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Click Tracker service

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The Click Tracker Service gives you a way to track user clicks on creatives served by third-party ad servers (versus those served by Xandr). Here's how it works:

  1. You use the Click Tracker Service to create a click tracker. The click tracker specifies the line item and publisher to which the click tracker is associated. Generally, it also specifies the target landing page URL for the creative (see the redir parameter below for the alternate case). Optionally, it can include the specific placement or payment rule to which it is associated.
  2. You create the URL to the click tracker and ask the ad server to use it as the creative's landing page URL. The click tracker URL must be formatted as https://ib.adnxs.com/clktr?id=12345, where 12345 is the click tracker ID.
  3. When the ad server serves the creative and someone clicks on it, the call first goes to ib.adnxs.com, where Xandr records the click, and is then redirected to the target landing page.

For specific usage examples, see Examples.

Query string parameters

The following parameters can be passed to Xandr in the query string of the click tracker URL:

Parameter Description
cachebuster Prevents the user's browser from caching the click tracker URL. This parameter can be populated by the third-party ad server.
ancost The media cost you paid for the external click. The parameter can be populated by the third-party ad server. It can pass a maximum value of "999999.999999".
redir The redirect URL. If click_url is not set in the click tracker, you must use this parameter to pass the target landing page URL that Xandr will redirect to once the click has been recorded.

Example

https://ib.adnxs.com/clktrb?id=1234&cachebuster=[CACHEBUSTER]&ancost=[ANCOST]&redir=https://test-landing-page.com

Reporting

You can use the clicktrackers Bulk Reporting Feed to view the data that your external click trackers passed to Xandr, such as click time, the associated Xandr objects, and the amount paid for the external click. For an even deeper view of your external clicks, you can use the clicktrackers feed in combination with the Advertiser Attributed Conversions report.

REST API

HTTP Method Endpoint Description
POST https://api.appnexus.com/clicktracker?advertiser_id=ADVERTISER_ID Add a click tracker.
GET https://api.appnexus.com/clicktracker?id=CLICK_TRACKER_ID View a click tracker.
GET https://api.appnexus.com/clicktracker?id=1,2,3 View multiple click trackers by ID using a comma-separated list.
PUT https://api.appnexus.com/clicktracker?id=CLICK_TRACKER_ID Modify a click tracker.
DELETE https://api.appnexus.com/clicktracker?id=CLICK_TRACKER_ID Delete a click tracker.

JSON fields

Field Type (Length) Description
id int The ID of the click tracker.
- Default: Auto-incremented number (i.e., 123).
- Required On: PUT/DELETE, in query string.
member_id int The ID of the member to which the advertiser belongs.
Read Only.
advertiser_id int The ID of the advertiser that owns the click tracker.
Required On: POST, in query string.
name string The name for the click tracker.
Required On: POST
code string The custom code for the click tracker.
state enum The state of the click tracker. Possible values: "active" or "inactive".
Default: active
click_url string The target landing page for the creative. Once Xandr has recorded a click on the creative, this is the page that Xandr will redirect to.

Tip: If this field is not set, the target landing page URL must be passed as the "redir" parameter in the query string of the click tracker URL. For more details, see Query String Parameters above.
publisher object The publisher to which the click tracker is associated. For more details, see Publisher below.
Required On: POST
line_item object The advertiser line item to which the click tracker is associated. For more details, see Line Item below.
Required On: POST
tag array The placement to which the click tracker is associated. For more details, see Tag below.
payment_rule array The payment rule to which the click tracker is associated. For more details, see Payment Rule below.
last_modified timestamp The date and time when the click tracker was last modified.
Read Only.

Publisher

You can use the Publisher Service to get information about publishers.

Field Type Description
id int The ID of the publisher to which the click tracker is associated.
name string The name of the publisher to which the click tracker is associated.
Read Only.

Line Item

You can use the Line Item Service to get information about line items.

Field Type Description
id int The ID of the line item to which the click tracker is associated.
name string The name of the line item to which the click tracker is associated.
Read Only.

Tag

You can use the Placement Service to get information about placements.

Field Type Description
id int The ID of the placement to which the click tracker is associated.
name string The name of the placement to which the click tracker is associated.
Read Only.

Payment rule

You can use the Payment Rule Service to get information about payment rules.

Field Type Description
id int The ID of the payment rule to which the click tracker is associated.
name string The name of the payment rule to which the click tracker is associated.
Read Only.

Examples

Create a new click tracker

$ cat clicktracker

{
    "clicktracker": {
        "name": "Test Click Tracker",
        "click_url": "https://test-landing-page.com",
        "publisher": {
            "id": 44449
        },
        "line_item": {
            "id": 74957
        }
    }
}

$ curl -b cookies -c cookies -X POST -d @clicktracker 'https://api.appnexus.com/clicktracker?advertiser_id=37236'

{
    "response": {
        "status": "OK",
        "count": 1,
        "id": 1425,
        "start_element": 0,
        "num_elements": 100,
        "clicktracker": {
            "id": 1425,
            "member_id": 958,
            "advertiser_id": 37236,
            "name": "Test Click Tracker",
            "code": null,
            "state": "active",
            "click_url": "https://test-landing-page.com",
            "last_modified": "2012-01-10 16:02:15",
            "publisher": {
                "id": 44449,
                "name": "November Publisher"
            },
            "tag": null,
            "payment_rule": null,
            "line_item": {
                "id": 74957,
                "name": "Test Line Item"
            }
        }
    }
}

Update a click tracker

In this example, the PUT request associates a placement to click tracker 1425.

$ cat clicktracker_update
{
    "clicktracker": {
        "tag": {
            "id": 474412
        }
    }
}

$ curl -b cookies -c cookies -X PUT -d @clicktracker_update 'https://api.appnexus.com/clicktracker?id=1425'

{
    "response": {
        "status": "OK",
        "count": 1,
        "id": "1425",
        "start_element": 0,
        "num_elements": 100,
        "clicktracker": {
            "id": 1425,
            "member_id": 958,
            "advertiser_id": 37236,
            "name": "Test Click Tracker",
            "code": null,
            "state": "active",
            "click_url": "https://test-landing-page.com",
            "last_modified": "2012-01-10 16:10:12",
            "publisher": {
                "id": 44449,
                "name": "November Publisher"
            },
            "tag": {
                "id": 474412,
                "name": "[Demo Publisher] - Default"
            },
            "payment_rule": null,
            "line_item": {
                "id": 74957,
                "name": "Test Line Item"
            }
        }
    }
}

View click tracker 582

$ curl -b cookies -c cookies 'https://api.appnexus.com/clicktracker?id=582'

{
    "response": {
        "status": "OK",
        "count": 1,
        "start_element": 0,
        "num_elements": 100,
        "clicktracker": {
            "id": 582,
            "member_id": 1066,
            "advertiser_id": 35081,
            "name": "Test Click Tracker 1",
            "code": null,
            "state": "active",
            "click_url": "https://test-landing-page.com",
            "last_modified": "2012-02-28 19:06:01",
            "publisher": {
                "id": 89287,
                "name": "Test Publisher 1"
            },
            "tag": null,
            "payment_rule": null,
            "line_item": {
                "id": 31189,
                "name": "Test Line Item 1"
            }
        }
    }
}

View all click trackers for advertiser 35081

$ curl -b cookies -c cookies 'https://api.appnexus.com/clicktracker?advertiser_id=35081'

{
    "response": {
        "status": "OK",
        "count": 2,
        "start_element": 0,
        "num_elements": 100,
        "clicktrackers": [
            {
                "id": 582,
                "member_id": 1066,
                "advertiser_id": 35081,
                "name": "Test Click Tracker 1",
                "code": null,
                "state": "active",
                "click_url": "https://test-landing-page.com",
                "last_modified": "2012-02-28 19:06:01",
                "publisher": {
                    "id": 89287,
                    "name": "Test Publisher 1"
                },
                "tag": null,
                "payment_rule": null,
                "line_item": {
                    "id": 31189,
                    "name": "Test Line Item 1"
                }
            },
            {
                "id": 584,
                "member_id": 1066,
                "advertiser_id": 35081,
                "name": "Test Click Tracker 2",
                "code": null,
                "state": "active",
                "click_url": "https://another-landing-page.com",
                "last_modified": "2012-02-28 19:40:48",
                "publisher": {
                    "id": 89288,
                    "name": "Test Publisher 2"
                },
                "tag": null,
                "payment_rule": null,
                "line_item": {
                    "id": 31190,
                    "name": "Test Line Item 2"
                }
            }
        ]
    }
}