Time to read: 15 min.
The article covers the following topics:
- Integration Test with Affiliate
- Test via Affise Testing tool
- Manual test
- Test results
- What should I do if Affiliate postback is not sent at all?
Integration Test with Affiliates
Integration test with Affiliates could be done in two ways: via Affise testing tool and manually. The way depends on the following things:
- Whatever is easier/faster for you
- Whether you're going to perform the test for some specific goal
- Whether you're going to perform the test with the usage of additional parameters in Affise postback link
- Whether you're going to perform the test without removing targeting restrictions from the offer.
Test via Affise Testing tool
Step No.1:
Integration Test with Affiliate starts with tracking link generation on the offer’s preview page.
Choose the needed Affiliate and press on ‘generate’ to get the tracking link:
Once the link is generated, it can be updated with Affise parameters and Affiliate’s macros.
You can use any of free subs parameters in the affiliate’s tracking link (sub1 - sub8), os_id parameter, any of extra paramteres ext1 - ext3, and additional parameter ref_id. After all, the link should be shared with the Affiliate.
Once you'd like to omit targeting restrictions set in your offer, you can generate a test link with a special parameter &sub1=testofferlink.
The generated tracking URL will look the following way:
https://rocketcompany.g2afse.com/click?pid=2&offer_id=896&sub1=testofferlink
This will help you to test how clicks are generated for a specific offer omitting the targeting restrictions you have in the offer's settings.
Step No.2:
When Affiliate’s postback is set and updated with Affise macros (Affise macros for affiliate’s postbacks can be found in the Affiliate panel - > ‘Profile’ - > ‘Postback information’, you can proceed with a test of Integration.
Step No.3:
Receive a test link from Affiliate. Once the link is received, it should be tested in the ‘Affiliates’ section - > ‘Testing links’.
How it works: Testing tool emulates click and conversion.
- It takes the affiliate’s link, which should lead to Affise tracking link
- It takes generated clickid, then takes default Affise postback
http://rocketcompany.affise.com/postback?clickid={clickid} - It puts the clickid to clickid= parameters instead of the macro.
As there is no opportunity to take another postback with some added goal or other parameters, the Testing tool can be used only in cases when you need to perform the test for the default goal value ‘1’ and you don’t need to use any other additional parameters. Here you can find a guide on how to perform a test with the usage of additional parameters.
Also, conversion’s GEO might be defined as the Netherlands, as servers that support the Testing tool are located in this country.
When a test is run, you will see whether a test was successful or not:
a) If a test is successful, you will see the following message:
It means that a click and conversion were successfully generated, and the related conversion for the mentioned above clickid can be checked in ‘conversions’ slice of statistics.
b) If a test is not successful, you’ll see one of the related messages:
- Click not created - ‘click not created’ message means that there are some targeting restrictions set in the offer on the client’s side or the client’s affiliate side. All the targeting restrictions should be switched off during the test.
- Current IP-address is denied - since the ‘testing links’ tool emulates the advertiser’s postback, ‘current IP-address is denied’ means that you should delete the IP whitelist from advertiser profile/offer settings or add the IP address of the server which is used to your whitelist.
- Access denied - ‘access denied’ message means that you should delete secure postback code generated on Advertiser's level/Platform level or Offer edit page and repeat the test.
- Not found tracking URL - ‘not found tracking URL’ message means that ‘testing tool’ cannot find Affise link in the chain of redirections. Use redirections checker, for example, Affilitest to check the chain of redirections. Affiliate’s testing link should redirect to Affise tracking URL at 1st instance, and no additional redirections should be in-between. Ask the client to get back to the Affiliate and ask them to set the correct redirection.
- Wrong URL - ‘wrong URL’ message means that the wrong/incorrect link is used for a test purpose. Most likely it does not have HTTP/HTTPS protocol or it contains a space in between any symbols. You need to get back to the Affiliate and ask him to check the link and redirections set.
- Occurred Error - 'occurred error' message means the same that 'Wrong URL' message means: the wrong/incorrect URL is used so it does not redirect to Affise tracking URL. You need to get back to Affiliate and ask him to check the link and redirections set.
Make sure that the link itself is valid; otherwise, you’ll see the related message that the link is not valid.
Manual test
This way of testing can be used in three cases:
- You would like to perform a test with some targeting in the offer.
- You would like to perform a test for the offer with some, not default goal value
- You would like to perform a test with the usage of additional parameters in the postback link.
Step No.1
Integration Test with Affiliate starts with tracking link generation on the offer’s preview page.
Choose the needed Affiliate and press on ‘generate’ to get the tracking link:
Once the link is generated, it can be updated with Affise parameters and Affiliate’s macros.
You can use any of free subs parameters in the affiliate’s tracking link (sub1 - sub8), os_id parameter, any of extra paramteres ext1 - ext3, and additional parameter ref_id. After all, the link can be shared with the Affiliate.
In case, if you don’t want to remove targeting restrictions (including subs) from the offer on your side, tick ‘Test link’ flag. The final link will look like that:
https://rocketcompany.g2afse.com/click?pid=2&offer_id=131946&sub1=testofferl
Step No.2
Make sure the link that your affiliate gave you leads to an Affise tracking link. To find it out use Affilitest. In case if you don’t want to remove targeting restrictions and you didn't add &sub1=testofferlink parameter, set up the needed country, city, OS, etc. in Affilitest.
Step No.3
Way No.1: via the browser address bar
Generate Affise Tracking link on the 'Offer preview page':
In case, if you don’t want to remove targeting restrictions (including subs) from the offer on your side, tick ‘Test link’ flag. Add &format=json parameter as well. The final link will look like that:
https://rocketcompany.g2afse.com/click?pid=2&offer_id=131946&format=json&sub1=testofferlink
Put it to the address bar and fire it. You will see a 24-symbol Affise clickid value and the URL it's redirected to.
Way No.2: via Affilitest
Generate Affise Tracking link on the 'Offer preview page':
Go to Affilitest and put the link to the relevant field.
In case, if you don’t want to remove targeting restrictions from the offer on your side and you didn't add &sub1=testofferlink parameter, set up the needed country, city, OS, etc. in Affilitest.
If you have some subs in the whitelist, you can add them to the link like this:
https://rocketcompany.g2afse.com/click?pid=2&offer_id=131946&&sub1=123&sub6=456
Step No.4:
a) If you want to perform a test for not default goal value:
Take your default postback here: 'Offer edit page' - > 'Postbacks' - > 'S2S Postbacks':
https://offers-rocketcompany.affise.com/postback?clickid={clickid}
And put it to the address bar
Put the generated clickid value instead of macro and add &goal=goal_value_from_the_offer
Ex.:
https://offers-rocketcompany.affise.com/postback?clickid=5ec3c7ba4a4f2b00012aa72b&goal=registration
Fire the link.
b) If you want to perform a test with the usage of additional parameters:
Take your default postback here: 'Offer edit page' - > 'Postbacks' - > 'S2S Postbacks':
https://offers-rocketcompany.affise.com/postback?clickid={clickid}
And put it to the address bar
Put the generated clickid value instead of macro and add the additional parameter. Let’s suppose you would like to use the &sum= parameter
Ex.:
https://offers-rocketcompany.affise.com/postback?clickid=5ec3c7ba4a4f2b00012aa72b&sum=150
In case if you want to use the additional parameter, mind, that for test only you need to put some value after that (like &sum=150), otherwise no value will be displayed in the conversion. If you leave it like &sum={some_macro}, the {some_macro} value will be depicted in Statistics as it is because the advertiser doesn’t pass anything - it is just a simulation.
Once firing the link you will see 'status:1' which means that postback was fired successfully:
It also can be checked in the 'Statistics' - > 'Server postbacks':
If status:2 is received, find a related error message in the following guide and steps to update the integration. Find out more about how to take the S2S Integration test with Advertiser here.
If you see ‘Status 1’, it means you can go to checking whether the postback was sent to the affiliate.
Test results
If the test was successful, you should refer to ‘affiliate postbacks’ slice of statistics to check whether affiliate’s postback was sent:
- HTTP code 200 means that a postback was successfully sent and received by the Affiliate’s server:
- Any other HTTP code response means that there is ‘something’ on Affiliate’s side that prevents from accepting Affise postback. Check the affiliate's postback settings on your side and make sure that the set up is correct. If a postback is set up correct from your side, contact your Affiliate directly to find out the roots of the occurred error:
What should I do if Affiliate's postback is not sent at all?
If a postback was not sent to the Affiliate's once checked in 'Affiliate postbacks' section, proceed with the following actions:
1) Check if a postback is set up for the Affiliate on the affiliate's edit page ('Affiliates' section - > 'Affiliate Management' -> Find specific Affiliate -> Edit)
2) If a postback is set, check postback's set up:
Check whether a local postback for a specific offer or a global postback set up for a specific affiliate. Do not forget to re-check the status & goal of the generated conversion and status&goal of a postback set up for the affiliate. Make sure that they are the same. Find more details on the logic of sending affiliate's postbacks here.
You may also find helpful the following articles:
- Affise parameters & macros for the S2S Integration test with Affiliate
- Where can I set the Affiliate's Postback?
- Affiliate's postback sending logic
If you feel like there are some questions left upon the S2S Integration Test with Affiliate, feel free to address them to Affise Support Team via support@affise.com or your internal live-chat as long as to contact your dedicated Account Manager.
Updated by Lizaveta Talkachova
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