testflite

TestFlite

A simple module for AB split testing with NodeJS.

Requirements

• Express
• CookieParser
• BodyParser
• Any templating engine (such as Jade) which follows the Express convention (render html with res.render(template, data[,callback]))

Quickstart

To get started with TestFlite, you only need to include it in your main JS file, after including CookieParser and BodyParser.

1. avigate to your folder and create an express app using

express [name of the project]

1. Then install TestFlite

npm install testflite

1. Add testflite to youp app.js file First import it var testflite = require('testflite');

and initiate it with app parameter, after those app.use(/**/) statements

// uncomment after placing your favicon in /public

// Middleware for ABTesting
app.use(testflite.stats);

app.use(logger('dev'));
app.use(bodyParser.json());
app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({ extended: false }));
app.use(cookieParser());
app.use(express.static(path.join(__dirname, 'public')));

//Initate TestFlite Admin UI
testflite.setupAdmin(app, your_custom_auth_middleware);

1. Create your config file in your app directory

// In this file you can configure migrate-mongo

module.exports = {
  //Set this to true to use MongoDB. If it is set to false all config settings in 'config.mongodb will be ignore'
  useMongoDB: true,

  //Set this to false if you are using RiotJS in your project
  useExternalRiotJS: false,

  mongodb: {
    // TODO Change (or review) the url to your MongoDB:
    url: "your_db",

    // TODO Change this to your database name:
    databaseName: "your_dbname",

    abCollection: "testflite",
  },

  overlay: {
    //Set this to true overlay when process.env.NODE_ENV is 'development'
    showInDevelopment: true,

    admin: {
      //Set this to true to show overlay when admin user is logged in
      show: true,

      //Set this to the admin flag in the user object (i.e. req.session.user.admin)
      userFlag: 'admin'
    }
  }
};

1. To enable overlays, in your layout pugjs file, place this

head
  ....

body
  div !{testfliteSwitchs}

Thats it, you are good to go!

## Introduction to AB Testing

Take a following example: you own a web shop, and you are thinking about changing the design. Now, instead of changing it, you are smart, and want to test multiple designs for the products page first. 

What do you do?

Lets say you change the buy button color from green to red, and make it slightly bigger. Now you want to display the old page, and then the new page, and then the old page, and so on. Of course, if a user has visited you website and have seen the old page, you want to display only the old page to him. 

Both pages lead to the third page, which is the checkout page. You want to test which one will have better conversion rate. If both pages have the same amount of unique visitors, you want to check how many have bought the product by coming from the old page, and how many from the new page.

Terminology:
* Page A is the old page
* Page B is the new page
* Page C is the checkout page (in the previous example)
* Weight is the ratio, e.g. for each 1 user of the old page, send 2 users to the new page
* Hits is a number of unique users that have visited the page
* Returns is the number of users that have visited the destination page through that page

### Usage
To use the package, go to ```/testflite```, which will open a nice interface to allow you to add, view stats and remove tests. With the given explanation, there should be no problem on usage.

Before creating the tests, create the templates and put them in the ```views``` folder.
Then create the test and save it. Changes will take place immidiately. To test it, open the page you are testing with one browser, and then with some other, and you will see the changes.

### Persistence
The tests are saved in a file named ```testflite.tests.json``` and have the following format:

```javascript
[
  {
  "id": "auto-generated",
  "name": "[name of the test]",
  "destination": "[Page C of the test]",
  "dynamicWeight": false,
  "page": {
  	"template": "[Page A template]",
    "weight": 1,
    "hits": 0,
    "returns": 0
  },
  "variations": [
      {
        "template": "[Variation B template]",
        "weight": 2,
        "hits": 0,
        "returns": 0
      }
      ...
    ]
  }
]

This file can be edited manually and then server should be restarted, or visit the page /testflite/reloaddb which will read from the file.

Notice: this file is overwritten each time someone visits any page that can trigger tests, so it can have different content then what you've written when you reload the database. Using the web interface is recommended.

Insipration

TestFlite is based off Pavlović Dž Filip's preliminary work on (testflite)[https://github.com/PavlovicDzFilip/testflite]