Monitor web site visitors in WinApp.

[netFusion]

Per Varun's instructions, I'm adding the poll to the forum for staff members to see.

Fly Spray Request: #455.
Request Posted: July 17, 2005.
Subject: Add Log Pane to WinApp.

Details:

Right now we have the "Monitor Pane" in the Winapp which gives a snapshot of who is on the site. The only drawback is that it removes the entries after the visitor has left the page. This is good. I do not want to change the way this works.

I would like to add another button for a "Log Pane" similar to the Monitor Pane. It could display exactly the same information, but it would be more of a history instead of a Realtime snap shot.

It could display the last `20, 50, or xx visitors. You could make the number of visitors configurable in the settings.

That way if I walk away from my workstation for a bit, come back, and want to see who was online or what traffic I had while I was gone, I can click on the "Log Pane" and see the last 20, 50, or whatever visitors that came across the site.

If you wanted to see say 100 visitors, it would need to do a first in first out of the database so that it only kept the last xx number of visitors logged. Otherwise the database table for the logs could get out of hand very quickly.

Being able to click on the Information, Footprints, Notes, History, etc. tabs from the Log Pane after the visitor has already left the page would be nice as well, so keep those tabs on the bottom as well, just like they are now.

Please vote if you could use this feature.

Thanks!

Eddie

[netFusion]

Any updates from the staff?

[netFusion]

Hi Roger! Looks like this one is assigned to you. How is it coming along?

[netFusion]

How is it coming Roger?

[Varun Shoor]

This one is a low priority task for us because of the stress it might place on servers by maintaining the complete history of visitors.

I believe this job is better suited for Statistical Apps like Urchin etc.

Regards,

Varun Shoor

[netFusion]

Originally Posted by Varun Shoor

This one is a low priority task for us because of the stress it might place on servers by maintaining the complete history of visitors.

I believe this job is better suited for Statistical Apps like Urchin etc.

Regards,

Varun Shoor

Varun,

I think you are overlooking the idea of the request the way we discussed last year.

We do not need a complete history of visitors. The "History" portion was optional if you wanted to go there in the future.

Statistics would be another feature, but that is not the point of the request.

All of the code needed for this request should already be in place in the WinApp.

The logic just needs to be modified such that instead of timing out and removing the visitor from the screen, you add them to the screen until you reach 20 of them. Then you removing the oldest one each time a new visitor is added to the screen. Rather than timing out, you modify the logic to be a first in first out.

1. You would maintain an array visitors.
(You have that now as they are already displayed on the screen in WinApp).

2. Each new user gets added to the array as they hit the link on the site.
(You have that now since you are already tracking it in WinApp.)

3. You loop through each time the screen refreshes removing visitors who have left.
(You have that now. Modify the logic to check and see if there are more than 20 elements in the array, remove any elements over 20 and redraw the screen with the most recent 20 elements).

4. If you close the WinApp the array is reinitialized and starts over.

There is no additional load on the server since you are reusing exsting logic from your existing code.

The only thing you would need to add to the server is a field in the database if you want to make the number of array elements configurable rather than a static last "20" visitors.

Eddie

[netFusion]

Varun, any further thoughts?

[netFusion]

Does that make sense Varun?

[Trevor]

This could achually be called a invasion of privicy.

Maybe a counter would be a better idea that you can reset. Then when you leave your pc you can note down the number of hits or reset it. Than you will know how many people have access your sites.

[netFusion]

Originally Posted by SWTTrevor

This could achually be called a invasion of privicy.

Maybe a counter would be a better idea that you can reset. Then when you leave your pc you can note down the number of hits or reset it. Than you will know how many people have access your sites.

I don't follow where you are going with the invasion of privacy logic.

Making the WinApp snapshot screen stay on the screen longer does not add any additional information that could be considered private. LiveSupport does not gather any personally identifiable information. So there is not any basis for personal privacy concerns on behalf of the site owner or the site visitor.

If the user has submitted their name and email address to me on a previous support request, and LiveSupport associates that with their IP address, they do not have a claim to intent of privacty since they have already told me who they are while on my site and on my server.

Your idea of gathering a number of hits on the support site would lend more to a statistics package like Varun suggested.

Counting hits and statistics would not do anything to allow me to see if that user I was waiting for came to my support screen while I stepped away from my desk for 5 minutes to grab a cup of coffee or answer the phone.

[ehoffman]

Originally Posted by SWTTrevor

This could achually be called a invasion of privicy.

Maybe in the biazarro world. But I do see value of letting us hold x amount of visitor history...so allow the wipe time to be variable.

We have had two instances we needed to go back and check on a visitor but they were gone from the monitor pane and I hadn't had time to note the info I needed to clarify an issue.

This has nothing to do with what stats has.

I would like something like this, although low priority compared to core issues.

[Racked Hosting]

netFusion, I quite agree with you. I think there's a misunderstanding with what you actually requested for.
I got your point though; To just have the history temporarily stored in local Winapp. I will check with Ryan/Roger if they can implement this.

[netFusion]

I notice this has not made it to the 3.10.00 build. Can you provide an update on the status?

[netFusion]

Originally Posted by Racked Hosting

netFusion, I quite agree with you. I think there's a misunderstanding with what you actually requested for.
I got your point though; To just have the history temporarily stored in local Winapp. I will check with Ryan/Roger if they can implement this.

Roger or Ryan, how is this coming along?

Thanks!

[Rodney B]

I would love this feature as well