Streams: types and processing order

A stream is a rule inside a campaign: which traffic it accepts and what it does with the visitor. Each click on a campaign link lands in no more than one stream. Streams are on the campaign page: open Campaigns («Кампании») and click the campaign name — the Streams («Потоки») tab opens right away.

Streams can be changed by anyone who can change the campaign itself: the user it belongs to, that user's team lead, the owner and the admin — see Campaign access. In a campaign opened through Share («Поделиться»), streams are view-only: the header shows the “view only” («только просмотр») label. The Financier («Финансист») role has no Campaigns section.

Stream types

The type is chosen in the Stream settings («Настройки потока») window, on the General («Основное») tab, in the Stream type («Тип потока») field. A new stream has Regular («Обычный»).

Under the Stream type field you see the hint for the selected type:

• Intercepting — “Always runs before regular streams and the final one — if it matched its filters.” («Всегда выполняется раньше обычных потоков и замыкающего — если подошёл по своим фильтрам.»)
• Regular — “Takes part in rotation (by weight and filters).” («Участвует в ротации (по весу и фильтрам).»)
• Final — “Applies when none of the streams fired. Always create a final stream if you use filters in other streams.” («Применяется, когда ни один из потоков не сработал. Всегда создавайте замыкающий поток, если используете фильтры в других потоках.»)

In the list, an enabled final stream has a highlighted card border. The weight («вес») number in the card is highlighted only for regular streams.

How the tracker chooses a stream

For each click, the tracker picks out the matching streams. A stream matches if it is enabled, the current time falls within its schedule and the click passes its filters. A stream without filters accepts all traffic.

Then the choice goes in this order:

1. If there are matching intercepting streams, the click gets the topmost of them.
2. Otherwise, if there are matching regular streams, the click gets one of them by weight.
3. Otherwise, if there are matching final streams, the click gets the topmost of them.
4. If no stream matched, the visitor gets a 404 response.

What the stream then does with the visitor is described on the Stream actions and redirect methods page.

Three cases change this order:

• The stream has reached its click cap — it is skipped, and the choice is repeated among the rest by the same rules.
• The campaign has visitor binding enabled — a returning visitor gets their previous stream if it is enabled and within its schedule. A matching intercepting stream takes priority over the binding.
• The campaign has cloaking enabled — see the “If cloaking is enabled” section.

The Check stream («Проверить поток») button above the list shows which stream a click with given parameters will get — see Stream selection check.

Weight and position

The Weight («Вес») field is an integer, 100 by default. Weight applies only to regular streams. A stream's share of traffic equals its weight divided by the sum of the weights of the matching regular streams. Example: two streams with weights 100 and 300 get 25% and 75% of the clicks that matched both.

A regular stream with weight 0 takes no part in the distribution while there are matching streams with a weight above zero. If all matching regular streams have weight 0, the click gets a random one of them.

Position is the card's place in the list, top to bottom. It decides which of several matching intercepting or final streams gets the click. The card order does not affect the by-weight choice among regular streams.

A new stream does not always go to the end of the list. If the campaign has several intercepting or final streams, check the card order after saving and drag the new card to the right place.

Final stream and the 404 response

A click that matched no stream gets a 404 response and is not recorded in statistics. If the campaign's streams have filters, add a final stream without filters — it will take the rest of the traffic.

While there is no final stream and other streams have filters, a warning is shown above the list: “There are streams with filters but no final one — traffic that matches no filter will go to 404. Add a final stream.” («Есть потоки с фильтрами, но нет замыкающего — трафик, не подошедший ни под один фильтр, уйдёт в 404. Добавьте замыкающий поток.») The + Final («+ Замыкающий») button next to it opens the same window as the + White («+ Белая») button: type Final, action Direct URL («Прямой URL»), address empty. Enter the address in the Destination URL («URL назначения») field or choose another action. Without an address, the visitor will not reach the “white”: a stream with an empty address is not saved, and one saved that way earlier returns 404 with any redirect method.

Filters, the schedule and click caps also apply to the final stream: it gets only the clicks that match them.

While the campaign has no streams, the tab says: “No streams yet. Add a stream so the campaign starts distributing traffic.” («Пока нет потоков. Добавьте поток, чтобы кампания начала распределять трафик.») Clicks on such a campaign's link get 404.

If cloaking is enabled

For a visitor who did not pass the cloaking checks, the stream is chosen only among final streams. They get the topmost final stream that is enabled, within its schedule and accepts the click by its filters. Intercepting and regular streams are never given to such a visitor, and visitor binding does not apply to them. If there is no matching final stream, the visitor gets a 404 response.

Here the final stream works as the “white”. How to set up a pair of streams is described on the Cloaking streams: “white” and target page.

Stream card

Each stream in the list is a card. It contains:

• the stream on/off switch; a disabled stream has the “paused” («пауза») label next to its name;
• the name and a “type · action” line, for example “Regular · Offer” («Обычный · Оффер»);
• clicks · uniques («клики · уники») — the stream's clicks and unique clicks for today. Clicking it opens the campaign statistics filtered by this stream. If the stream has the Hide click counter («Скрывать счётчик кликов») checkbox on, a “—” is shown instead of the numbers;
• weight;
• the Copy («Копия»), ⋯ and gear buttons;
• the Filters («Фильтры») block — the stream's conditions or the text “no filters — all traffic” («без фильтров — весь трафик»);
• the Rotation · A/B («Ротация · A/B») block — the stream's landing pages and offers with shares, if any are selected, see Rotation and split tests.

Managing streams

The buttons above the list and the Copy, ⋯ and gear buttons in the card are visible to those who can change the campaign. In a view-only campaign, the switch cannot be clicked.

Create a stream

1. Click + Stream («+ Поток») above the list. The Stream settings window opens.
2. On the General tab, fill in Stream name («Название потока»), Weight, Stream type and Action («Действие»).
3. Fill in the other tabs — they are listed in the table below.
4. Click Save stream («Сохранить поток»).

A new stream has the type Regular, the action Landing → offer funnel («Воронка ленд→оффер»), weight 100 and no filters.

Edit a stream

1. Click the gear button in the stream card.
2. Change the fields.
3. Click Save stream.

Enable, disable, copy, reorder

Delete a stream

1. Click the gear button in the stream card.
2. Click Delete stream («Удалить поток»).
3. Confirm the prompt “Delete stream ‘name’?” («Удалить поток «название»?»).

The Templates («Шаблоны») button above the list and ⋯ in the card are for the settings library and moving streams — see Stream templates, export and import.

The “+ Black” and “+ White” buttons

Both buttons open the Stream settings window with prefilled fields. The stream appears in the campaign only after Save stream.

Both streams have weight 100. The offers in the stream from the + Black button and the address in the stream from the + White button are left empty. How to set up the pair is described on the Cloaking streams: “white” and target page.

When changes take effect

Saving a stream, toggling the switch, copying, reordering and deleting take effect on traffic automatically; no restart is needed. Traffic gets the new settings within about 15 seconds after saving. Make your test visit to the campaign link after this pause.