I'm building a Chrome extension that makes the badge show a number returned from an API. I have the code working fine, but I have it listening for DOMContentLoaded, so it only updates when the user opens up the extension.
I would like the extension to check the API every time the browser loads a page. I do not need to change anything in the page, I just want to use it for timing.
I'm not sure what I should be using, should I be using background pages, event pages, or something else? What would be the best way to go about this?
Thanks in advance!
The api you want for “every time the browser loads a page” is chrome.tabs.onUpdated. You’d have:
chrome.tabs.onUpdated.addListener(function(tabId,changeInfo,tab) {
chrome.browserAction.setBadgeText({"text":"ABCD","tabId":tabId});
});
An easy approach for development is to use a background page, get it working, and then figure out what changes you need to convert it to an event page. With this stub however, nothing is stopping you from making it an event page.
Related
Is there anyway that I can make Chrome Extension's window stick in window even while clicking outside of its resolution?
I'm trying to make it Sticky on the window for one simple google login so that I don't need to go back again to click extension to open it.
By using tabs API you could retrieve windowId of the window you want to focus on. You could do it only if needed e.g. by using query method from that API. You could pass url for example.
If you created a window that you want to be still focused then you have its id already in the hand.
After that, you could use window API update method in order to draw attention or focus. Take a look at updateInfo params - focus and drawAttention.
The same could be done by using tabs API. You could pass tabId and the URL you want to redirect someone.
Now in order to make it work you have a couple of options:
You can use setInterval which would be used to check if the tabId and windowId you want are active and focus the window/tab you want in another case.
Because in the MV3 extensions using setInterval is not recommended you could use alarms. Please take a look at AlarmCreateInfo, when param should help you instead of triggering the alarm periodically.
You could also use event listeners from both windows and tabs API to listen on tab / window focus change. Then you will be able block the change (from user perspective) by methods I described before.
You should play with all approaches and pick on that suits you, because all of them have some drawback. But don't want to make that comment very long.
I have a Chrome Page Action extension in production. Now, I would like to convert it to a Browser Action extension.
I have changed my manifest.json and everything seems to be working fine. Will this change be as smooth for my users when they update? Should I expect something else to happen for my users?
Probably, your users will not notice the update, I guess. Because, In the latest Chrome version, all page actions are put on the same place as all browser actions.
I have a great working chrome extension now.
It basically loops over a list of HTML of a web auction site, if a user has not paid for to have the image shown in the main list. A default image is shown.
My plugin use a jQuery Ajax request to load the auction page and find the main image to display as a thumbnail for any missing images. WORKS GREAT.
The plugin finds the correct image url and update the HTML Dom to the new image and sets a new width.
The issue is, that the auction site tracks all pages views and saves it to a "recently viewed" section of the site "users can see any auctions they have clicked on"
ISSUE
- My plugin uses ajax and the cookies are sent via the jQuery ajax request. I am pretty sure I cannot modify the cookies in this request so the auction site tracks the request and for any listing that has a missing image this listing is now shown in my "recently viewed" even though I have not actually navigated to it.
Can I remove cookies for ajax request (I dont think I can)
Can chrome remove the cookie (only for the ajax requests)
Could I get chrome to make the request (eg curl, with no cookie?)
Just for the curious.
Here is a page with missing images on this auction site
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/SearchResults.aspx?searchType=all&searchString=toaster&type=Search&generalSearch_keypresses=9&generalSearch_suggested=0
Thanks for any input, John.
You can use the webRequest API to intercept and modify requests (including blanking headers). It cannot be used to modify requests which are created within the context of a Chrome extension though. If you want to use this API for cookie-blanking purposes, you have to load the page in a non-extension context. Either by creating a new tab, or use an off-screen tab (using the experimental offscreenTabs API.
Another option is to use the chrome.cookie API, and bind a onChanged event. Then, you can intercept cookie modifications, and revert the changes using chrome.cookies.set.
The last option is to create a new window+tab in Incognito mode. This method is not reliable, and should not be used:
The user can disallow access to the Incognito mode
The user could have navigated to the page in incognito mode, causing cookie fields to be populated.
It's disruptive: A new window is created.
Presumably this AJAX interaction is being run from a content script? Could you run it from the background page instead and pass the data to the content script? I belive the background page operates in a different context and shouldn't send the normal cookies.
Is it possible to catch the request of a page before it is sent out? I would like to check and modify the data sent out. For example if I have a text box on a page and the form was submitted I would like to get to the data of the text box using the extension modify it and then send it on it's way.
If any one can point me in the right direction that would be grate
Chrome has chrome.experimental.webRequest API module which allows to catch web requests before they are sent, but from the docs it doesn't look like you can modify them, just observe.
I think you would be better off injecting a content script to pages and listening to onbeforesubmit event on forms.
I am writing a chrome plugin in which I would like to receive events such as "load", "unload" of window and page. However, I'm not getting any concrete clue to start with.
Can anyone tell me how to capture DOM event in plugin?
Does Chrome support this feature?
Thank you.
You would need Content Scripts and you just add normal browser events to the JavaScript you inject as you stated in your question. Every page will have that content script and it will listen on those events.