Set up custom events

Version:

You can use the Cloud SDK events package to capture custom events. Custom events can capture any action you choose to track. For example, clicks on components and how many times a site visitor adds items to their wish list.

JSS Next.js

In this topic, you'll start capturing events on the browser side in a JSS Next.js app (JSS version 22.2).

Setting up custom event capturing will run the event function every time a site visitor clicks a component in your web app.

Before you begin

Make sure your SitecoreAI site has analytics identifiers.
Make sure your SitecoreAI site's webpage has a component to capture custom events from. This webpage must be published so the component appears on the website. This walkthrough uses the Promo component as an example.
Make sure you're ready to start development with the Cloud SDK.
In your code editor, open your JSS Next.js app folder.

To capture custom events on the browser side:

In Promo.tsx, at the top of the file, import the event function from the browser module of the events package:
import { event } from "@sitecore-cloudsdk/events/browser";
In Promo.tsx, in the Default component, within the return statement, add a React onClick event handler to the topmost JSX element:
// ... return ( <div onClick={handleClick} className={"..."} id={"..."} > {/*...*/} )
Note

In production, place the event listener on a clickable element such as a <button>, instead of a <div>.
In the Default component, on the first line of the function body, paste the following code, then save your changes:
function handleClick() { event({ type: "myretailsite:CLICKED_PROMO" }) .catch((e) => console.debug(e)); console.log("Sent custom event."); };
This code runs the event function every time the Promo component is clicked, and sends a custom event named myretailsite:CLICKED_PROMO to Sitecore.

Tip

In production, we recommend you pass event data to the event function to make sure that your web app captures rich event data, and that you choose a unique event name that accurately describes the event you are tracking.
In your terminal, enter npm run start:production to start your JSS Next.js app.

Tip

If your app fails to compile due to linting errors, consider disabling ESLint rules.
In your web browser, navigate to your JSS Next.js app, typically at http://localhost:3000.
In your web browser's developer tools, on the Network tab, in the Filter field, paste the following URL: edge-platform.sitecorecloud.io.

Doing this lists the network requests made to Sitecore.
Reload your webpage to start recording network activity.
On your webpage, click the Promo component.

The click triggers the custom event.
In the developer tools, on the Network tab, in the list of requests, click the last POST request with a status of 201 Created and a name that starts with events.

This is the network request made when you clicked the Promo, and it contains the event data for the custom event that you captured.
In the request details pane, click the Payload tab for the request.
In the request payload, copy the value of the browser_id key. You'll use it to find the captured events in your Sitecore DXP products.

The browser ID uniquely identifies a site visitor and associates captured events with that visitor. In this example, the browser ID identifies you and associates you with the actions you took: viewing the webpage and clicking the Promo component.

Next.js

In this topic, you'll start capturing events in a Next.js app that uses the App Router.

Setting up custom event capturing will run the event function every time a site visitor clicks a button in your web app.

Before you begin

In your code editor, open the root folder of your web app.
Install and initialize the Cloud SDK and the events package.

Browser side

To capture custom events on the browser side:

In your code editor, in the source code of your web app, create a page, for example, src/app/products/page.tsx.

Paste the following code into page.tsx, then save your changes:

"use client";
import { event } from "@sitecore-cloudsdk/events/browser";

export default function Products(){

  return (
    <div>
      <button onClick={() => event({ type: "myretailsite:CLICKED_BUTTON" })}>Send custom event</button>
    </div>
  );
}

This code imports the event function from the browser module of the events package, and it displays a button on the webpage. Every time the button is clicked, the event function runs, which sends a custom event named myretailsite:CLICKED_BUTTON.

Tip

In production, we recommend you pass event data to the event function to make sure that your web app captures rich event data, and that you choose a unique event name that accurately describes the event you are tracking.

In your terminal, enter npm run dev to start your Next.js app, then open the products page of your app in your web browser.
Click the button you just created to send the custom event to Sitecore.

Tip

Use your web browser's developer tools to check the payload that is sent to Sitecore.
To find the event in your Sitecore DXP products:
1. In your web browser's developer tools, view the cookies for your app.
2. Find a cookie named sc_cid.
3. Copy the cookie value. This value is the browser ID browser ID. You'll use it to find the event in your Sitecore DXP products.
  
  Example: a38b230c-11eb-4cf9-8d5d-274e9f344925

Server side

To capture custom events on the server side:

In your code editor, in the source code of your web app, locate the file where you initialized the Cloud SDK and the events package. The initialization code looks similar to:

import type { NextRequest } from "next/server";
import { NextResponse } from "next/server";

// Import SDK modules ->
import { CloudSDK } from "@sitecore-cloudsdk/core/server";
import "@sitecore-cloudsdk/events/server";
import "@sitecore-cloudsdk/personalize/server";
import "@sitecore-cloudsdk/search/server";
// <- Import SDK modules

export default async function middleware(request: NextRequest) {
  const response = NextResponse.next();
  await CloudSDK(request, response, {
    sitecoreEdgeContextId: "<YOUR_SITECORE_EDGE_CONTEXT_ID>",
    siteName: "<YOUR_SITE_NAME>",
    enableServerCookie: true
  })
   .addEvents() // Initialize the events package
   .addPersonalize({ enablePersonalizeCookie: true, webPersonalization: { language: 'en' } }) // Initialize the personalize package
   .addSearch() // Initialize the search package
   .initialize(); // Run the initialization logic and set cookies
   
   return response;
};

At the top of the file, directly below the CloudSDK import statement, import the event function from the server module of the events package:
// ... import { event } from "@sitecore-cloudsdk/events/server";
Inside the middleware function, below the CloudSDK function, run the event function, then save your changes:
// Send event: await event(request, { type: "myretailsite:CLICKED_BUTTON" });
This script sends a custom event named myretailsite:CLICKED_BUTTON.

Tip

In production, we recommend you pass event data to the event function to make sure that your web app captures rich event data, and that you choose a unique event name that accurately describes the event you are tracking.
In your terminal, enter npm run dev to start your Next.js app, then open your app in your web browser.
Click the button you just created to send the custom event to Sitecore.

Tip

Use your web browser's developer tools to check the payload that is sent to Sitecore.
To find the event in your Sitecore DXP products:
1. In your web browser's developer tools, view the cookies for your app.
2. Find a cookie named sc_cid.
3. Copy the cookie value. This value is the browser ID browser ID. You'll use it to find the event in your Sitecore DXP products.
  
  Example: a38b230c-11eb-4cf9-8d5d-274e9f344925

You can now find the events in your Sitecore DXP products. The collected event data will drive, for example, web analytics, segmentation, personalization, and more.

Next, you can:

Learn more about the custom event and what data you can include in it.
Learn more about tracking, what other events you can capture, and what the collected data can be used for.
Explore the reference documentation for the events package.
Set up other Sitecore DXP capabilities, such as using personalization to run web experiences or an interactive experience.

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