> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://tinyanalytics.io/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Autocapture Analytics Events

> Record outbound links, downloads, button clicks, copied text, form submissions, and engagement automatically, without writing event code.

tinyanalytics records the interactions that matter on your site **automatically**, with no code to write. Outbound link clicks, file downloads, button clicks, text copies, form submissions, and engagement are all captured out of the box and appear in your [Events explorer](/docs/event-analytics). You can measure how visitors interact with a page before you instrument a single [custom event](/docs/custom-event-tracking).

Autocapture is **on by default**. Each type is an independent toggle you can turn off in your [tracking script](/docs/configure-tinyanalytics-tracking-script#turn-auto-capture-on-or-off).

## What does tinyanalytics capture automatically?

| Interaction         | Captured when a visitor…             | What's stored                                    | Toggle attribute        |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------- |
| **Outbound link**   | clicks a link to another domain      | the destination URL and link text                | `data-track-outbound`   |
| **File download**   | clicks a link to a downloadable file | the file's URL                                   | `data-track-downloads`  |
| **Button click**    | clicks a button                      | the button's text                                | `data-track-clicks`     |
| **Copy**            | copies text from the page            | the copied text (truncated)                      | `data-track-copy`       |
| **Form submission** | submits a form                       | the form's shape — field count, name, and action | `data-track-forms`      |
| **Engagement**      | finishes a page visit                | scroll depth and time engaged                    | `data-track-engagement` |

Each interaction is its own event type, so you can filter to it in the Events explorer's event-type view and build [goals](/docs/conversion-goal-tracking) or [funnels](/docs/funnel-analytics) from it.

## Which autocaptured events can I build goals and funnels on?

Four autocapture types can be a [goal](/docs/conversion-goal-tracking) or a [funnel](/docs/funnel-analytics) step directly — no custom event required:

* **Outbound link** — matched against the destination URL
* **Button click** — matched against the button text
* **Form submission** — matched against the form's name, id, or action
* **Copy** — matched against the copied text

Add an optional **value pattern** to target a specific interaction — for example, a goal on outbound links to `*.stripe.com`, or a funnel step for the button that reads `Start free trial`. Patterns use `*` and `**` as wildcards; leave the pattern blank (or enter `*` for a funnel step) to match any event of that type.

<Note>
  Individual **`input_change`** events are captured for the Events explorer but can't be a goal or funnel target — they're too high-volume to build a conversion on.
</Note>

## How do I browse what's been captured?

Open the **Autocapture** dialog on the [Events explorer](/docs/event-analytics) to see every distinct value an autocapture type has recorded over your current date range. Pick a type — outbound links, button clicks, form submissions, or copies — and the table lists each value with its **count**, its **share** of that type, and when it was **last seen**. It's the quickest way to find the exact button text or outbound URL to target before you build a goal or funnel on it.

## What do form captures never record?

Form capture records the **shape** of a submission, never its contents:

* A form submission stores the field count, form name, and action — **never what a visitor typed**.
* An individual field change stores only the field's **name and type**, never its value.
* Password, hidden, disabled, and read-only fields are **skipped entirely**.

<Note>
  Copy events do store the copied text (truncated). If visitors might copy sensitive content on a page, turn copy capture off with `data-track-copy="false"`.
</Note>

## Add properties to a captured event

Attach custom properties to any auto-captured event by adding `data-ta-prop-<name>` attributes to the element. For example, to tag which plan an upgrade button belongs to:

```html theme={null}
<button data-ta-prop-plan="pro">Upgrade to Pro</button>
```

The button click is then captured with `plan: "pro"` in its properties, so you can break that event down by plan.

## Track an element yourself

To handle a specific element with your own [custom event](/docs/custom-event-tracking) instead of the automatic capture, add `data-ta-event` to opt it out:

```html theme={null}
<button data-ta-event onclick="window.tinyanalytics.event('signup', { plan: 'pro' })">
  Sign up
</button>
```

tinyanalytics skips the automatic button-click event for that element, leaving you to send exactly the event you want.

## Turn autocapture off

Every capture type is on by default and can be turned off independently by setting its attribute to `"false"`:

```html theme={null}
<script defer src="https://dash.tinyanalytics.io/script.js"
  data-site-id="YOUR_SITE_ID"
  data-track-copy="false"
  data-track-forms="false"></script>
```

See [configure the tracking script](/docs/configure-tinyanalytics-tracking-script#turn-auto-capture-on-or-off) for the full list of attributes.

## Frequently asked questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Do I need to write code to track button clicks in tinyanalytics?">
    No. tinyanalytics autocapture is on by default and records button clicks, outbound link clicks, file downloads, text copies, form submissions, and engagement with no code to write. Write a [custom event](/docs/custom-event-tracking) only for actions autocapture can't infer.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does tinyanalytics record what visitors type into forms?">
    No. A tinyanalytics form submission stores the field count, form name, and action — never what a visitor typed. An individual field change stores only the field's name and type, and password, hidden, disabled, and read-only fields are skipped entirely.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I add my own properties to an auto-captured event?">
    Add `data-ta-prop-<name>` attributes to the element. For example, `<button data-ta-prop-plan="pro">` captures the button click with `plan: "pro"` in its properties, so you can break that event down by plan in the Events explorer.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I stop autocapture on a single element?">
    Add `data-ta-event` to that element. tinyanalytics then skips the automatic capture for it, so you can send your own [custom event](/docs/custom-event-tracking) instead. To turn a capture type off site-wide, set its toggle attribute to `"false"` on the tracking script.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I make a conversion goal from an autocaptured button click or link?">
    Yes. Outbound links, button clicks, form submissions, and copies can each be a [goal](/docs/conversion-goal-tracking) or a [funnel](/docs/funnel-analytics) step directly, with no custom event to write. Add a value pattern (with `*` and `**` wildcards) to target a specific interaction, or leave it blank to count every event of that type. Individual field-change (`input_change`) events can't be used as a target.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Track custom events" icon="hand-pointer" href="/docs/custom-event-tracking">
    Send your own named events with properties.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Configure the tracking script" icon="sliders" href="/docs/configure-tinyanalytics-tracking-script">
    Every auto-capture toggle and data-\* attribute.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Events explorer" icon="bolt" href="/docs/event-analytics">
    See every captured event and its properties.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Goals" icon="bullseye" href="/docs/conversion-goal-tracking">
    Turn a captured interaction into a conversion.
  </Card>
</Columns>


## Related topics

- [Event Analytics](/docs/event-analytics.md)
- [Conversion Goal Tracking](/docs/conversion-goal-tracking.md)
- [Funnel Analytics](/docs/funnel-analytics.md)