Overwolf

Overwolf

  • Getting Started
  • Docs
  • API
  • Events Status
  • Blog
  • Q&A
  • Support

›Best Practices

Best Practices

  • Overview
  • App specific experience
  • First time user experience
  • App launch performance
  • Marketing Communications
  • User journey and error handling
  • Per-game settings
  • Hotkey best practices
  • Second monitor usage
  • Data persistence
  • Reduce OPK size
  • Use Tab as an app Hotkey
  • Type definition file
  • Download Link with referral ID
  • Video capture best practices
  • Enable Developer Tools
  • Exclusive Mode Overlay
  • Electron Migration

Using Windows API

  • Using Overwolf windows
  • Windows Communication
  • Windows Types
  • Resolution Size and Position
  • General Tips

Understanding OW logs

  • What are Overwolf logs
  • DxDiag log
  • Trace logs
  • OBS logs
  • OverwolfPerf log
  • Overlay game HTML

Using Plugins

  • Plugins overview
  • Plug-in Implementation
  • Write your own plugin
  • Sample plugin
  • Simple I/O plugin
  • TeamSpeak plugin
  • Downloader plugin
  • Process Manager plugin

Using Events

  • JavaScript events overview
  • Using game events in your app
  • Game events Simulator
  • Verifying event status

Developers Console

  • Submit a new version
  • Release notes
  • Submit for review
  • Update store listing
  • Manage your subscriptions
  • Users and permissions
  • Crash reports
  • Rating and reviews
  • App Channels
  • CLI

Integrations

  • Integrating app analytics
  • Login with Twitch
  • Login with Overwolf
  • Event SDK for Game Devs
  • Twitch Extensions

Request a Service

  • Marketing asset requirements
  • Looking for Group
  • Promoting your app
  • App recommendations

Community Help

  • Join the Community
  • Webinars
  • Developers Content
  • Code snippets

Legal

  • Legal overview
  • App terms
  • Developers terms
Edit

Second monitor usage

Second Screen value opportunities

Many gamers have a second screen which is usually unused while they play and focus on their main monitor. The second screen is a great opportunity to provide more value in more ways for your users - and building a second window experience is just as simple as creating a normal window which communicates with GEP and has a transparent background window.

  • Second screen windows should launch automatically.

  • Second screen windows should have easy ways to close them - at least a hotkey and an X button at the top.

  • The second screen launcher should default in the original sized screen but have the ability to scale/restore down.

  • If you don’t know the exact resolution of the second screen, use 1920X1080 which is the most common one.

When building the second screen window, follow these rules:

  1. Set the keep_window_location flag to true.

  2. Set the desktop_only flag to true.

  3. We recommend you set native_window flag to true.

  4. If your native window run as a second-screen with the game, make sure to set the disable_hardware_acceleration manifest flag. It improves the performance of the game by reducing usage of the GPU while you are playing.

  5. Identify which screen is the secondary one and display the secondary window on that screen.
    Use the getMonitorsList() function for that.
    If you know the resolution of each screen, you can do the calculation for exactly where you should display your window.

  6. Note that the GameInfo object contains a monitorHandle and a windowHandle. Take advantage of that if needed.
    Usage example: identify that the user moved the game window to the secondary screen.

  7. Use the transparent background window to share data and have your app windows communicate.

Last updated on 5/19/2022 by Bullazy
← Hotkey best practicesData persistence →
  • Second Screen value opportunities
  • Legal
    • Terms overview
    • Developer's terms
    • App terms
    • Overwolf terms
    • Overwolf Privacy policy
  • Support
    • Questions and Answers
    • Discord
    • Slack
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
  • Documentation
    • Changelog
    • API
    • App Creation Process
    • Best Practices
    • Game Events status
  • Information
    • Careers
    • Fund
    • Developers Blog
    • Overwolf Appstore
    • Advertise on Overwolf
Overwolf 2022