# Custom events

Pageviews only tell part of the story. Custom events let you track the actions that matter —
signups, checkouts, clicks — and tie them to your traffic sources.

## Track an event

Call `track()` with an event name and optional properties. Properties are string key/value pairs
you can use to segment events later.

**Script Tag**

```javascript
// The script tag exposes the tracker on window.__dtc
window.__dtc.track('signup_completed', { plan: 'pro' });

window.__dtc.track('button_click', { button: 'cta-hero' });
```

**NPM Package**

```javascript
// Using the tracker instance from createTracker(), see Getting started
tracker.track('signup_completed', { plan: 'pro' });

tracker.track('button_click', { button: 'cta-hero' });
```

> **Note: Event naming**
>
> Use short, consistent `snake_case` names like `signup_completed` or `checkout_started`. A stable naming scheme keeps your dashboard readable as you add more events.

## Identify users

Call `identify()` to associate events with a user. All subsequent events in the session are
attributed to that user ID, so you can follow a visitor across anonymous browsing and signed-in
usage.

**Script Tag**

```javascript
window.__dtc.identify('user-42', { plan: 'pro' });
```

**NPM Package**

```javascript
tracker.identify('user-42', { plan: 'pro' });
```

> **Info: Privacy first**
>
> Pass your own internal user ID — never an email address or other personal data. Traits are optional string key/value pairs.