Trying to solve a Website issue by leveraging "User Agent"

[nzegarra98]

I've seen a few posts attempt to address this topic, but most are a few years old and may not reflect current browser behaviors.

Recently, we encountered an issue on our AEM website where hidden field values in forms were not being submitted consistently. After some investigation, we discovered that the problem varies depending on the browser version being used. Importantly, this is not a Marketo issue—it's related to how certain browsers handle hidden fields.

To better understand and diagnose the issue, I’d like to generate a report that shows the user agents (i.e., browser and version information) of users who submit a specific form, identified by its Form ID.

My Question:

Is there a way to create a report that captures and potentially filters the browser versions users are using when submitting a particular form?

[SanfordWhiteman]

... after some investigation, we discovered that the problem varies depending on the browser version being used. Importantly, this is not a Marketo issue—it's related to how certain browsers handle hidden fields.

It’s extraordinarily unlikely that there are cross-browser differences when you use the Forms 2.0 JS API (i.e. form#addHiddenFields). Are you going around the API for some reason? Please explain exactly how you’re populating hidden fields — and a link to your page would also be helpful.

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Is there a way to create a report that captures and potentially filters the browser versions users are using when submitting a particular form?

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Not a report within the Marketo UI. But you can use the Marketo REST API to get the activity log for Activity ID 2 (Filled Out Form). There’s a property with "name": "User Agent" on every such activity.

[nzegarra98]

We are not doing anything super complex (to my knowledge this was all built before my time).

Page: https://industrial.sherwin-williams.com/na/us/en/coil-extrusion/color/color-library/color-cart.html
Once you add an item to your "cart" and then submit the form, the value in the cart is passed through to the hidden field "colorSample". In the past two months, we have had a high value of submissions where that "colorSamples" value just doesn't come over to Marketo. Not actually a Marketo issue though. Marketo never even gets the data. 

The few times we have been able to re create, we have noticed its been on much older browser versions. So in this "report" we just want to see those user agents listed out along with the other data that came through on form submission. 

Not a report within the Marketo UI. But you can use the Marketo REST API to get the activity log for Activity ID 2 (Filled Out Form). There’s a property with "name": "User Agent" on every such activity.

Is there a guide to this or post on this somewhere? This is a little bit out of my knowledge base at this time, but would love to learn how to view this.

[SanfordWhiteman · Accepted solution]

That form isn’t even a Marketo form! That’s something you weren’t telling us.

Based on the data I see on the wire, you’re sending the data to your own back end using XMLHttpRequest (colloquially, “Ajax”). Then most likely using the Marketo Submit Form API to forward the data to Marketo.

So there’s no need to use the Marketo API to inspect the User-Agent strings. You have all that data on your own server!

Also, the fact that you’re assembling the form in JS and submitting using XHR means it isn’t a standard HTML form post, either. So whatever variance you’re seeing with hidden fields is entirely in your own code, it’s not the browser interpreting <input type="hidden"> differently. You’re probably using JS functions that don’t exist in older browsers.  

P.S. The Submit Form API is a last resort. You should be using a hidden Marketo form on the front end, not passing data to your own back end. Then at least you wouldn’t have a whole other layer mucking up the works.

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@nzegarra98 wrote:

We are not doing anything super complex (to my knowledge this was all built before my time).

I would say you are attempting something far more complex than 95% of the people who use Marketo forms. 

This is a little bit out of my knowledge base at this time, but would love to learn how to view this.

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https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/marketo-developer/marketo/rest/lead-database/activities

[SanfordWhiteman]

On another note, your autoresponder email (which comes from Salesforce, not Marketo) had an invalid DKIM signature.

This needs to be fixed ASAP — properly strict mailservers will flag those as impersonation attempts.

[csb209]

Responding on behalf of my co-worker nzegarra98 who is having computer troubles - Can you please share the name you submitted with to receive that confirmation email? We're trying to track it down to investigate the DKIM issue. 

[SanfordWhiteman]

PMed it to you