I’ve been using Piwik analytics software installed on my server for quite some time, but for couple of months it didn’t record statistics for my WordPress sites, even though I had latest version of WP (2.9.2), Piwik (0.5.5), and Piwik Analytics plug-in (1.0.1), and, at the same time, it records data fine for my Drupal site.
Turns out, there is a bug in the plug-in configuration interface. When you enter the URI of your Piwik installation into “Hostname of the piwik server” form field, and put in full address with http:// in front of it, plug-in doesn’t recognize that, adds its own http://, and sends data to something like http://http/hostname.net. So, for now one should take care to put only the domain name without protocol designation. To check that your inputs are correct, try using “check out your stats!” link on the bottom of the configuration page which should lead you to your Piwik installation.
I’ll write the author about it, though. Plug-in should have a check for the protocol designation, and strip it before applying its own. And what about Piwik installations accessed via some other protocol?
Update: In version 1.0.2 (April 3rd, 2010) Jules updated the explanation for the form field in question urging not to put http:// bit in there. It doesn’t fix usability issue, but, at least, makes things clearer for a user.
Thanks for emailing me this.
The bug, as you call it, is actually by design. The form is called ‘hostname’, not ‘protocol + hostname’.
The design is: use the same protocol as the page the tracking code is on. So
https://pages are directing to thehttps://Piwik installation. This is done to avoid mixed secure and non-secure content on the same page.I understand the confusion, I will document it more clearly and perhaps even accomodate for the
http://being there (force protocol to behttp://).Regards, Jules (the plug-in author).
I understand where you are coming from. However, for one, it is just confusing, and, as you said, needs to be better documented (although, after actually paying attention to the instructions and an example, I got it figured out).
Secondly, as I said in my post, even if you want to force certain feature, it should be done behind the scenes, without leaving user guessing. Same reason why, according to good interface design, it shouldn’t matter to software how user enters, say, phone number: as #######, ###-####, or ### ## ## — software should recognize and strip unnecessary charachters, and then output it in one particular and consistent format regardless of user input.
Thirdly, I don’t think enforcing a protocol is such a good idea. User might have Piwik installed at the
http://website, but access it from, as you’ve said,https://website or whatnot.Maybe explicitly put
http://right in front of the hostname form field, or let user choose protocol of installation (dropdown or tick box).