User tracking

User tracking enables you to identify users in your application, personalize their experiences, and gather detailed analytics about user behavior.

How it works

User identification

Provide user data to Pointer when users authenticate, including a unique user ID and optional profile information.

Event tracking

Automatically track user interactions and optionally record custom events for deeper insights.

Analytics collection

View detailed user analytics and behavior patterns in your Pointer dashboard.

Key benefits

User identification

Maintain consistent user identity across sessions for seamless experiences and accurate analytics.

Personalized experiences

Create customized content and guidance based on user data and behavior patterns.

Progress tracking

Monitor completion of onboarding flows, feature adoption, and user engagement over time.

Detailed analytics

Access comprehensive user insights and interaction data in your dashboard.

Setting up user tracking

Basic implementation

Provide user data to the PointerProvider when initializing:

import { PointerProvider } from 'pointer-sdk';

function App() {
  return (
    <PointerProvider 
      projectId={process.env.POINTER_PROJECT_ID!}
      userData={{
        userId: "user_123",           // Required
        name: "Jane Smith",           // Optional
        email: "jane@example.com",    // Optional
        avatarUrl: "/avatar.png",     // Optional
        customData: {                 // Optional
          plan: "premium",
          companyId: "company_456"
        }
      }}
    >
      {children}
    </PointerProvider>
  );
}

At minimum, you must provide a userId to identify the user. Additional fields are optional but recommended for better personalization and analytics.

Dynamic user management

For applications where user data changes during the session, use the useUser hook:

import { useUser } from 'pointer-sdk';

function AuthenticatedApp() {
  const { userData, setUserData, clearUserData } = useUser();
  
  // Set user data after login
  const handleLogin = (authState) => {
    setUserData({
      userId: authState.user.id,
      name: authState.user.name,
      email: authState.user.email,
      customData: {
        plan: authState.user.plan,
        teamId: authState.user.teamId
      }
    });
  };
  
  // Clear user data on logout
  const handleLogout = () => {
    clearUserData();
  };
  
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Welcome, {userData?.name}</h1>
      <button onClick={handleLogout}>Logout</button>
    </div>
  );
}

User data structure

Required fields

userId

string

required

A stable, unique identifier for the user from your authentication system.

Optional fields

name

string

The user’s full name for personalization and display purposes.

string

The user’s email address for identification and communication.

avatarUrl

string

URL to the user’s profile picture or avatar image.

customData

object

Any additional JSON-serializable data you want to associate with the user.

Event tracking

Track custom events to understand how users interact with your application:

import { useUser } from 'pointer-sdk';

function FeaturePage() {
  const { trackEvent } = useUser();
  
  const handleFeatureUsage = () => {
    // Your feature logic here
    
    // Track the event
    trackEvent({
      eventType: 'FEATURE_USAGE',
      eventName: 'export_report',
      metadata: {
        reportType: 'analytics',
        format: 'csv',
        dataRange: '30_days'
      }
    });
  };
  
  return (
    <button onClick={handleFeatureUsage}>
      Export Report
    </button>
  );
}

Event structure

eventType

string

required

Category of the event (e.g., FEATURE_USAGE, ACCOUNT_UPDATE, WORKFLOW_COMPLETION)

eventName

string

required

Specific action or milestone (e.g., export_report, subscription_changed, completed_setup)

metadata

object

Optional additional context for the event, such as feature settings or workflow details

Authentication integration

app/layout.tsx
import { PointerProvider } from 'pointer-sdk';
import { getSession } from '@/lib/auth';

export default async function RootLayout({
  children,
}: {
  children: React.ReactNode;
}) {
  const session = await getSession();
  
  const userData = session?.user ? {
    userId: session.user.id,
    name: session.user.name,
    email: session.user.email,
    customData: {
      plan: session.user.plan
    }
  } : undefined;
  
  return (
    <html>
      <body>
        <PointerProvider 
          projectId={process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POINTER_PROJECT_ID!}
          userData={userData}
        >
          {children}
        </PointerProvider>
      </body>
    </html>
  );
}

app/layout.tsx
import { PointerProvider } from 'pointer-sdk';
import { getSession } from '@/lib/auth';

export default async function RootLayout({
  children,
}: {
  children: React.ReactNode;
}) {
  const session = await getSession();
  
  const userData = session?.user ? {
    userId: session.user.id,
    name: session.user.name,
    email: session.user.email,
    customData: {
      plan: session.user.plan
    }
  } : undefined;
  
  return (
    <html>
      <body>
        <PointerProvider 
          projectId={process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_POINTER_PROJECT_ID!}
          userData={userData}
        >
          {children}
        </PointerProvider>
      </body>
    </html>
  );
}

import { useAuth0 } from '@auth0/auth0-react';
import { useEffect } from 'react';
import { useUser } from 'pointer-sdk';

function Auth0Integration() {
  const { user, isAuthenticated, isLoading } = useAuth0();
  const { setUserData, clearUserData } = useUser();
  
  useEffect(() => {
    if (isLoading) return;
    
    if (isAuthenticated && user) {
      setUserData({
        userId: user.sub,
        name: user.name,
        email: user.email,
        avatarUrl: user.picture,
        customData: {
          emailVerified: user.email_verified
        }
      });
    } else {
      clearUserData();
    }
  }, [isAuthenticated, isLoading, user]);
  
  return null;
}

import { useEffect } from 'react';
import { useUser } from 'pointer-sdk';
import { onAuthStateChanged } from 'firebase/auth';
import { auth } from './firebaseConfig';

function FirebaseAuthIntegration() {
  const { setUserData, clearUserData } = useUser();
  
  useEffect(() => {
    const unsubscribe = onAuthStateChanged(auth, (firebaseUser) => {
      if (firebaseUser) {
        setUserData({
          userId: firebaseUser.uid,
          name: firebaseUser.displayName || undefined,
          email: firebaseUser.email || undefined,
          avatarUrl: firebaseUser.photoURL || undefined,
          customData: {
            emailVerified: firebaseUser.emailVerified
          }
        });
      } else {
        clearUserData();
      }
    });
    
    return () => unsubscribe();
  }, []);
  
  return null;
}

Analytics and insights

User tracking data becomes available in your Pointer analytics dashboard, providing insights into:

User profiles: Profile information, session history, and feature usage
Behavior patterns: Flow completion rates, feature adoption, and engagement metrics
User segments: Group users by plan type, company, or custom data

To view user analytics, go to the Analytics section.

Data privacy and security

User data is automatically persisted in the browser’s localStorage to maintain identity across sessions.

Avoid storing sensitive information in the user’s customData field as it will be persisted to localStorage and could be accessible to client-side code.

Best practices

Use consistent identification

Track meaningful events

Handle authentication properly

Troubleshooting

User data not appearing

If user tracking data isn’t showing up in your analytics:

Verify user ID: Ensure you’re providing a valid, non-empty userId
Check authentication flow: Confirm setUserData is called after successful login
Review console errors: Look for JavaScript errors that might prevent tracking

Inconsistent user identification

When users appear as different entities in analytics:

Check userId consistency: Ensure the same ID is used across sessions
Review authentication logic: Verify user data is set correctly during login
Clear localStorage: Test with cleared browser storage to eliminate cached data

Overview

Add to your:

Core AI features

Knowledge

Analytics

Customization

FAQs

User tracking

User tracking

How it works

Key benefits

User identification

Personalized experiences

Progress tracking

Detailed analytics

Setting up user tracking

Basic implementation

Dynamic user management

User data structure

Required fields

Optional fields

Event tracking

Event structure

Authentication integration

Analytics and insights

Data privacy and security

Best practices

Troubleshooting

User data not appearing

Inconsistent user identification

Overview

Add to your:

Core AI features

Knowledge

Analytics

Customization

FAQs

​User tracking

​How it works

​Key benefits

User identification

Personalized experiences

Progress tracking

Detailed analytics

​Setting up user tracking

​Basic implementation

​Dynamic user management

​User data structure

​Required fields

​Optional fields

​Event tracking

​Event structure

​Authentication integration

​Analytics and insights

​Data privacy and security

​Best practices

​Troubleshooting

​User data not appearing

​Inconsistent user identification

User tracking

How it works

Key benefits

Setting up user tracking

Basic implementation

Dynamic user management

User data structure

Required fields

Optional fields

Event tracking

Event structure

Authentication integration

Analytics and insights

Data privacy and security

Best practices

Troubleshooting

User data not appearing

Inconsistent user identification