This article summarizes the components and instructions for installing Adopt by deploying the Pendo Launcher on your applications. Broadly, this is a two-step process:
- Install the browser extension (Pendo Launcher) for your end-users.
- Configure the extension on end-user devices.
Before you get started
Before you start, review the Plan your Adopt Installation article to help you decide on your target browsers and operating systems, on your Visitor ID source, and on the metadata you want to pull into Pendo Adopt.
Step 1 in this article includes a table of the deployment options available to you based on target browsers and operating systems.
Step 2 in this article includes a table of the available Visitor ID and metadata options depending on your chosen browsers and operating systems.
Step 1. Install the browser extension for your end-users
The first step to deploying the Pendo Launcher extension is to install it on end-users’ browsers using a managed settings policy. All supported browsers support managed installation of browser extensions in one of two forms:
- Force installation (recommended). The extension is installed on the end-user’s browser and can’t be removed.
- Standard installation. The extension is installed on the end-user’s browser and can be removed by the end-user.
Pendo recommends force-installing for all users. If some resources in your company need to remove the extension for development or other purposes, you can create a subgroup of users that receive the standard-installed extension. For information about the browser-specific details for the ExtensionSettings
attribute used to apply this policy, see the relevant documentation for:
- Chrome: ExtensionSettings: Extension management settings
- Microsoft Edge: A detailed guide to configuring extensions using the ExtensionsSettings policy
- Firefox: Mozilla policy-templates README.md: ExtensionsSettings
The following installation methods represent different approaches to applying your chosen extension policy.
Installation methods
You can use the following methods for managed installs of the Pendo Launcher browser extension. The optimal choice for your organization depends on your existing IT configuration and tooling. Before choosing your methods for installation, decide on an approach for sourcing your Visitor ID and metadata, which are also needed for Step 2 in this article.
Depending on the methods you choose, you might be able to install and configure using the same tooling. For example, using Chrome Admin Console for your installation allows you to configure your API Key using Chrome Admin Console as well.
Note: We are in the process of updating the documentation for each of the methods listed in the following table.
Mac | Windows | All OS | |
Chrome* |
Install on Chrome for macOS using configuration profiles Install on Chrome for macOS using Jamf |
Install on Chrome using Chrome Admin Console | |
Edge | Install on Edge for macOS using Configuration Profiles | Install on Edge for Windows using GPO | NA |
Firefox | Install on Firefox for macOS using Configuration Profiles | Install on Firefox using GPO | Install on Firefox using policies.json |
* Chrome doesn’t support use of the Admin Console and OS-specific deployment methods at the same time. If your company uses one of these options for any other Chrome extensions, you must use the same deployment method to deploy the Pendo Launcher.
Alternative deployment: snippet install
We recommend using the browser extension for uniformity with other applications. However, it’s possible to install using a snippet of JavaScript on an application you control the code for, such as an intranet site. If you have the ability to implement a snippet install and would like to install this way, contact your Pendo representative for assistance.
Step 2. Configure the extension on end-user devices
Configuring the Pendo Launcher extension involves choosing how you want to configure your API key (required), Visitor IDs (required), and metadata (recommended). From the table, choose:
- One option for configuring the API key for each of your target browser-OS combinations (required).
- One option for configuring the Visitor ID for each of your target browser-OS combinations (required).
- One or more sources of metadata for each of your target browser-OS combinations (optional).
If possible, we recommend that you choose the same option for configuring your API key and Visitor ID.
Additionally, we recommend that you choose at least one source of metadata. Metadata enhances Pendo analytics and guide targeting. Some metadata sources can be used in tandem.
Note: We are in the process of updating the documentation for each of the configuration options listed in the following table.
Configuration tool | Browser | OS | Can configure | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
API Key | Visitor ID | Metadata | |||
Google Admin console | Chrome | All | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ |
MDM, Chrome for macOS | Chrome | Mac | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Jamf, Chrome for macOS | Chrome | Mac | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
GPO, Chrome for Windows | Chrome | Windows | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Intune, Chrome for Windows | Chrome | Windows | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
MDM, Edge for macOS | Edge | Mac | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
GPO, Edge for Windows | Edge | Windows | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
MDM, Firefox for Mac | Firefox | Mac | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
GPO, Firefox for Windows | Firefox | Windows | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
JavaScript snippet | All | All | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ |
Salesforce snippet | All | All | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ |
Logged-in browser identity | Chrome or Edge | All | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ |
Okta workflows * | All | All | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ |
CSV Upload * | All | All | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ |
API * | All | All | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ |
* You can use these options to supplement metadata from other sources.
Extension configuration options
Depending on the configuration method you choose, you can push the following properties to the Pendo Launcher extension: APIKey
, dataEnvironment
, and visitor
. These properties can take the form of Registry Keys on Windows, or JSON keys on macOS.
APIKey
This is the identifying key for your subscription, and might look something like the following: b3e5a9c1-f273-4b45-7c96-0e1dd2a9b8a0
. If you're an Admin user, you can find the API key in the Adopt UI by navigating to Settings > Subscription.
dataEnvironment
This property is optional, and can include the following values: io
,us1
or eu
.
io
is the default value. Only provide the dataEnvironment
property if you need to point to a subscription that's stored in a different data environment, for example, due to GDPR requirements.
visitor
This property includes the unique identifying information about your user, and looks like the following:
{
“id”: “john.doe@example.com”,
“office”: “Raleigh”,
“role”: “engineer”
}
The id
value is required. Other values provide additional metadata, which is helpful for analytics and guide targeting. You can supplement metadata from other sources, such as a CSV upload or with our Okta Workflows integration.
Visitor ID Prioritization
If you choose multiple sources for Visitor ID, only one is applied to a given visitor. This is relevant, for example, if you transition from one method to another and there's a temporary overlap. The order of priority when multiple sources are applied is as follows:
- IT-Managed Value from MDM tooling.
- JavaScript snippet, including a Salesforce snippet.
- Browser logged-in identity (Chrome or Edge only).
- Randomly generated anonymous ID. In this case, the visitor can receive guides, but the data won't display in your analytics by default. To learn more, see Anonymous visitors.