How to track site activity

[zeeman]

For reporting purposes. What would be the best way to track views for both logged in and anonymous users to capture site's activity?

I have come up with below possible solutions but not sure which one would work best:

• Use Google Analytics http://code.google.com/apis/analytics/docs/tracking/asyncTracking.html does not give me as much control, have to deal with JavaScript. Data will be kept by Google, will make performance a little slower.
• Use a filter, simply log the url requested and user info (IP, agent, etc...), if a user is logged in, log it, put all info in DB
• Use a JSF phase listner, simply log the url requested and user info (IP, agent, etc...),  if a user is logged in, log it, put all info in DB

However, I'm looking for a reliable solution that would tell me what are my site's users doing, time spent on each pag, and te navigation they follow, etc... A way to create a report with this info.

I'm using Seam 3.1 and AS7.

[lightguard]

If you're in a JSF app you probably want to use the PhaseListener approach as you'll be able to get more information, otherwise a ServletFilter or ServletRequestListener would work.

[zeeman]

Hi Jason,

I like PhaseListener approach. It'll work only for xhtml views but that's fine.

I want to do persistence of user info async. Will that be a problem calling a stateless EJB from a phase listener?

What is a good way of adding my phase listener in Seam? Is it a matter of adding it to faces-config and put my logic for restore view phase? Is that a good phase for logging info?

Last question, what extra information does a phase listener give me over a servlet filter?

Thanks!

[lightguard]

Yeah, that sounds like a sound way of doing it. There shouldn't be a problem calling a SLSB from a phase listener. From the a PhaseListener you'll be able to get the FacesContext and anything within it, current state may be important to you, maybe not.