xObsBrowserAutoRefresh - Timed automatic browser source refreshing v1.1

[YorVeX]

Although the plugins guide lists AppData as a valid location, I couldn't get a plugin to load from there myself either. I scanned the OBS source code and also couldn't find any evidence of AppData being used to load plugins, what I instead found is that ProgramData would be another option. But I don't feel like suggesting this as install location, because it's even more complicated, the user would have to create a root folder there in the first place. A third option would be that a plugin could be placed in any location as long as the environment variable OBS_PLUGINS_PATH is pointing there.

Since all of the other options are more complicated, I will simply remove the suggestion to install in AppData from all of my plugins with no replacement and from now on only recommend the Program Files folder.

 

[YorVeX]

YorVeX updated xObsBrowserAutoRefresh - Timed automatic browser source refreshing with a new update entry:

Version 1.0

• Update to latest NetObsBindings library version
• Added Windows installer
• Plugin is the same as v0.4, just re-released as v1.0 to indicate that it is stable

Full Changelog: v0.4...v1.0

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[WekizZ]

Hey thanks for this plug in, I just have one question, what happens when the refresh collide with the alerts?
TBH I dont have any problems with browser sources but I do need to refresh them once every time I restart OBS and that I forget sometimes XD

 

[YorVeX]

Hey thanks for this plug in, I just have one question, what happens when the refresh collide with the alerts?
TBH I dont have any problems with browser sources but I do need to refresh them once every time I restart OBS and that I forget sometimes XD

That would most probably interrupt the current alert, I wouldn't recommend to use it on a browser source for alerts. I'm afraid this plugin is not what you're looking for, it isn't meant for your use case of a one time refresh.

Is using this option not sufficient?

Usually a browser alert source should be visible all the time, so this would trigger a refresh only one time on OBS start-up.

 

[alejomedia]

Hey, thanks so much for making this! Solves an issue where I'm displaying web content that automatically freezes with a "are you still there" message every once in a while.

However, I'm noticing an issue where the timer seems to deactivate whenever I change to another scene that doesn't contain the browser source it's applied to. I use windowed projectors to monitor those sources, so they're still active and running in the background, but the plugin doesn't refresh unless I'm working within a scene that both has that browser source and has it visible.

I know this is kind of a hyper specific use case, but thought I'd point that out! Again, much appreciated.

 

[YorVeX]

Hey, thanks so much for making this! Solves an issue where I'm displaying web content that automatically freezes with a "are you still there" message every once in a while.

However, I'm noticing an issue where the timer seems to deactivate whenever I change to another scene that doesn't contain the browser source it's applied to. I use windowed projectors to monitor those sources, so they're still active and running in the background, but the plugin doesn't refresh unless I'm working within a scene that both has that browser source and has it visible.

I know this is kind of a hyper specific use case, but thought I'd point that out! Again, much appreciated.

I will try and see if I can reproduce that scenario. Does this setting on the browser source have any influence on the behavior you described?

 

[alejomedia]

I will try and see if I can reproduce that scenario. Does this setting on the browser source have any influence on the behavior you described?
View attachment 96261

Doesn't seem like it does, no. I just tried with a pair of browser sources, one with this enabled and one without. With both, same behavior as I described above. Interestingly, as soon as I switch back to the scene containing the two sources, the timer seems to re-enable, so it's as if changing to another scene suspends it somehow.

 

[YorVeX]

YorVeX updated xObsBrowserAutoRefresh - Timed automatic browser source refreshing with a new update entry:

Version 1.1

• bb20d05: Fix refreshes when only shown through projector …

Full Changelog: v1.0...v1.1

Read the rest of this update entry...

 

[YorVeX]

The latest release should now also refresh when the browser source is not visible in the current scene but in a projector window or a dock through the Source Dock plugin. It doesn't work when only shown in the "interact" window due to how OBS works, but that window isn't meant for constant displaying of a browser source anyway.

What stays is that no refreshes are being performed when the browser source is visible nowhere at all, that's intentional. I guess I could make it follow the "Shutdown source when not visible" setting of the browser source, but I don't really see a use case for refreshes on browser sources that aren't visible at all. If there is demand please post here and I might reconsider.

 

[John Zapf]

bummer no install instructions for windows.

FYI this does not work:
Extract the downloaded .7z file (= copy the contained obs-plugins and data folders) into the OBS Studio installation directory. The default location for this is C:\Program Files\obs-studio

 

[John Zapf]

The plugin works fine with the latest version of OBS, you might only run into issues if you use this with an outdated OBS version. How did you conclude that it's not working, you tried to click the "+" button on the Effect Filters of a Browser source, and it's not on the list?
View attachment 96048

If from your screenshot location you go into obs-plugins\64bit you see the xObsBrowserAutoRefresh.dll file there, right?

As an alternative I'd suggest to try the second install location that is suggested in the install instructions and see whether that works, I remember at least one other user who said the AppData folder didn't work for them and then using the Program Files folder it was fine:

there is no dll in that zip.

 

[John Zapf]

This worked like a charm! THANK YOU!

I have tried all locations I've been at it in an hour but it's kind of a crapshoot it doesn't tell you what files to put in what folders to put where there's absolutely no instructions. And then it talks about a DLL's file et cetera there is no DLL file anywhere. I've been an IT guy for 32 years I can figure anything out but this thing is not even what it says it is the same files aren't even there the folders aren't even there that they're talking about

 

[John Zapf]

For automatic installation just run the provided installer, then restart OBS. ???

copy the contained obs-plugins and data folders) ??? there is no data or plugin folders

 

[YorVeX]

bummer no install instructions for windows.

FYI this does not work:
Extract the downloaded .7z file (= copy the contained obs-plugins and data folders) into the OBS Studio installation directory. The default location for this is C:\Program Files\obs-studio

Just go to the description page for this plugin and...

But basically, really, just run the installer. All of the other options are for special cases like portable mode or when you really need to manually install the files.

For automatic installation just run the provided installer, then restart OBS. ???

What exactly is the question? Click download, download the installer, extract and run the .exe, click Next a few times and Finish - just like pretty much every Windows installer I guess.

 

[John Zapf]

Forget it. too funny. there is no windows installer. and no instructions. I guess I the links I have are to a different page?

I was able to salve my issues by adding this to my HTML file. <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="60">

 

[YorVeX]

Forget it. too funny. there is no windows installer. and no instructions. I guess I the links I have are to a different page?

I was able to salve my issues by adding this to my HTML file. <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="60">

You're joking, right? Literally on top of the page you wrote this post:

I really don't know what else to say or show, should I create a video for you on how to click on Download buttons?

 

[YorVeX]

I don't know what "links" and "different pages" you are talking about, this is how you get to the main page with the instructions. How did you even find this discussion thread if not through this main page?

If you find it difficult to navigate the OBS website and feel more at home with GitHub you can also get it from there: https://github.com/YorVeX/xObsBrowserAutoRefresh

 

[Jimbobwey]

You're joking, right? Literally on top of the page you wrote this post:
View attachment 96900
View attachment 96901

I really don't know what else to say or show, should I create a video for you on how to click on Download buttons?

 

[Jimbobwey]

You're joking, right? Literally on top of the page you wrote this post:
View attachment 96900
View attachment 96901

I really don't know what else to say or show, should I create a video for you on how to click on Download buttons?

Thanks for this. I should have read thru this before attempting to install. The GitHub link threw me as I could not get it installed that way. But by reading this post I finally noticed the Download button at the top. DOAH

1 Question tho. I see I can add the filter to the scene. Will that work or does the filter need to added to each web source independently?

 

[YorVeX]

Thanks for this. I should have read thru this before attempting to install. The GitHub link threw me as I could not get it installed that way. But by reading this post I finally noticed the Download button at the top. DOAH

Yeah, I keep seeing people struggle with navigating GitHub when not familiar with it, I am just surprised people don't see the download button on the top right here at least.

If you run into GitHub links, you will find a Releases section on the right side:

If you click on the latest version there ("Version 1.1 in the example above) it will take you to the release page that has an "Assets" section where you can find the download files, including the installer:

1 Question tho. I see I can add the filter to the scene. Will that work or does the filter need to added to each web source independently?

Unfortunately this won't work. You can add the filter, yes, but it won't trigger any refreshing.

What the filter does is check which source it is added to and then find the refresh button of the properties page of that source, and then click it (on a technical level, but it's the same as if you as a user would open the browser source properties and keep on clicking it). Since a scene doesn't have a refresh button the filter won't find it and simply not do anything.

So the filter needs to be added to each browser source directly. How many do you have? :-D

It might or might not be possible to program an extra logic so that the filter checks whether it has been added to a scene, and then loop through all browser sources it finds in there and do refreshes for all of them, but that would be quite a lot of work and I am wondering how many people really have so many sources that this would be worth the effort tbh.