# setAnalyticsConsent()

Manually sets the visitor's analytics consent state. **Only needed if you use a custom consent management platform (CMP) that does not integrate with Shopify's Customer Privacy API.** If your store relies on Shopify's built-in privacy tools, Shoplift handles consent automatically and you can skip this method entirely.

### Signature

```typescript
window.shoplift.setAnalyticsConsent(consent: boolean): Promise<void>
```

### Parameters

| Parameter | Type      | Required | Description                                         |
| --------- | --------- | -------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| `consent` | `boolean` | Yes      | `true` to allow analytics tracking, `false` to deny |

### Returns

`Promise<void>` — resolves when the consent preference has been applied. This method handles errors internally and will not reject.

### When to Use This Method

#### Use when you have:

* A third-party consent management platform (OneTrust, Cookiebot, TrustArc, etc.) that is **not** integrated with Shopify's Customer Privacy API
* A custom-built consent solution
* Region-specific consent requirements that Shopify doesn't handle

#### Do not use when:

* Your store uses Shopify's standard Customer Privacy API (consent is handled automatically)
* You're using Shopify's built-in cookie banner
* You have no consent management system at all

### Basic Usage

```javascript
// Grant analytics consent
await window.shoplift.setAnalyticsConsent(true);

// Revoke analytics consent
await window.shoplift.setAnalyticsConsent(false);
```

### How Consent Affects Shoplift

Understanding the distinction between test assignment and analytics tracking is important:

| Concern                | Consent Required? | Details                                                                      |
| ---------------------- | ----------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Test assignment**    | No                | Visitors are always assigned to a variant to ensure a consistent experience. |
| **Analytics tracking** | Yes               | Test data is only recorded in Shoplift's analytics when consent is granted.  |
| **Data collection**    | Yes               | Visitor behavioral data respects the consent state in real-time.             |

This means a visitor will always see the correct variant, but their participation is only reflected in your test results if they've consented to analytics tracking.

### Internal Behavior

#### When `consent = true`:

1. Updates `consentApproved` to `true`
2. Marks `hasConsentInteraction` as `true`
3. Syncs all queued events to server (including events queued before consent was granted)
4. Persists analytics data to localStorage

#### When `consent = false`:

1. Updates `consentApproved` to `false`
2. Marks `hasConsentInteraction` as `true`
3. Clears the analytics event queue
4. Prevents new analytics events from being queued
5. On next page load, removes `Shoplift_Analytics` from localStorage
6. Retains test assignments (`Shoplift_Essential` remains in localStorage)

### Integration Pattern

The general pattern for connecting any CMP to Shoplift:

```javascript
function syncConsentWithShoplift(hasConsent, maxAttempts = 50) {
  let attempts = 0;

  function trySync() {
    if (window.shoplift) {
      window.shoplift.setAnalyticsConsent(hasConsent);
    } else if (attempts < maxAttempts) {
      attempts++;
      setTimeout(trySync, 100);
    } else {
      console.warn('Shoplift did not load — consent not synced.');
    }
  }

  trySync();
}
```

#### Mapping CMP Categories

Different CMPs use different category names. Shoplift only needs the **analytics / statistics / performance** category:

| CMP Category                         | Maps to Shoplift?     | Notes                                        |
| ------------------------------------ | --------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| Analytics / Statistics / Performance | **Yes** — pass `true` | This is the category Shoplift needs.         |
| Marketing / Targeting                | No                    | Shoplift doesn't do remarketing.             |
| Functional / Preferences             | No                    | Test assignment works regardless of consent. |
| Strictly Necessary                   | No                    | Core functionality always available.         |

### Error Handling

This method handles errors internally — it will always resolve and never reject. If an error occurs during the consent update (e.g., a network failure when syncing events), Shoplift logs the error and continues with the previous consent state. The visitor's test experience is not affected.

```javascript
// No try/catch needed, but safe to use if you prefer
await window.shoplift.setAnalyticsConsent(true);
```

### Timing Considerations

* **Call early**: Set consent as soon as it's available from your CMP.
* **Events queue before consent**: Before the visitor makes a consent decision, Shoplift queues analytics events. When consent is granted, all queued events are sent — so no data is lost from the pre-consent window.
* **Denial clears the queue**: If consent is denied, queued events are discarded and no new events are queued. If the visitor later grants consent, tracking resumes from that point forward — events from the denied period are not recoverable.
* **Listen for changes**: If the visitor updates their consent preferences mid-session, call `setAnalyticsConsent()` again with the new value.


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