METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENABLING DYNAMIC ANALYTICS CONFIGURATION ON A MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20150095471A1
• Filed: 10/01/2013
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Singh, Harpreet, Taneja, Salil
• Granted Patent: US 9,336,525 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0813 characterised by the conditions triggering a change of settings
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A computer implemented method and apparatus for enabling dynamic analytics configuration on a mobile device. generating a mobile application, which mobile application, when executed on a mobile device, includes accessing of instructions for analytics data collection, which instructions are accessed from a location remote from the mobile device executing the mobile application, and which instructions are modifiable without modification to the mobile application, thereby enabling dynamic analytics configuration on the mobile device.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method comprising:

generating a mobile application, which mobile application, when executed on a mobile device, includes accessing of instructions for analytics data collection, which instructions are accessed from a location remote from the mobile device executing the mobile application, and which instructions are modifiable without modification to the mobile application, thereby enabling dynamic analytics configuration on the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing instructions comprises accessing an analytics configuration file that defines a first plurality of analytics to be collected from the mobile application.

3. The method of claim 2, further including modifying the analytics configuration file so as to define collection of a second plurality of analytics, wherein modifying causes the second plurality of analytics to be collected without modification or redeployment of the mobile application.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the mobile application links to an analytics library, which mobile application causes the analytics library to use a Universal Resource Locator (URL) that defines a location of the analytics configuration file and to use a URL that defines a location of where to send the collected analytics data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the instructions comprises specifying one or more events to capture and a data to be collected when the specified one or more events is captured.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein specifying comprises accessing a User Interface (UI) tool when executing the mobile application in a simulation mode in order to graphically indicate what events are to be captured.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein when the mobile application is navigated in simulation mode, the UI tool:

displays menu items for one or more events that are selectable to be captured;

receives input of a selection of an event to capture;

displays a menu for what payload to collect from the selected event; and

upon receiving a selection to save one or more selected events and payloads, generates the analytics configuration file.

8. An apparatus for enabling dynamic analytics configuration on a mobile device comprising:

a computer having one or more processors and further comprising;

a software development module for generating a mobile application that when executed on a mobile device accesses instructions for analytics data collection, which instructions are accessed from a location remote from the mobile device executing the mobile application, and which instructions are modifiable without modification to the mobile application, thereby enabling dynamic analytics configuration on the mobile device.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further including a configuration file generation module for generating an analytics configuration file for access by the mobile application, wherein the analytics configuration file comprises instructions defining a first plurality of analytics to be collected from the mobile application.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further including the configuration file generation module modifying the analytics configuration file to collect a second plurality of analytics, wherein modifying causes the second plurality of analytics to be collected without modification or redeployment of the mobile application.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the mobile application links to an analytics library, which mobile application causes the analytics library to use a Universal Resource Locator (URL) that defines a location of the analytics configuration file and to use a URL that defines a location of where to send the collected analytics data.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the instructions comprises specifying one or more events to capture and a data to be collected when the specified one or more events is captured.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein specifying comprises accessing a User Interface (UI) tool when executing the mobile application in a simulation mode in order to graphically indicate what events are to be captured.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein when the mobile application is navigated in simulation mode, the UI tool:

displays menu items for one or more events that are selectable to be captured;

receives input of a selection of an event to capture;

displays a menu for what payload to collect from the selected event; and

upon receiving a selection to save one or more selected events and payloads, generates the analytics configuration file.

15. A computer implemented method comprising:

accessing an analytics configuration file, wherein the analytics configuration file is accessed from a location specified by the analytics library and remote from a device that executes the mobile application, wherein the analytics configuration file comprises a first plurality of analytics to be collected from the mobile application;

collecting analytics data in accordance with the analytics configuration file; and

sending the collected analytics data to a location identified by the analytics library.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising

accessing a modified analytics configuration file, comprising a second plurality of analytics to be collected from the mobile application;

collecting analytics data in accordance with the modified analytics configuration file; and

sending the collected analytics data to a location specified in the analytics library.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein accessing the modified analytics configuration does not require updating of the mobile application or the analytics library.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein collecting comprises:

determining whether a captured event is an event specified in the analytics configuration file and retrieving data associated with the event when the captured event is an event specified in the analytics configuration file.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein determining comprises:

receiving a captured event;

verifying that the captured event corresponds to a touch event;

determining if an element being selected is a user-interface button;

retrieving a reference to an object associated with the user-interface button;

verifying that the object comprises a property label; and

verifying that the property label matches a label in the analytics configuration file to determine that the captured event is an event for which analytics data is to be collected.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein retrieving comprises:

verifying that the captured event is a touch event;

determining if a view controller for the captured event matches an object specified in the analytics configuration file;

retrieving a reference to the object;

verifying that the object comprises the analytics data specified in the analytics configuration file; and

retrieving the specified analytics data specified in the analytics configuration file.