Action tracking with JS method (not Tag Manager), data show up in Visit Log? Unsure where

General questions
1

Hey so I’ve been using Matomo for a few years now, fully self-hosted, for two lower scale websites with the Javascript method (not the Tag Manager method).

This has worked so far rather well for me, but I now want to track things like scrolling, clicking on things (and which things) and reporting that into areas like the Visit Log so I can see order of actions, and which visit it is tied to.

When I look at the Tag Manager capabilities, it looks like that information just naturally shows up in the Visit Log area (and others? unsure). However I’m currently not really wanting to switch from Javascript to the Tag Manager method (for a bunch of reasons, including security).

According to the documentation I’m seeing possible ways to do this with Javascript, however the visual examples in the documentation (as well as what youtube videos I can find specific to the Javascript method) don’t really… clearly outline where the new information will actually show up.

So I was hoping someone could actually spell it out/clarify for me… when I start collecting more info from the Javascript method (at a minimimum scrolling, when and what users click on), how exactly do I get that info into the Visit Log and other useful sections? (in similar vein to what it looks like for Tag Manager)

Thanks!

2

I’ve had a similar experience, and you’re right that the documentation for using Matomo with the JavaScript method can be a bit unclear. You can definitely track things like scrolling and clicks using trackEvent() in JavaScript. To make sure these events show up in the Visit Log, you need to send them with a clear category and action so Matomo can tie them to the correct visitor session. The data should then appear in the visitor profile and the Visit Log, just like it does with Tag Manager. It takes a bit more manual setup, but it gives you more control, which is often helpful when working on projects like mobile app development where you might want to customize tracking more carefully. Just make sure your events are well structured so the reports stay easy to read.