ScrollViews: if you want to create a screenview event whenever the user changes the page, do so in UIScrollViewDelegate’s scrollViewDidEndDecelerating(_ scrollView: UIScrollView) function. Make sure that you do not trigger a double tag when the screen appears, or when you come back to the screen after the app being hidden. Also make sure not to send a screenview when the user slightly interacts with a page, but without really changing pages.

When dealing with popups and modals, if you are having issues triggering a screenview event for the underlying view when the modal closes we have the following advice. You could overcome this issue by using a delegate pattern, and setting the underlying screen as the modal’s delegate. The modal would call some delegate method when it is dismissed. The underlying screen would implement that method, where it would make the screenview.

Make sure that screenview events will be triggered when a user will go to the previous screen (example: Home → Profile → Home), it is expected to have a screenview event for the Home screen that might be reached with the back navigation button. Normally, if you send your screenviews in viewWillAppear, this should work fine.

For some apps, you might want to redirect users whenever they hide your app, for example for security purposes (bank apps, password managers, etc…). If that is the case, pay specific attention to the way screenview events are sent, in order not to track a screen which is not actually shown users.

When your application returns from the background to the foreground, the SDK automatically logs a screenview with the title of the last logged screenview, so you don’t have to handle this transition yourself.

As a general rule, keep the number of distinct screen names under 100. Since these names are used to map your app in Contentsquare, choose names that are clear and comprehensive.

When generating screen names with multiple words, separate them using spaces, dashes, or underscores.

For instance, use Home and Living - Home Furnishings instead of homeLivingHomeFurnishings for a sub-category in a retail app.

As a general recommendation, use names referring to the screen template/layout rather than referring to the specific content (data). This will help:

• To keep the number of distinct screen names low and therefore make Contentsquare easier to use
• Remove the risk of sending Personal Data to Contentsquare

List of screen types falling into that category: Product detail, Event detail, Conversation/Chat, User profile…

Screens can have different layouts or states depending on the user context. In this case, append its value to the screen name.

Home screen

Product Detail screen (PDP)

User account screen

Search screen

Cart screen

Checkout screen

Custom Variables

Custom variables are designed to provide additional details about the screenview or user information during end-user engagement. These variables can encompass various aspects, including screen-specific attributes or user-related information, and serve as a means to enhance data collection and analysis.

Example:

• Product name: “Acme Widget”
• Product color: “red”
• Product price: “$19.99”

Learn how to setup Custom Variables

Dynamic Variables

Dynamic variables are used to provide additional information on the session, such as the name of a campaign or the version of a variation for an A/B test integration. They can be sent at any time during a session and do not require sending a screenview. Note that dynamic variables should be used only in segments.

Example:

• Campaign name: “Summer Sale 2023”
• Variation version: “Version A”

Learn how to setup Dynamic Variables