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Increase Feedback in Extensions

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Introduction

After you create a monetized extension, we recommend that you create a feedback loop that enables broadcasters to recognize viewer participation. After all, getting a callout from a streamer is a big reason why viewers subscribe to a stream or cheer with Bits on a stream.

All of our top monetized extensions incorporate two types of feedback for that purpose: Chat in Extensions and Animations via Browser Source.

Chat In Extensions

Whenever a special action is completed in an extension, you can post to chat to acknowledge the user and draw more attention to the extension. 

Implementation

First, you need to enable your extension to send chat messages in the Extension Manager, under the Extension Capabilities of your extension’s version. If you do not enable this setting, the request to send a message to chat will result in a 401 error.

To authorize the request, you will need either a backend that can generate a JWT token or the JWT generated by Twitch with the broadcaster role. For details about signing the JWT, see Signing the JWT. With the proper JWT set in the Authorization header, send a request as detailed in the Extensions Reference for Send Extension Chat Message. The message will appear in chat with the extension’s name as the user. 

Best Practices

Animations via Browser Source

You can increase your feedback loop by adding a special animation (custom message or unique graphic) when a user interacts with your extension. To display this on the stream and to have it reflected in the VOD, the broadcaster must implement your animation as a browser source.

Implementation

Browser sources are implemented on the broadcaster’s software, not on Twitch. This is achieved by loading, on top of the video source, a webpage that plays the animations when prompted.

You must give the broadcaster a link to the webpage you are using for the notifications. The broadcaster must then add this link as a browser source in the streaming software. Any message pushed to that endpoint will be reflected in the broadcaster’s stream.

Browser sources are supported on major broadcasting software such as OBS, OBS.Live, Streamlabs OBS, Xsplit, and Player.me. Xsplit and Player.me refer to a browser source as a Webpage.

Best Practices