Instructions for .NET

Thank you for choosing Software Statistics Service, your powerful analytics tool for .NET applications!

These instructions will help you install and integrate Software Statistics Service tracker into your .NET application just within a few minutes. If you have any questions or problems, please consult online documentation or contact us at support@software-statistics-service.com. We’re always happy to help!

You may also find helpful the instructions for other technologies, including C++, Java, Delphi, Microsoft Silverlight, Windows Phone 7, Windows Presentation Foundation, Java for Android, Mac OS (Xcode), iOS (Xcode).

Technical Requirements

Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 and above.
.NET Framework 2.0

Installation

There are two ways to add the Software Statistics Tracker component to the component palette:

Way #1:
From the main menu, select Tools > Choose Toolbox. In the new dialog that opens, click the Browse button. Then, select StatService.dll and click OK.

Way #2:
Right-click anywhere in the Solution Explorer pane and on the shortcut menu click Add Reference. In the Add Reference dialog that opens, click the Browse tab, select StatService.dll, and then click OK.

Please find more instructions on how to install .dll into Global Assembly Cache and how to use it in your .NET applications at  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/815808.

Integration

        1. Drag the Software Statistics Service Tracker component from the component page to your form or data module.
        2. Select the component and configure its properties.
        3. Paste your project Key String copied from your account control panel (website) into the ProjectKey property.
        4. Make sure you have defined the UseSandbox property. It should be set to False for production release. For more information, check the demo application included in this package.
        5. You need to enable one property in your project (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/1sfbfyk0(v=vs.80).aspx). To enable it, please ClickOnce on security settings. With a project selected in Solution Explorer, on the Project menu, please click Properties section. Then click on the Security tab. Select the Enable ClickOnce Security Settings check box. Now you can customize the security settings for your application on the Security page.

Download Module

Under each of the 10 platforms, components are developed from scratch.

General principles:

        • Data transmission occurs over port 80
        • Data packets are sent with an open XML
        • If any Internet connectivity issues arise when you are running the application, the component will save the information on the local drive
        • The component will auto-detect the proxy. if the proxy requires authorization, the component supports the corresponding interfaces for transmitting user name and password.
        • Control of transmission errors
        • Quiet operation that does not interfere with the main features of the application and does not affect it
        • Keeping track of unique installations

The component starts working right after the application is launched. After gathering initial information, it starts communication with the server. First the tracker identifies the Internet connection and checks whether the server accepts data availability. Then, the tracker starts transmitting small packets. The data is deleted from the local storage only after successful data transfer.

If the application has crashed, the data is not lost but sent along with a specific message about the crash at the next application start.

Usage

Please find the demo application inside the package to see how to integrate Software Statistics Service Tracker into your .NET application and effectively use its features. For more information on the interfaces, classes, methods, and functions, refer to the component help in the Help directory.

Note: Software Statistics Service Tracker is designed to automatically collect anonymous usage information and transfer it to the Software Statistics Service host server. This service also allows you to collect your own custom data that may not be anonymous and violate user level agreement and country laws. You should include a prominent option in your software informing users about such behaviour and allowing them to turn off this feature. Usual practice is to show such option during installation of the software and to add it to the software options/preferences.

How to Test Your Integration

        1. Signup at software-statistics-service.com and create a new project.
        2. Create a new application and use Software Statistics Service Tracker client module in it as it is described in integration instructions.
        3. Copy Project Key from your account and set Project Key property of tracker module in your application.
        4. When you set UseSandbox to “True”, the data will be posted to our sandbox server. It is configured in another way than production server. Thus, after setting this option you have to wait up to 15 minutes in order to see your data. So the data are posted to sandbox server faster, however the number of requests are limited – you can use up to 100 requests per project during one day. In case you have tried the integration and reached the limit, you have to create a new project and use another Project Key.

An easy way to test your integration is to launch and then close your application. The Software Statistics Service Tracker module will send the data when the application is about to be closed. If there are delays/troubles with the Internet connection, it will try to send the data the next time you start the application.

Typically, it takes up to 15 minutes to transfer data to the server. Then, you can see the data on the graphs under your account.

By default, the Tracker module collects such events as the application’s start and shutdown, as well as such data as RAM amount, CPU cores count and CPU frequency, location and operating system – that is, common usage information. If you want to track some custom data, for example, the number of times a button is clicked or a feature is used, you should use Custom Events.

Uninstallation

To remove Software Statistics Service Tracker from your project, simply delete the component from the application form and remove the reference to the package from the project’s code. You should also open the Toolbox Items dialog accessible from the .Net Framework Components tab and clear the check box next to the appropriate item to remove it from the list.

Changelog

You should occasionally check out our  changelog for .NET to benefit from our latest updates.

Frequently Asked Questions

See also Frequently Asked Questions
We are open to your suggestions and ready to discuss your needs and ideas at: : support@software-statistics-service.com

Thank you for stopping by to read this and good luck with your e-business!

This component is copyrighted (c) 2010-2013 MagneticOne, Eleks
All trademarks are property of their respective owners.