Appcenter: Correlating custom properties to events

[breyed]

When you set properties with SetCustomProperties, the data is exported to App Insights in a custom event of type CustomPropertyLog with a Properties property like this:

[{"type":"String","name":"Key1","value":"Value1"},{"type":"String","name":"Key2","value":"Value2"}]

What I thought would happen is that the custom properties would be visible on each subsequent event in App Insights, until the custom properties were changed again. That would make it easy to filter the events by context, where the context is defined as the custom properties in place at the time.

As it is, is there some other way in App Insights to correlate custom properties with their subsequent events to enable filtering of events by custom properties? If not, this is an issue that should be addressed.

When viewing events on appcenter.ms, the custom properties don't show up. They should be merged with the specific properties of events, similar to how Microsoft.ApplicationInsights.TelemetryClient.Context works. The docs I found don't lend any insight into what custom properties are for other than "various purposes" which include push notifications. The implementation and docs look like they need updates.

[annakocheshkova]

Hi @breyed, custom properties are used in quite a different way: they used for "filtering" users. Then, for example, if you want to send a push to only those users that have Gender: Female property, that would be the use case.
But they certainly won't appear on analytics events, which have their own mechanism for setting custom properties.

Anyway, this sounds like a feature request, thanks for reporting that!

[hamswan]

Thanks @breyed , we have made a note of this feature request.

[breyed]

In the near term, it would helpful to clarify how custom properties work in the concept docs and in IntelliSense (cf. Microsoft/AppCenter-SDK-DotNet#818).

Higher level, some additional thought should be put into alignment of Application Insights and AppCenter. Coming from Application Insights, it was confusing that seemingly related concepts (AI Context and AppCenter global custom properties) turn out to be so different. Ideally, AI and AppCenter would share a common API for telemetry, with AppCenter just being an alternative destination.

[nikitag-ms]

Some of the concept namings are a bit confusing. What you are asking about sounds like custom _events_. Could you take a look and see if that is something that works for you?

It may still not be as seamlessly integrated with App Insights as you are suggesting, but it looks like there might be a way to make it work through designing and emitting properties in your scenario-specific way in conjunction with custom queries on the AI side.

[breyed]

This issue is referring to custom events. Each custom event has several standard properties such as WrapperSdkName, CarrierName, UserId, and OsBuild. It also has up to 20 properties specified by the code calling trackEvent. I thought the term to differentiate those from standard properties was "custom properties". However, it doesn't appear to be so, or at least not the same meaning of "custom properties" as is used by SetCustomProperties.

[stale[bot]]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had recent activity. It will be closed in 7 days if no further requests are made to keep it open.

[breyed]

Issue to stalebot: "I'm not dead! ... I think I'll go for a walk." Of course, we all know how that turned out. 😮

[masked-dancer]

Hi @breyed, custom properties are used in quite a different way: they used for "filtering" users. Then, for example, if you want to send a push to only those users that have Gender: Female property, that would be the use case.
But they certainly won't appear on analytics events, which have their own mechanism for setting custom properties.

Anyway, this sounds like a feature request, thanks for reporting that!

@breyed was correct in:
The docs I found don't lend any insight into what custom properties are for other than "various purposes" which include push notifications. The implementation and docs look like they need updates.

As such, this still isn't clear. You state that custom properties are used for "filtering users", then, _for example_, sending those filtered users a push. Is this the _only_ example? Can custom properties (as defined by method SetCustomProperties) be used, in any way, with modules Diagnostics/Crashes or Analytics? If so, how???

[Muras678]

Is there any update on this request ?
I also would like to know the other purpose of these custom properties and more over I would like to know where I can view those logged custom properties which I sent from app. I couldn't find them showing in both App center portal and Application Insights too.

[arek-avanade]

+1 here

[genericwoods]

+1

[Tommigun1980]

Is App Center going to get the axe? This is such a mandatory feature and considering that devs don't even reply here leads me to believe App Center will be deprecated soon. Please communicate on the state of this issue, if at all possible.

[Arie-Kanarie]

+1
Documentation should be updated. If only use of SetCustomProperties is for Push notification then "various purposes" shouldn't be mentioned.
But even better would be to add the properties set via SetCustomProperties to each event and crashlog.

[mflanzani]

+1

[Tommigun1980]

Fwiw I made this package, https://github.com/Tommigun1980/AnalyticsSender, that provides 'custom properties' functionality until this issue is resolved.

But considering how mandatory a feature this is it should be added to the SDK.

[futuretap]

I logged https://github.com/microsoft/appcenter/issues/2110 as a feature request. I suggest displaying the custom properties under Analytics > Overview.

[msftbot[bot]]

This issue has been automatically marked as stale because it has not had any activity for 60 days. It will be closed if no further activity occurs within 15 days of this comment.

[breyed]

Still applies: https://github.com/microsoft/appcenter/issues/41#issuecomment-495922948