WebSphere Commerce Developer

Using a reload file to test the analytics integration configuration

In your development environment, you can create and use a reload file to quickly test adjustments to the configuration between WebSphere Commerce and an analytics provider. When this file is in same directory as your biConfig.xml configuration file, your system can locate the file and begin reloading the biConfig.xml file to apply any changes to your analytics configuration. This reloading behavior can help you test changes and complete your analytics configuration quicker.

About this task

By default, when you configure the biConfig.xml file, the changes do not reflect in your site until you start or restart your test server. By adding a reload configuration .reloadconfig file for your biConfig.xml file, your analytics configuration can apply whenever you invoke an analytics tag on a store page. You do not need to continually restart your server to test changes to your biConfig.xml file. When you are adjusting or initially configuring the integration between WebSphere Commerce and an analytics provider, use a .reloadconfig to help you test your settings.
Attention: The use of the .reloadconfig file is intended for use in a development environment by a single developer only. Do not create and use this file in a production or staging environment as continually reloading the biConfig.xml configuration file can cause a negative performance impact. Do not use this file with threads.

Procedure

  1. Stop your test server.
  2. Go to the following directory, which includes your biConfig.xml analytics configuration file:

    WCDE_installdir\workspace\WC\xml\config\bi

  3. Within the bi directory, create an empty text file. Name the file .reloadconfig.
  4. Restart your test server. When you restart the server, the .reloadconfig is identified by your system.
    With this file located, invoking an analytics tag by browsing or interacting with a store page causes your system to reload the biConfig.xml file and apply any new configuration changes.
  5. Update your biConfig.xml file as necessary and test your changes in your store.
    Note: If you visit your store immediately after you save your changes, you might not view changes to your analytic tag format because store pages are cached. To ensure that you can view your changes, after you save your changes, invalidate the DynaCache with the DynaCacheInvalidation URL.
  6. After you complete testing your configuration, delete the .reloadconfig file from your system and restart your server.