Tealium Tools: Environment Switcher

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This article describes the Environment Switcher, which is available as a Tealium Tools browser extension.

In this article:

• How it Works
• Using the Environment Switcher
• Basic Configuration
• Advanced Configuration
• Active Redirects
• Recent Redirects
• Troubleshooting
• Force Stop All Active Redirects
• Reset Environment Switcher to the Default State
• Additional Information

How it Works

The Environment Switcher is a powerful testing tool used to change the Tealium files (utag.js, utag.sync.js) that are loaded on a page by specifying a specific environment (Dev, QA, or Prod) and/or a specific account/profile.

Use the Environment Switcher in Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox by adding the Tealium Tools extension.

Learn more about the Tealium Tools Browser Extension.

Using the Environment Switcher

When you launch the Environment Switcher, the current account and profile detected on the page displays, along with configuration tabs that allow you to adjust the switcher according to your input.

Once you have the Environment Switcher available in Tealium Tools, use the following steps to launch it:

1. Click the Tealium Tools icon in the upper right of the screen.
2. Click the Home tab.
3. Click Environment Switcher.
   
   The Environment Switcher configuration screen displays a set of configuration tabs.

Basic Configuration

The options on the Basic tab allows you to load utag.js and utag.sync.js from different environments.

Use the following steps to switch environments:

1. Click the Basic tab.
2. Click the environment you want to switch to.
   When you select a new environment, the environment detected on the page is outlined in orange and the active environment on the page (the one you switched to) is highlighted in blue.
   
3. Click the Start button to apply your changes.
   This action refreshes the current page.

Advanced Configuration

The options on the Advanced tab provide the following features

• Advanced redirects to load the Tealium files from a different account, profile, and environment.
  

  This is helpful if you use profile libraries or custom publish environments.

• URL redirects to load the Tealium files from a custom URL location.
• Separate settings for each Tealium file and your browsing session..

Advanced Redirects

To redirect the Account, Profile, or Environment, click Advanced Redirect to expand.

Type the source name for each in the Source column and the destination name for each in the Destination column.

URL Redirects

To redirect to a custom URL, click URL Redirect to expand.

Type the source URL in the Source column and the destination URL in the Destination column.

Advanced Options

Click Advanced Options to select or deselect how your redirects are applied.

Select or deselect one or more of the the following:

• Current Domain Only - only apply the redirects to the current domain. If you navigate to a different subdomain, the redirects are not applied.
• Current Tab Only - only apply the redirects to the current browser tab. Other browser tabs, even if viewing the same page, will not be affected.
• Apply to utag.js - apply the redirect to utag.js.
• Apply to utag.sync.js - apply the redirect to utag.sync.js.
• Set utag_cfg_ovrd.path - set a custom cookie path.

Click Start to apply all changes made.

Active Redirects

After making any changes using the Environment Switcher, the Active Redirects tab is the default tab that displays the next time you initiate the switcher. This tab displays environments that are currently being switched.

Disable an Active Redirect

To disable an active redirect, click Stop in the Action column. The page is automatically refreshed and the Tealium files load normally, as coded in the page.

• In subseqent visits to this tab, you can select Refresh or Stop in the Action column.
  

Recent Redirects

The Recent Redirects tab provides a history of recently used configurations, which makes it simple to reactivate a switcher that was previously configured.

To reactivate a previously configured switcher:

1. Click the Recent Redirects tab.
   A list of recently configured switchers displays.
   
2. Click the Start button next to the switcher that you want to reactivate.
   The page refreshes automatically and the changes are applied.

Troubleshooting

The Help tab provides troubleshooting options to force stop all active redirects or completely reset the Environment Switcher.

Force Stop All Active Redirects

To force stop all active redirects:

1. Click the Help tab.
2. Click Force Stop all Active Redirects.
   
   The Active Redirects tab is now empty and all active redirects are stopped.

Reset Environment Switcher to the Default State

Resetting the Environment Switcher to the default state and stop all current redirects, remove all information saved in the UI setting, remove recent redirects, stop the backend service, and close the Tealium Tools window.

Use the following steps to reset the Environment Switcher:

1. Click the Help tab.
2. Click Force Reset to expand.
3. Click Reset Environment Switcher.
   

The Active Redirects and Recent Redirects tabs are now empty. All active redirects are stopped and recent redirects are purged.

Additional Information

• Tealium Tools Browser Extension
  An overview of the Tealium Tools browser extension and how to install in on Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.
  
• List of Custom Tealium Tools
  Detailed information about available custom tools.
• Creating Custom Tealium Tools
  Detailed developer information and migration steps for existing utilities.