# Chat and Featured Messages overlays

The dashboard provides two protected, transparent browser-source overlays. Build each URL from the authenticated dashboard page, then paste it into one browser source in the encoder or scene system. Treat the copied URL as private because it contains a high-entropy overlay token.

## Standard Chat Overlay

Open **Chat Overlay** from Premium Chat settings to create a scrolling chat browser source.

### Available controls

- Text size
- Number of messages shown
- Automatic fade timing, including Never
- Text, accent, background, border, and opacity colors
- Avatar visibility
- Border width and corner radius

The area outside message bubbles is transparent. The preview is a sample message; live output polls the protected router feed. A message is shown once, the requested maximum is enforced, and old rows fade after the selected delay.

## Featured Messages overlay

Open **Featured Messages** from the dashboard to create a single, queued celebration browser source.

### Queue behavior

1. Use `Feature` beside a host Chat message to add it to the queue.
2. The overlay shows one active message at a time.
3. After the selected hold time, its exit animation runs, then the overlay advances to the next queued message.
4. Selecting `Never` keeps an item on screen until the host advances it or another queued item replaces it.
5. The `On screen` host action immediately advances to the next item or removes the active one.

### Appearance controls

- Featured Chat title, text size, and hold time
- Independent entrance and exit animations from the full self-hosted Animate.css catalog
- Transition speed from Quick through five seconds
- Preview/test selector for ordinary chat and each supported celebration
- Per-celebration title, accent, duration, HTTPS graphic URL, and left/right graphic placement
- Shared text/background color, opacity, and avatar visibility
- Transparent background option
- Border color, width, corner radius, and no-border option

Graphics must be HTTPS URLs. Invalid URLs, non-HTTPS URLs, and URLs containing credentials are rejected by the output page.

## Browser-source guidance

- Use the copied URL exactly as generated; do not remove its token or settings query parameters.
- Add the page as a browser source on the same network as the router, unless the router is reached over a secure private network.
- Keep the browser-source background transparent.
- Use a single Featured Messages browser source. Multiple copies will each poll the same queue and are not intended as separate queues.
- Test with the builder preview before going live.

## Resetting a builder on one device

Builder selections are held in that browser's local storage. Clearing site data for the router dashboard resets builder controls to their defaults in that browser only. Existing copied browser-source URLs continue to use the settings already encoded in the URL.