Glossary

Tracking macros

Tracking macros (tokens) are placeholders in curly braces — {click_id}, {payout}, {source_click_id} — that a tracking system replaces with real values when a URL is fired. They are how click data flows into destination URLs and how conversion data flows back through postbacks.

How they work

Macros appear in two directions. Outbound, in offer URLs: https://offer.com/?clid={click_id}&src={zone_id} tells the tracker to inject the click ID and zone into each redirect. Inbound, in postback templates: the advertiser configures https://track.you.com/pb?cid={click_id}&amount={payout} and their system substitutes the stored values when a conversion fires.

Every platform has its own macro dictionary and delimiter conventions ({}, [], ##), and mismatched macros fail silently — the literal text {click_id} arrives instead of a value. When bridging two platforms, map macros pair by pair and verify with a test click that real values, not braces, come through.

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