TwineStreamerBot

[WrithemTwine]

Release - But More like a Beta-Stable Release

Auto-Refreshing Tokens are Here!

Several Fixes Included

.NET 8 Conversion!

First and foremost, very exciting to release a streamer bot version where the access token(s) will auto-refresh themselves! No more manual refreshing after 2 months.

The bot will ask to install .NET 8, if it's currently unavailable to use.

• This release is deemed a beta-stable, as it's still in testing and several features and fixes are still both being implemented and tested. Having other users perform some testing will also help identify and locate any crashes or general issues found in the bot. You can upgrade now, or, wait a few more version releases as issues are corrected, and more usage documentation added to the GUI along with certain buttons getting disabled or enabled per current conditions.
• The new version presents a second method for using Twitch access tokens. On the "Bots->Twitch" tab, there's a new 'Toggle Button' for "Manual Token" and "Auth Code Token". The "Manual Token" is the page and token entries for the prior process of specifying tokens for the bot to use. The "Auth Code Token" page is where the new auto-refreshing tokens method starts.
  • First, even if you have other client Ids registered for the 'manual token' method, the recommendation is to return to https://dev.twitch.tv/console and register another bot, separate them. This time, we need the "client Id" and "client secret" (need to select "New Client Secret") to obtain and refresh access tokens. Also recommended, have a bot account separate from your streamer account; meaning "client Id"/"client secret" codes for both accounts.
  • The Dev/Twitch/Console page also asks you for a redirect URL, and you need to register "http://localhost:3000" for each registration.
  • Copy these "client Id" and "client secret" codes to the 'Auth Code Token' page in the bot. These boxes are hidden with expander buttons to have privacy if you are showing the bot to someone else. Click the expander to open the boxes and paste the codes. _Be sure when authenticating, to log into the bot account when authenticating the bot account client id & client secret codes.
  • Here's the new part:
    • The new process uses a web browser to ask the user for permission to let the bot access Twitch on their behalf.
    • On the bot page, there's a checkbox to specify "use App web browser for authentication".
      • Checking this box, yes, and clicking the "Authorize Bot|Streamer Token" button, will spawn a new window within the bot (using Edge browser, isolated from your current Windows user) and ask you to log into Twitch. It doesn't connect to your existing Edge data, so no auto-fill information will be available until you complete it the first time.
      • Unchecking this box, no, and clicking the "Authorize Bot|Streamer Token" button will send the authorization request to your default browser. It will use any current Twitch login to then approve the request. You may have to log out to authenticate the access according to the matching account.
    • Important Whether you use the built-in web browser or your default browser, it is important to approve the "bot token" (client id & client secret) request for the 'bot account' and the "streamer token" (client id & client secret) to the 'streamer account' (if applicable, i.e. you are using separate accounts). You may have to select "Log into another account" to force the request form to let you pick the correct account.
    • For each authentication, either you're using "Bot & Streamer" token method or "Bot account is your Streamer account"; after approving the access, the webpage will look like it failed. It actually hasn't failed. Within StreamerBot there is a webserver listener ready to receive Twitch's response to "http://localhost:3000" (the redirect URL you also registered to get the client Id and client secret codes) with the authentication code.
    • This bot will receive the authentication code for the bot account and, as applicable, the streamer account.
    • The bot will take this information to request a 'refresh token' and 'access token' on behalf of each account.

** Here's the cool part **
- The bot then continually will use the 'refresh token' to obtain a new "access token" each time it expires per Twitch; roughly every 4 hours (whether you run the bot or not). No more manual refreshing every 2 months!!

Notes:

• The refresh and access tokens will completely fail if the user
  • Changes the account password, or
  • Disconnects this application connection within Twitch Channel Settings (Connected Applications).
• The refresh and access tokens will also fail if this application adds new features requiring new access scopes. 'Access Scopes' are sometimes specified alongside the Twitch API documentation when a bot is accessing information the user needs to authorize accessing that information. An example is the "chat:read" access scope is required for a bot to read the chat for a channel. These access scopes are required when applying for an access token; hence, an access scope change means the token no longer captures the required access scopes.
• The bot will (should-still testing) notify the user across the window bottom when the authentication has failed, and asks the user to re-authorize the application.
• If you enable "Log Exceptions" (Logs/Twitch Status page), there will be exceptions specified as "Bad Scope Exception" that comes from when trying to access Twitch and the access token fails. The bot captures detects this exception and refreshes the access token on behalf of the user.
• If you enable (Options/Streamer Bot) "Twitch Token Bot Token Update" option, the application will write a "DebugActionsLog.txt" file with messages detailing each step in the token process; such as 'checking Bot token', 'client Id and client secret are not empty or not null', and 'Twitch gave another access token'. It's informational if you want to look at it, but not pertinent for the bot to operate.
• When you shutdown the bot for over 4 hours after the last token refresh, the access tokens expire and the bot will attempt to refresh them but you may see lots of checks appear in the log files. Within the code is a 5 second buffer to prevent sending lots of requests to Twitch for new tokens in such a short timeframe.

Other Features and Fixes:

• Fixed an issue where the Follower bot started without a valid access token. Now does not start unless the tokens are valid.
• Added checks to the code for using either the manual or auth code token method and GUI buttons should be enabled/disabled if the access tokens are setup and ready for the bots to use.
• If a follower removes their follow, and then re-follows the channel while the record is still part of the "Data/User Data/Followers" table, the follow date should update to the now current follow date. The previous mechanism didn't update the follow date if that becomes different. Some possible issues with how this updates (if it works in real-time or if the user already re-followed and the bot may not later update the follow date), but working through those issues.
• New startup splash screen
• Incorporated the changes from v.1.2.9.1, v.1.2.9.2, and v.1.2.9.3 releases; fixes to features are captured across the versions (i.e. a feature 'fixed' in 1.2.9.1 but still broken and fixed in 1.2.9.3, the 1.2.9.3 fix carried forward).
• The new Toggle Button for the manual vs auth code token selection, added theme versions for dark and light theme.
• Organized some status bar labels into 2 lines to shorten their width, specifically "Token Exp:" (token expiration date, states 'Auth Code Refresh' under "Auth Code Token" mode) and "Current Category".
• Optimized some internal code, especially with converting to .NET 8. Still a work in progress.
• Maybe some other minor updates (not recorded in the code posting notes lol)

Notes:

• Currently under the auth code token method, when the option "show bot welcome message" is checked, every time the access token expires during a live stream, the bot welcome message will appear in the chat. This will soon be addressed to prevent over-messaging this notice.
• The multi-live feature will record crashes if the live stream lookup service (multi-live monitor) tries to check a Twitch channel and the streamer changed their channel name. Will be addressed in a future release. Currently, the "log Twitch exceptions" feature will show which channels no longer exist (or bot user reviews each channel), until a fix is coded. -- This is the feature to monitor streamer chosen Twitch channels for when they're live and promote them, such as on Discord.

As always, please provide any feedback, via GitHub issues or the discussion, if you find errors.

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This discussion was created from the release TwineStreamerBot.