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How to run an AB Test in Javascript

To run a simple A/B test on a webpage using JavaScript and the Statsig SDK, focusing on showing text with a blue or red background based on the variant assigned, follow these steps. This guide includes creating a basic "Hello World" web application, integrating Statsig for A/B testing, and using the getValue method to determine the variant.

Step 1: Create a Basic Web Application​

  1. Set Up the HTML File:

    • Create an index.html file and add the following HTML code to set up a basic web page structure:
      <!DOCTYPE html>
      <html lang="en">
      <head>
          <meta charset="UTF-8">
          <title>A/B Test with Statsig</title>
          <style>
              .text {
                  padding: 20px;
                  color: white;
                  text-align: center;
              }
          </style>
      </head>
      <body>
          <div id="ab-test-text" class="text">Hello, World!</div>
          <script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/statsig-js/build/statsig-prod-web-sdk.min.js"></script>
          <script src="app.js"></script>
      </body>
      </html>

  2. Create the JavaScript File:

    • Create an app.js file in the same directory. This file will contain the JavaScript code to integrate with Statsig and determine the background color based on the A/B test variant.

Step 2: Integrate Statsig SDK and Implement A/B Testing Logic​

In your app.js, write the following JavaScript code:

document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function () {
    statsig.initialize('your-client-sdk-key', {
        userID: 'user_unique_id', // Use a real or generated user identifier
    }).then(() => {
        // Assuming 'backgroundColor' is the parameter defined in your A/B test configuration on Statsig
        const backgroundColor = statsig.getExperiment('your_experiment_key').getValue('backgroundColor', 'white');

        const abTestTextDiv = document.getElementById('ab-test-text');
        abTestTextDiv.style.backgroundColor = backgroundColor;
    });
});
  • Replace 'your-client-sdk-key' with your actual Statsig Client SDK Key.
  • Replace 'your_experiment_key' with the id of your experiment configured in Statsig.
  • This code assumes that the A/B test in Statsig is set up with a parameter named backgroundColor.

Step 3: Creating A/B Test in Statsig Console​

  1. Log In to Statsig:

  2. Create an Experiment:

    • In the Statsig console, navigate to the "Experiments" section and click "Create Experiment".
    • Enter the experiment details:
      • Name: Provide a unique name for your experiment (e.g., your_experiment_key).
      • Type: Choose "Experiment".
      • Parameters: Add a parameter named backgroundColor. For each variant (e.g., control and test), assign blue to one and red to the other as the value for backgroundColor.
    • Configure other settings as needed, such as the percentage of users included in the experiment and targeting rules.

    image

  3. Start the Experiment:

    • Once your experiment is configured with the necessary variants and parameters, save and start the experiment to make it active.

By following these steps, you've created a simple web application that integrates with Statsig for A/B testing, using the getValue method to dynamically apply styling based on the experiment's variant. This setup enables you to conduct A/B testing directly in your web applications, allowing you to experiment with different user experiences and measure their impact.