Page Tracking - Permutive

PageTracker is the recommended approach for tracking user interactions in the Permutive Android SDK. It provides automatic Pageview event tracking, engagement metrics, and seamless integration with Permutive’s insights platform.

Basic Usage

Lifecycle

Engagement

Use Cases

Why Use PageTracker?

PageTracker is the primary tracking method because it:

Integrates with standard events - Works seamlessly with Permutive’s event schema
Tracks engagement automatically - Measures time spent and scroll depth
Enables contextual cohorts - Supports content-based targeting when URLs are provided
Provides better insights - Delivers richer data to the Permutive platform
Associates related events - Groups events with page context

Default to PageTracker for tracking screens and content views in your app. Use EventTracker only for standalone events not associated with a page or screen.

Basic Usage

Creating a PageTracker

A PageTracker object should be created when the user starts viewing a page/screen, and closed when viewing finishes.

import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity
import android.net.Uri
import android.os.Bundle
import com.permutive.android.EventProperties
import com.permutive.android.PageTracker

class ArticleActivity : AppCompatActivity() {

    private val permutive by lazy {
        (application as MyApplication).permutive
    }

    private lateinit var pageTracker: PageTracker

    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_article)

        // Create the PageTracker with properties
        pageTracker = permutive.trackPage(
            title = "Article Title",
            url = Uri.parse("https://www.example.com/article"),
            referrer = Uri.parse("https://www.example.com/home"),
            eventProperties = EventProperties.from(
                "article_id" to 12345,
                "category" to "technology",
                "author" to "John Doe"
            )
        )
    }

    override fun onPause() {
        super.onPause()
        pageTracker.pause()
    }

    override fun onResume() {
        super.onResume()
        pageTracker.resume()
    }

    override fun onDestroy() {
        super.onDestroy()
        pageTracker.close()
    }
}

import androidx.appcompat.app.AppCompatActivity;
import android.net.Uri;
import android.os.Bundle;
import com.permutive.android.EventProperties;
import com.permutive.android.PageTracker;

public class ArticleActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    private PageTracker pageTracker;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_article);

        Permutive permutive = ((MyApplication) getApplication()).getPermutive();

        // Create the PageTracker with properties
        EventProperties properties = new EventProperties.Builder()
            .with("article_id", 12345)
            .with("category", "technology")
            .with("author", "John Doe")
            .build();

        pageTracker = permutive.trackPage(
            properties,
            "Article Title",
            Uri.parse("https://www.example.com/article"),
            Uri.parse("https://www.example.com/home")
        );
    }

    @Override
    protected void onPause() {
        super.onPause();
        pageTracker.pause();
    }

    @Override
    protected void onResume() {
        super.onResume();
        pageTracker.resume();
    }

    @Override
    protected void onDestroy() {
        super.onDestroy();
        pageTracker.close();
    }
}

Lifecycle Management

When to Create

Create the PageTracker in onCreate():

override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
    setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)
    
    pageTracker = permutive.trackPage(...)  // Create early
    loadContent()  // Then load your content
}

When to Pause/Resume

Call pause() and resume() to track engagement time accurately:

override fun onPause() {
    super.onPause()
    // User can't see the page - stop tracking time
    pageTracker.pause()
}

override fun onResume() {
    super.onResume()
    // User can see the page again - resume tracking time
    pageTracker.resume()
}

When to Close

Always close the PageTracker when done:

override fun onDestroy() {
    super.onDestroy()
    // Page viewing finished - send completion event
    pageTracker.close()
}

⚠️ Important: Always Close Failing to close PageTracker can lead to memory leaks and inaccurate engagement metrics.

Tracking Engagement

Tracking Time Spent

PageTracker automatically tracks time spent by using pause() and resume():

class ArticleActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
    
    private lateinit var pageTracker: PageTracker
    
    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        pageTracker = permutive.trackPage(...)
        // Time tracking starts automatically
    }
    
    override fun onPause() {
        super.onPause()
        pageTracker.pause()  // Pause time tracking
    }
    
    override fun onResume() {
        super.onResume()
        pageTracker.resume()  // Resume time tracking
    }
    
    override fun onDestroy() {
        super.onDestroy()
        pageTracker.close()  // Final engaged time sent
    }
}

The engaged time is sent in the PageviewComplete event when you call close().

Tracking Scroll Depth

Use updatePercentageViewed() to track how much content the user has read:

class ArticleActivity : AppCompatActivity() {

    private lateinit var pageTracker: PageTracker

    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_article)

        pageTracker = permutive.trackPage(...)

        // Add scroll listener
        scrollView.viewTreeObserver.addOnScrollChangedListener {
            val contentHeight = scrollView.getChildAt(0).height
            val visibleHeight = scrollView.scrollY.toFloat() + scrollView.height
            val percentageViewed = visibleHeight / contentHeight

            pageTracker.updatePercentageViewed(percentageViewed)
        }
    }
}

public class ArticleActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    private PageTracker pageTracker;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_article);

        pageTracker = permutive.trackPage(...);

        ScrollView scrollView = findViewById(R.id.scrollView);

        // Add scroll listener
        scrollView.getViewTreeObserver().addOnScrollChangedListener(
            new ViewTreeObserver.OnScrollChangedListener() {
                @Override
                public void onScrollChanged() {
                    float contentHeight = scrollView.getChildAt(0).getHeight();
                    float visibleHeight = scrollView.getScrollY() + scrollView.getHeight();
                    float percentageViewed = visibleHeight / contentHeight;

                    pageTracker.updatePercentageViewed(percentageViewed);
                }
            }
        );
    }
}

RecyclerView Example:

recyclerView.addOnScrollListener(object : RecyclerView.OnScrollListener() {
    override fun onScrolled(recyclerView: RecyclerView, dx: Int, dy: Int) {
        val layoutManager = recyclerView.layoutManager as LinearLayoutManager
        val totalItems = layoutManager.itemCount
        val lastVisibleItem = layoutManager.findLastVisibleItemPosition()
        
        val percentageViewed = (lastVisibleItem + 1).toFloat() / totalItems
        pageTracker.updatePercentageViewed(percentageViewed)
    }
})

Tracking Additional Events

Track other events associated with the page using PageTracker’s track() methods:

class ArticleActivity : AppCompatActivity() {

    private lateinit var pageTracker: PageTracker

    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)

        pageTracker = permutive.trackPage(...)

        // Track page-related events
        shareButton.setOnClickListener {
            pageTracker.track(
                "ArticleShared",
                EventProperties.from(
                    "share_method" to "twitter"
                )
            )
        }

        commentButton.setOnClickListener {
            pageTracker.track("CommentAdded")
        }
    }
}

public class ArticleActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    private PageTracker pageTracker;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);

        pageTracker = permutive.trackPage(...);

        // Track page-related events
        shareButton.setOnClickListener(v -> {
            EventProperties props = new EventProperties.Builder()
                .with("share_method", "twitter")
                .build();
            pageTracker.track("ArticleShared", props);
        });

        commentButton.setOnClickListener(v -> {
            pageTracker.track("CommentAdded");
        });
    }
}

URL Schemes

Web Content

For web content, use full URLs:

pageTracker = permutive.trackPage(
    title = "Article Title",
    url = Uri.parse("https://www.example.com/articles/tech-news"),
    referrer = Uri.parse("https://www.example.com/home")
)

App Screens

For native app screens, use custom URI schemes:

// Option 1: app:// scheme
pageTracker = permutive.trackPage(
    title = "Home Screen",
    url = Uri.parse("app://home")
)

// Option 2: your-app:// scheme
pageTracker = permutive.trackPage(
    title = "Profile Screen",
    url = Uri.parse("myapp://profile/user/12345")
)

// Option 3: https with app path
pageTracker = permutive.trackPage(
    title = "Settings",
    url = Uri.parse("https://app.example.com/settings")
)

💡 URLs Enable Contextual Cohorts When you provide URLs, Permutive can generate contextual cohorts based on content analysis. This works for publicly accessible web URLs.

Events Generated

PageTracker automatically generates these events:

Pageview Event

Tracked when PageTracker is created:

Event: Pageview
Properties:
  - title: "Article Title"
  - url: "https://www.example.com/article"
  - referrer: "https://www.example.com/home"
  - [your custom properties]

PageviewComplete Event

Tracked when PageTracker is closed:

Event: PageviewComplete
Properties:
  - engaged_time: 45.2 (seconds)
  - completion: 0.75 (75% viewed)
  - [your custom properties]

PageviewEngagement Events

Periodic engagement events (if configured):

Event: PageviewEngagement
Properties:
  - engaged_time: 15.0 (seconds)
  - [your custom properties]

Use Cases

News/Content App

class ArticleActivity : AppCompatActivity() {

    private lateinit var pageTracker: PageTracker

    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)

        val article = intent.getParcelableExtra<Article>("article")

        pageTracker = permutive.trackPage(
            title = article.title,
            url = Uri.parse(article.url),
            referrer = Uri.parse(intent.getStringExtra("referrer")),
            eventProperties = EventProperties.from(
                "article_id" to article.id,
                "category" to article.category,
                "author" to article.author,
                "published_at" to article.publishedDate,
                "word_count" to article.wordCount
            )
        )

        setupScrollTracking()
    }
}

E-Commerce Product Page

class ProductActivity : AppCompatActivity() {

    private lateinit var pageTracker: PageTracker

    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)

        val product = viewModel.product.value

        pageTracker = permutive.trackPage(
            title = product.name,
            url = Uri.parse("app://product/${product.id}"),
            eventProperties = EventProperties.from(
                "product_id" to product.id,
                "product_name" to product.name,
                "category" to product.category,
                "price" to product.price,
                "in_stock" to product.inStock
            )
        )

        addToCartButton.setOnClickListener {
            pageTracker.track(
                "ProductAddedToCart",
                EventProperties.from(
                    "product_id" to product.id,
                    "quantity" to 1
                )
            )
        }
    }
}

Video App (Non-Video Content)

For video content itself, use MediaTracker. For video details/description pages:

class VideoDetailsActivity : AppCompatActivity() {

    private lateinit var pageTracker: PageTracker

    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)

        pageTracker = permutive.trackPage(
            title = video.title,
            url = Uri.parse("app://video/${video.id}/details"),
            eventProperties = EventProperties.from(
                "video_id" to video.id,
                "video_title" to video.title,
                "genre" to video.genre,
                "duration_seconds" to video.durationSeconds
            )
        )

        playButton.setOnClickListener {
            pageTracker.track("VideoPlayButtonClicked")
            startVideoPlayer()
        }
    }
}

When to Use PageTracker vs EventTracker

Use PageTracker When:

✅ Tracking article/content views
✅ Tracking screen views in your app
✅ Measuring time spent on a page/screen
✅ Tracking scroll depth
✅ You want contextual cohorts
✅ Events are associated with a page context

Use EventTracker Only When:

⚠️ Tracking standalone events (button clicks not tied to pages)
⚠️ Tracking background events
⚠️ Events have no page context

💡 Default to PageTracker Most customer implementations should primarily use PageTracker. EventTracker is for specific use cases.

See Event Tracking for EventTracker documentation.

Troubleshooting

PageTracker Not Tracking Time

Problem: Engaged time is always 0.Cause: Not calling pause() and resume().Solution: Implement lifecycle callbacks:

override fun onPause() {
    super.onPause()
    pageTracker.pause()  // IMPORTANT
}

override fun onResume() {
    super.onResume()
    pageTracker.resume()  // IMPORTANT
}

Memory Leaks

Problem: App memory usage grows over time.Cause: Not closing PageTracker.Solution: Always close in onDestroy():

override fun onDestroy() {
    super.onDestroy()
    pageTracker.close()  // IMPORTANT
}

Contextual Cohorts Not Working

Problem: No contextual cohorts for pages.Causes:

Feature not enabled
Not providing URLs
URLs not publicly accessible

Solutions:

Contact Customer Success Manager to enable
Always provide URLs in trackPage()
Ensure URLs are publicly accessible for web content

See Contextual Data for details.

Events Not Appearing

Problem: Pageview events not tracked.Solutions:

Enable debug logging: permutive.setDeveloperMode(true)
Check logs for “Published events with names (Pageview)”
Verify event properties match your schema
See Verification Guide

Best Practices

Do
Don't

Create PageTracker in onCreate()
Call pause() in onPause()
Call resume() in onResume()
Call close() in onDestroy()
Provide URLs when possible for contextual cohorts
Track scroll depth for content pages
Use PageTracker for all page/screen views

Quick Start Guide

Get started with the SDK

Event Properties

Add structured data to events

Contextual Data

Content-based segmentation

Event Tracking

For standalone events

Video Tracking

For video content

Verification Guide

Verify your integration

API Reference

For complete API documentation, see the Javadocs.

PageTracker Interface

pause() - Pause engagement tracking
resume() - Resume engagement tracking
updatePercentageViewed(percentage: Float) - Update scroll depth
track(eventName: String) - Track event with this page context
track(eventName: String, properties: EventProperties?) - Track event with properties
close() - Complete page tracking and send PageviewComplete event

Basic Usage

Lifecycle

Engagement

Use Cases

​Why Use PageTracker?

​Basic Usage

​Creating a PageTracker

​Lifecycle Management

​When to Create

​When to Pause/Resume

​When to Close

​Tracking Engagement

​Tracking Time Spent

​Tracking Scroll Depth

​Tracking Additional Events

​URL Schemes

​Web Content

​App Screens

​Events Generated

​Pageview Event

​PageviewComplete Event

​PageviewEngagement Events

​Use Cases

​When to Use PageTracker vs EventTracker

​Use PageTracker When:

​Use EventTracker Only When:

​Troubleshooting

​Best Practices

​Related Documentation

Quick Start Guide

Event Properties

Contextual Data

Event Tracking

Video Tracking

Verification Guide

​API Reference

​PageTracker Interface

Why Use PageTracker?

Basic Usage

Creating a PageTracker

Lifecycle Management

When to Create

When to Pause/Resume

When to Close

Tracking Engagement

Tracking Time Spent

Tracking Scroll Depth

Tracking Additional Events

URL Schemes

Web Content

App Screens

Events Generated

Pageview Event

PageviewComplete Event

PageviewEngagement Events

Use Cases

When to Use PageTracker vs EventTracker

Use PageTracker When:

Use EventTracker Only When:

Troubleshooting

Best Practices

Related Documentation

API Reference

PageTracker Interface