Google Analytics API ruby client - multiple metrics - ruby

Question

I'm using the google API ruby client and I want to implement some more complex analytics queries such as suggested in this document
https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/reporting/core/v3/common-queries
This document suggests that metrics can be supplied as a comma delimited string of multiple metrics but the API client only accepts an expression.
How can I query on multiple metrics in a single query? The ruby client appears only to accept an expression which generally consists of a single metric such as sessions or pageviews like this:
metric = Google::Apis::AnalyticsreportingV4::Metric.new(expression: 'ga:sessions')
If I remove "expression" and enter a list of metrics I just get an error.
Invalid value 'ga:sessions;ga:pageviews' for metric parameter.

Answer 1

Here is my solution, together with a generic method for reporting Google Analytics data:
This answer should be read in conjunction with https://developers.google.com/drive/v3/web/quickstart/ruby
analytics = Google::Apis::AnalyticsreportingV4::AnalyticsReportingService.new
analytics.client_options.application_name = APPLICATION_NAME
analytics.authorization = authorize
def get_analytics_data( analytics,
view_id,
start_date: (Date.today + 1 - Date.today.wday) - 6,
end_date: (Date.today + 1 - Date.today.wday),
metrics: ['ga:sessions'],
dimensions: [],
order_bys: [],
segments: nil, # array of hashes
filter: nil,
page_size: nil )
get_reports_request_object = Google::Apis::AnalyticsreportingV4::GetReportsRequest.new
report_request_object = Google::Apis::AnalyticsreportingV4::ReportRequest.new
report_request_object.view_id = view_id
analytics_date_range_object = Google::Apis::AnalyticsreportingV4::DateRange.new
analytics_date_range_object.start_date = start_date
analytics_date_range_object.end_date = end_date
report_request_object.date_ranges = [analytics_date_range_object]
# report_request_metrics = []
report_request_object.metrics = []
metrics.each { |metric|
analytics_metric_object = Google::Apis::AnalyticsreportingV4::Metric.new
analytics_metric_object.expression = metric
report_request_object.metrics.push(analytics_metric_object) }
# report_request_object.metrics = report_request_metrics
unless dimensions.empty?
report_request_object.dimensions = []
dimensions.each { |dimension|
analytics_dimension_object = Google::Apis::AnalyticsreportingV4::Dimension.new
analytics_dimension_object.name = dimension
report_request_object.dimensions.push(analytics_dimension_object) }
end
unless segments.nil?
report_request_object.segments = []
analytics_segment_object = Google::Apis::AnalyticsreportingV4::Segment.new
analytics_dynamic_segment_object = Google::Apis::AnalyticsreportingV4::DynamicSegment.new
analytics_segment_definition_object = Google::Apis::AnalyticsreportingV4::SegmentDefinition.new
analytics_segment_filter_object = Google::Apis::AnalyticsreportingV4::SegmentFilter.new
analytics_simple_segment_object = Google::Apis::AnalyticsreportingV4::SimpleSegment.new
analytics_or_filters_for_segment_object = Google::Apis::AnalyticsreportingV4::OrFiltersForSegment.new
analytics_segment_filter_clause_object = Google::Apis::AnalyticsreportingV4::SegmentFilterClause.new
analytics_segment_metric_filter_object = Google::Apis::AnalyticsreportingV4::SegmentMetricFilter.new
analytics_dimension_object = Google::Apis::AnalyticsreportingV4::Dimension.new
analytics_dimension_object.name = 'ga:segment'
report_request_object.dimensions.push(analytics_dimension_object)
analytics_or_filters_for_segment_object.segment_filter_clauses = []
analytics_simple_segment_object.or_filters_for_segment = []
analytics_segment_definition_object.segment_filters = []
segments.each { |segment|
analytics_segment_metric_filter_object.metric_name = segment[:metric_name]
analytics_segment_metric_filter_object.comparison_value = segment[:comparison_value]
analytics_segment_metric_filter_object.operator = segment[:operator]
analytics_segment_filter_clause_object.metric_filter = analytics_segment_metric_filter_object
analytics_or_filters_for_segment_object.segment_filter_clauses.push(analytics_segment_filter_clause_object)
analytics_simple_segment_object.or_filters_for_segment.push(analytics_or_filters_for_segment_object)
analytics_segment_filter_object.simple_segment = analytics_simple_segment_object
analytics_segment_definition_object.segment_filters.push(analytics_segment_filter_object)
analytics_dynamic_segment_object.name = segment[:name]
analytics_dynamic_segment_object.session_segment = analytics_segment_definition_object
analytics_segment_object.dynamic_segment = analytics_dynamic_segment_object
report_request_object.segments.push(analytics_segment_object) }
end
unless order_bys.empty?
report_request_object.order_bys = []
order_bys.each { |orderby|
analytics_orderby_object = Google::Apis::AnalyticsreportingV4::OrderBy.new
analytics_orderby_object.field_name = orderby
analytics_orderby_object.sort_order = 'DESCENDING'
report_request_object.order_bys.push(analytics_orderby_object)}
end
unless filter.nil?
report_request_object.filters_expression = filter
end
unless page_size.nil?
report_request_object.page_size = page_size
end
get_reports_request_object.report_requests = [report_request_object]
response = analytics.batch_get_reports(get_reports_request_object)
end
If using dimensions, you can report data like this:
response = get_analytics_data(analytics, VIEW_ID, metrics: ['ga:pageviews'], dimensions: ['ga:pagePath'], order_bys: ['ga:pageviews'], page_size: 25)
response.reports.first.data.rows.each do |row|
puts row.dimensions
puts row.metrics.first.values.first.to_i
puts
end