The Inspiration #
It all started when I stumbled upon a Chrome extension called “Help Me Bevo,” which played the University of Texas mascot animation when submitting assignments. As a Penn State student, I thought, why not bring this same energy to our own Canvas experience? Thus, “Help Me Nittany Lion” was born!
Learning the Ropes #
At first, I had no idea how Chrome extensions worked. I cloned the “Help Me Bevo” repository and started dissecting the code. It was written in JavaScript and used event listeners to detect when an assignment was submitted. After a few hours of trial and error (and a lot of Googling), I got the custom PSU animation I made to trigger on Canvas submissions!
Making It My Own #
With the basics working, I started tweaking and adding new features:
- Color: I modified the extension to the color scheme of PSU so it fit more!
- Quotes: Every time the Extension settings page is opened, at the bottom, a custom PSU quote is listed such as “WE ARE!”
- Animation: Since there is no offical PSU annimation, I used some images and quotes to make it feel more like home.
Publishing the Extension #
Once I had a working version, it was time to navigate the maze of publishing on the Chrome Web Store. Google’s verification process was more complicated than I expected, requiring a detailed privacy policy and permissions review. After a few revisions and approvals, “Help Me Nittany Lion” officially went live!
You can find it on the Chrome Web Store, and install it with just a click.
Open Source #
“Help Me Nittany Lion” is open-source, meaning anyone can contribute or modify it to add their own school mascot. Check out the code on GitHub and feel free to fork it!
Thanks to Aiden Johnson from UT for the source code and inspiration for this project!
Conclusion #
What started as a simple idea turned into a fun, hands-on learning experience in Chrome extension development. If you’re a Penn State student, give it a try and let the Nittany Lion bring some school spirit to your assignments!
Check it out on the Chrome Web Store and let me know what you think!
Happy submitting, and WE ARE! 🦁