Generate Google Analytics events (__utm.gif requests) serverside

google-analytics

Solution

I asked a similar question recently and somebody gave me a link, and I found another from the same site:

http://www.vdgraaf.info/wp-content/uploads/image-url-explained.txt http://www.vdgraaf.info/wp-content/uploads/urchin-image.txt (included here)

Google's Analytics code is provided in the form of a JS library, ga.js. When a tracking function is called from this library, a request is made to a gif file on the GA servers at either of the following URLs:

http://www.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif //from http pages
https://ssl.google-analytics.com/__utm.gif //from https pages

The following are parameters that may be used in the request to provide GA with detailed information:

?utmwv=1 //Urchin/Analytics version
&utmn=634440486
&utmcs=UTF-8 //document encoding
&utmsr=1440x900 //screen resolution
&utmsc=32-bit //color depth
&utmul=nl //user language
&utmje=1 //java enabled
&utmfl=9.0%20%20r28 //flash
&utmcr=1 //carriage return
&utmdt=Linklove » The optimum keyword density //document title
&utmhn=www.vdgraaf.info //document hostname
&utmr=http://www.google.nl/search?q=seo+optimal+keyword+density&sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1B3GGGL_nlNL210NL211 //referer URL
&utmp=/the-optimum-keyword-density.html //document page URL
&utmac=UA-320536-6 //Google Analytics account
&utmcc= //cookie settings
    __utma=
                    21661308. //cookie number
                    1850772708. //number under 2147483647
                    1169320752. //time (20-01-2007) cookie first set
                    1172328503. //time (24-02-2007) cookie previous set
                    1172935717. //time (03-03-2007) today
                    3;+
    __utmb=
                    21661308;+ //cookie number
    __utmc=
                    21661308;+ //cookie number
    __utmz=
                    21661308. //cookie number
                    1172936273. //time (03-03-2007) today
                    3.
                    2.
        utmccn=(organic)| //utm_campaign
        utmcsr=google| //utm_source
        utmctr=seo+optimal+keyword+density| //utm_term
        utmcmd=organic;+ //utm_medium

Remember that the `&utmcc` values need to be URL encoded.

The links in this answer have proven to be a little unreliable, so here are some other resources that might be useful:

- Server Side Google Analytics for PHP

- GIF URL Parameters (Google's Troubleshooting Page)

Problem

I am willing to use Google Analytics to track stats about usage of my Client/Server application (no Browser on the user computer!). So I guess if anyone ever tried to craft requests to __utm.gif from serverside code. I have found some information on the request and relevant cookies at google website but there are no details on the cookies values passed in the "utmcc" variable. I understand that I will not be able to "craft" some of the information which Analytics server derives from the request itself (one for all: the source IP address!). I can't generate requests from the Client computer. Does anyone have experience with this scenario? Any detailed information or resource? Any working code snippet (any language will do! :)?

Original source