[Analytics] [Sidebar navigation] Custom GA events removal & web components upgrade

[randimays]

Status

[2024-07-18] [Fran] Reviewed today; implementing component, adopting baked in analytics, remove custom analytics. No duplicate events firing. Not urgent.

Description

The va-link web component's analytics now include link destination, and va-link-action has been released to the component library. We can now use baked-in analytics and convert to web components where possible in sidebar navigation.

Engineering notes

Some exploration will need to be done to discover where this file / sidebar is used and how it differs from the sidebars present on benefit hub detail pages.

Code:

• https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/content-build/blob/2cfe33c456bd3fb3dfcb961d0e975d74fcbb904f/src/site/components/navigation-sidebar.html#L49
• https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/content-build/blob/2cfe33c456bd3fb3dfcb961d0e975d74fcbb904f/src/site/components/navigation-sidebar.html#L58
• https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/content-build/blob/2cfe33c456bd3fb3dfcb961d0e975d74fcbb904f/src/site/components/navigation-sidebar.html#L73
• https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/content-build/blob/2cfe33c456bd3fb3dfcb961d0e975d74fcbb904f/src/site/components/navigation-sidebar.html#L82

User story

AS A PO/PM managing Sitewide products & features I WANT to (where appropriate) adopt the va-link or va-link-action component, its baked-in analytics, and remove the custom GA events SO THAT extraneous code is removed and only the events needed will be triggered.

Acceptance criteria

• [ ] Element: Sidebar links (4 instances in the src/site/components/navigation-sidebar.html file)
  • [ ] convert to web component
  • [ ] enable web component analytics
  • [ ] remove custom events
• [ ] a11y review

[jilladams]

If we determine that the sidebars cannot be updated to web components due to Reasons, we may close this as a no-op and flag the future hope of converting, for @FranECross to follow up on. (And: if we hear that moves are in the works with DST, flag for Fran to let Amanda know.)

[chriskim2311]

Still looking for answers to if this is being used. Slack thread for more info: https://dsva.slack.com/archives/C52CL1PKQ/p1729796306070129