What is User Identification?
User identification is the process of sending a unique ID for each logged-in user to Chameleon. This is essential for showing the right Experience to the right user. The unique ID can be the same as your database ID or another identifier, such as email.
👉 You can learn more about what it takes to install Chameleon.
The chmln.identify() method pulls user data from your app to identify your users. Without this method, Chameleon will not load into the page.
Here's what it looks like:
chmln.identify(USER.ID_IN_DB, { // Unique ID in your database
email: USER.EMAIL,
// Add other pertinent parameters here
});
Important implementation notes:
This call can include other attributes associated with a user or company (group) attributes
For data to sync through your integrations, use the same unique identifier across your system
Implement the chmln.identify() call as soon as your users are identifiable on the page.
Here's how to make sure your users are being properly identified:
Check in your Chameleon Dashboard, on the Installation page that a green banner is displayed indicating that data is being correctly received.
This does not prove that users are being identified correctly but does indicate that the user identification method is being called.
Double-check this per domain from the same Installation page's 'Verify installation' tab.
You can also test each domain to see whether Chameleon receives data correctly
If your installation has issues, the Chameleon Chrome Extension will notify you of any errors that need your attention 😄.
Open it while browsing your product
Any issues? The extension will let you know what needs attention - like the message below:
💡 The message above indicates that you are on a domain or subdomain that doesn't have Chameleon installed, and you should check that in the 'Verify Installation' tab.
If all seems well, double-check that Chameleon recognizes you as the person currently logged in.
When you need to dig deeper:
Open your browser console (don't worry, it's not as technical as it sounds!)
Type
chmln.data.profileand press EnterYou'll see exactly what Chameleon knows about the current user
No data or an error message? That's our clue that identification isn't working
Common issues (and how to fix them)
Here are some of the most common reasons when user identification breaks or is not successful:
What happens: User data is sent to Chameleon when it is available on a web page/application. For some apps, this data is loaded after the page loads and is sent to Chameleon after a small delay.
The fix: Have your development team call chmln.identify() at just the right moment – when user data becomes available.
What happens: Data on a web page should be sent immediately after the page is loaded. This is most likely caused by an issue with how Chameleon has been installed.
The fix: We recommend involving your engineers to make sure that Chameleon is being loaded as soon as the page loads, including when it is reloaded.
What happens: When installing Chameleon, we ask developers to identify users by their unique IDs. Guest visitors without login credentials can slip through unnoticed.
The fix: Create a unique cookie-based ID for these visitors so Chameleon can still recognize them.
✋ Note that identifying anonymous users to Chameleon will have an impact on your MTU count, as each anonymous user is counted as an additional user.
What happens: User IDs are inconsistent across your tech stack or integrations.
The fix: Implement a single unified user ID across all integrations and applications.
👉 Have any questions or issues? Review the best way to get help.