Publishing to Tag Manager

Needlr's changes reach your site only when they're published to your Tag Manager. What that means, and how to undo it.

Publishing puts Needlr's latest changes live in your Google Tag Manager container. Until something is published, nothing changes on your site.

Like posting a letter

Writing a letter doesn't send it. It only goes out when you post it.

Needlr writes the letter: it gets ready the tags your impact checks need. Publishing is posting it. And you can get your letter back, as long as nobody posted after you.

What gets published

Only Needlr's own tags, in Needlr's own workspace in your container (more):

• Needlr snippet (loads on every page): the one Needlr tag your site loads. It knows which impact checks are running.
• KPI trigger and KPI tag: one pair for each KPI, so Needlr can count it.
• Needlr early hide (no flicker): only while an impact check needs it, so visitors don't see the page switch.
• Two templates the tags above are built from.
• Removals: when a KPI or an impact check isn't needed any more, Needlr takes its tags out.

When it happens

Most publishes happen on their own, at the moment you act:

• You press Start measuring on a new impact check.
• You press Stop on a running impact check.
• You press Ship version B to show a winner to everyone (more).
• You pick your container when you connect Tag Manager.

Each one asks for the code from your authenticator app. One code covers 20 minutes, so in that time Needlr only asks you to confirm.

The publish bar

Sometimes a change waits, for example after you change a KPI, or when a publish was stopped. Then a bar appears at the bottom of the project page and the check page: 3 changes aren't live yet.

1. 1Press Review on the bar. Each line says add, update or delete, and what it is.
2. 2Press Publish now →.
3. 3A window asks Publish to your live site? Type the 6-digit code from your authenticator app and press Publish.
4. 4You see Published to your site with the new version number, and It's live now. The bar goes away.

Only owners and editors can publish. Viewers see An Owner or Editor can publish on the bar instead of the button.

How to undo a publish

1. 1Open the project's Settings tab.
2. 2On the Google Tag Manager card, press Publish history. You see Recent publishes: the last five.
3. 3Next to the latest publish, press Undo.
4. 4A window asks Undo this publish? Type your code and press Roll back.
5. 5You see Rolled back to the previous version.

In the history, the publish you undid now says Undone, and a new Rolled back line sits on top.

Undo is refused if anyone published in Tag Manager after Needlr. That way you never wipe out a teammate's work.

After an undo, Needlr's changes wait in the publish bar again. Publish them when you're ready.

When a publish stops

Needlr never forces a publish through. If something is in the way, it stops, changes nothing, and tells you why. The most common reasons:

• Someone created a version in Google Tag Manager that isn't published yet. Publish or delete it in Tag Manager, then try again.
• Your GTM container has no free workspace. Free accounts allow 3. Delete one you don't use, then try again.
• Your Google account can't publish this container. Ask a Tag Manager admin to give you Publish access.
• Someone published in GTM while Needlr was preparing. Nothing was overwritten. Try again.
• Google access expired. Press Reconnect Google on the Settings tab.

Common mistakes

• Leaving changes waiting. Until you publish, they aren't on your site and nothing is measured.
• Editing Needlr's tags in Tag Manager. Leave them as they are. If Needlr finds changes it didn't make in its workspace, it stops and publishes nothing.
• Using Undo to end an impact check. Press Stop on it instead.