Skip to main content

Sources

Sources are the entry points for event data in walkerOS. They capture events from different environments and formats, then transform them into standardized events that the collector can process.

How sources work​

Sources capture events in their native format and send them to the collector:

  1. Capture: Listen for events (DOM clicks, API calls, player actions)
  2. Transform: Convert to walkerOS event format (entity action, data)
  3. Send: Forward to collector for processing and routing to destinations

Available Sources​

Browser​

Captures events from web pages using DOM attributes:

  • DOM interactions (clicks, form submissions, visibility)
  • Automatic session and pageview tracking
  • Custom data attributes (data-elb-*)

Learn more →

dataLayer​

Integrates with existing analytics implementations:

  • Works with GA4 and GTM dataLayer
  • Event transformation and filtering
  • Gradual migration support

Learn more →

Basic Setup​

Sources are configured in startFlow:

import { startFlow } from '@walkeros/collector';
import { sourceBrowser } from '@walkeros/web-source-browser';

const { collector, elb } = await startFlow({
  sources: {
    browser: {
      code: sourceBrowser,
      config: {
        settings: {
          pageview: true,
          session: true,
          prefix: 'data-elb',
        },
      },
    },
  },
  destinations: {
    /* your destinations */
  },
});

// elb is now browser.push (enhanced with DOM commands)
// Use elb for manual event tracking
await elb('product view', { id: 'P123', name: 'Laptop' });

Primary Source​

startFlow returns an elb function based on your sources:

  • With sources: Returns first source's push method (enhanced features)
  • Multiple sources: First source is primary by default
  • No sources: Returns collector.push (basic functionality)

Override Primary Source​

const { elb } = await startFlow({
  sources: {
    browser: { code: sourceBrowser },
    dataLayer: { code: sourceDataLayer, primary: true }, // Override
  },
});

// elb is now dataLayer.push instead of browser.push

Reactive Event Handling​

Sources can react to collector events via the optional on method:

const mySource: Source.Init = async (config, env) => {
  return {
    type: 'custom',
    config,
    on: async (event, context) => {
      if (event === 'consent') {
        // React to consent changes
      }
    },
  };
};

Available Events:

  • consent - Consent state changes
  • session - Session lifecycle events
  • ready - Collector ready state
  • run - Collector run events

Creating Custom Sources​

See Create Your Own Source for a complete guide to building custom sources.

Next Steps​

💡 Need Professional Support?
Need professional support with your walkerOS implementation? Check out our services.