Dynamic Blocks Setup Based on View History in 1C-Bitrix
The "You viewed" block is one of the most converting elements on a product card. A user returned from search, didn't find what they wanted, but sees their view history — and often returns to a product they already considered. Bitrix has no built-in component for this. The "Personalization" module exists in Enterprise version, but most projects need to build it from scratch.
Cookies vs. Session vs. Database
Three options for storing view history — with different trade-offs.
Cookies — simplest: array of product IDs serialized in a cookie. Works without a database, requires no authorization, lives until cookie expires. Limitation: maximum 4KB, about 200–300 product IDs. Enough for view history but not complex analytics.
Database — b_user_behavior table (from previous task) or separate b_viewed_products. Works for authorized users, survives device changes, allows pattern analysis. For anons — session binding with subsequent merge.
Optimal approach: cookies for instant display (no database query), background write to database for analytics.
Writing to Cookie on Product View
In the catalog.element template or component, add JavaScript:
(function() {
var elementId = <?= (int)$arResult['ID'] ?>;
var cookieName = 'bx_viewed';
var maxItems = 20;
var viewed = [];
try {
var raw = document.cookie.match(/bx_viewed=([^;]+)/);
if (raw) viewed = JSON.parse(decodeURIComponent(raw[1]));
} catch(e) {}
viewed = viewed.filter(function(id) { return id !== elementId; });
viewed.unshift(elementId);
if (viewed.length > maxItems) viewed = viewed.slice(0, maxItems);
var expires = new Date(Date.now() + 30 * 24 * 3600 * 1000).toUTCString();
document.cookie = cookieName + '=' + encodeURIComponent(JSON.stringify(viewed))
+ '; expires=' + expires + '; path=/; SameSite=Lax';
})();
View History Display Component
Custom component local:catalog.viewed reads cookie on server and loads data by ID:
// component.php
$viewed = [];
if (!empty($_COOKIE['bx_viewed'])) {
$raw = json_decode($_COOKIE['bx_viewed'], true);
if (is_array($raw)) {
$viewed = array_map('intval', array_slice($raw, 0, 10));
}
}
if (empty($viewed)) {
$this->AbortResultCache();
return;
}
$res = \CIBlockElement::GetList(
[],
['ID' => $viewed, 'IBLOCK_ID' => CATALOG_IBLOCK_ID, 'ACTIVE' => 'Y'],
false,
['nTopCount' => 10],
['ID', 'NAME', 'PREVIEW_PICTURE', 'DETAIL_PAGE_URL', 'CATALOG_PRICE_1']
);
$items = [];
while ($el = $res->GetNextElement()) {
$fields = $el->GetFields();
$items[$fields['ID']] = $fields;
}
// Restore view order
$arResult = array_filter(array_map(fn($id) => $items[$id] ?? null, $viewed));
Component should work without cache (CACHE_TYPE = 'N') or with user/session-bound cache.
Excluding Current Product
If "You viewed" block is placed on a product card — the current product should not appear. Filter:
$currentId = (int)$GLOBALS['arParams']['ELEMENT_ID'] ?? 0;
$viewed = array_filter($viewed, fn($id) => $id !== $currentId);
AJAX Loading to Preserve Page Cache
If the product card is cached (and it should be), the "You viewed" block is better loaded via a separate AJAX request after main content rendering. This allows caching the card at nginx level (or Bitrix cache) while showing personalized content to each user. Controller returns ready HTML fragment — minimal client logic.