DataSag guides · Updated 27 October 2026

Track custom events on Pelican

Use data-datasag-goal for a click goal, or call window.datasag.track after a completed action. Choose a stable event name and distinguish a click from a successful conversion. This guide applies to Pelican.

Start with the Pelican installation

Find the Pelican theme selected by THEME or the build command's theme option. Add the deferred tracker to its shared templates/base.html head, preserving existing Jinja blocks and inherited content. Use a maintained theme copy or supported override, then build and deploy the generated site.

Pelican can use a different configuration for publication and a different theme for one build. Verify the command and settings used by deployment. Page and article templates must inherit the shared base for a base-template installation to cover them.

Use the public project key from the DataSag project you are inspecting. A test on a preview domain does not confirm that the production domain has the same code or settings.

Track custom events in Pelican

  1. Add data-datasag-goal to an owned link or button in a Jinja theme template, or supported content HTML. Inspect the generated element because content processing and theme macros can change source markup.
  2. For a completed action, invoke the existing tracker from browser JavaScript after receiving confirmation. Keep event calls outside Python generation plugins and Jinja evaluation paths; a generated thank-you link alone does not prove an accepted submission.
  3. Build with publication settings and test the action on both article and page output where it appears. Check accepted and rejected attempts when a form is involved, and keep external destination clicks labeled as intent.

Generated theme markup or a real browser success callback records the defined action once.

Complete the collection checks

  1. Write the event definition first. For example, signup_click means a visitor pressed a signup link, while signup_completed means your application confirmed account creation.
  2. For click intent, add data-datasag-goal to the element. The tracker delegates clicks, so you do not also need a JavaScript handler for the same goal.
  3. For a completed action, call the JavaScript API in the success handler. Wait for the tracker to be available. An optional guard avoids a crash but intentionally drops the event if the tracker has not loaded.
  4. Send only the context needed for the report, such as a form or plan name. Do not include email addresses, passwords, payment details or freeform form contents.
  5. Complete one successful and one failed attempt. Inspect /api/track for the exact eventName and properties. Only the successful attempt should emit a completed-action event.
  6. Check the event report available to your plan. Collection and access to reports are separate; review current plan details before depending on a particular report.
<!-- Click intent: use this OR your own click handler -->
<a href="/signup" data-datasag-goal="signup_click">Create account</a>

// JavaScript: inside the confirmed-success handler
window.datasag?.track('signup_completed', { form: 'main_signup' });

Use a goal attribute in theme markup you control for click intent. A successful form event must come from browser code that receives confirmation. Jinja rendering and Python generation hooks cannot observe a visitor's later form outcome.

What a successful check looks like

A controlled successful action produces one event with the agreed name. A validation failure does not emit a success event. Network evidence matches the report definition.

Record the public path you tested, the browser state, the approximate time and the observed request. Check one direct page load and one later navigation so the result covers more than the homepage.

Common mistake

A goal attribute on a submit button measures clicks, including attempts that fail. Do not report those clicks as completed signups or purchases.

Installation snippet for Pelican

The shared installation belongs in the head of the active theme templates/base.html. Use this as the installation reference while checking the procedure above.

<script defer src="https://www.datasag.com/tracker.js" data-datasag-key="YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY"></script>

Related Pelican guides

Full Pelican setup guide · Search and AI visibility

References

Official Pelican documentation covers the integration point. For DataSag data handling, read the privacy policy. Use support if a request fails after these checks.