What options do you have when using run_at in your extension manifesto?
I'm ideally looking for a content script to be run when a page from a specified website is closing down. Just so I can save how far the user had scrolled down.
Any idea how I might manage this?
You can use the content script to listen to the window onbeforeunload event and add your logic in the callback. This fires when user navigates away from the page. I'm assuming this is what you mean by "closing down".
In addition to the peterdotjs answer, you can use the chrome.tab.onRemoved event
Related
I need to store some data every time I move to some other tab in the same window or some other window using chrome storage API or even when a new tab is created. So, basically when my active tab is no longer active anymore.
So, for example, If I am on tab A and then I move to tab B(or create a new tab). When this switching happens from A to B, I need to save data from the website running in tab A. (I am getting the data from the site in tab A using content script.)
A more concrete example would be, suppose I am on YOutube site and I have a timeout timer running(using a content script). So when I move to some other site I want to stop the time get the current remaining time and save that. and if the other site is youtube too(in tab B) I would start the time from the previously saved value.
Is there any event listener for this? I looked at the documentation for chrome.tabs but could not figure it out.
I saw onActivated event listener but I am not sure if that would be useful.
Or is there some other way to achieve this?
Yes, according to the documentation onActivated:
Fires when the active tab in a window changes.
As an alternative, also can use content scripts that notify your extension when a page gain or loses focus with window.onfocus and window.onblur.
This way you'll be able to track the visibility of the tabs, though you should carefully select the required permission.
I searched on Google and StackOverflow, and I was not able to find a solution to my problem (to my greatest surprise).
I'm looking to display the popup, exactly like when the user click on the icon of my extension, but via javascript.
The idea behind it is simple : On a specific page, I inject a button and add an event listener on it ("click"). When the user click on that button, I'd like to display the tooltip, simple as that :)
... but I can not find anything related to it. Any idea ?
Thank you in advance.
Opening the popup is impossible without user interaction. For good reason too, remember that no one likes popups that open themselves. What you can do is inject your popup onto the site the user is at, through a content script.
https://developer.chrome.com/extensions/content_scripts
As per your description,
On a specific page, I inject a button and add an event listener on it ("click"). When the user click on that button, I'd like to display the tooltip, simple as that :)
I think what you need is just chrome.pageAction, it's similar to browserAction, while represents actions that can be taken on the current page, but aren't applicable to all pages.
My Chrome extension has a background page that execute script on current tab.
The script change elements on current tab by adding code to existing elements to call function 'myFunction' defined at background page when 'onClick' events occur.
The problem is that exception is thrown that 'myFunction' is not defined on current tab.
what is the best way to enable this interaction? to enable current page to go to function defined on background page?
Thanks in advance!
The background page is executed in an independent context, and thus its functions can't be directly executed in the currently opened tab.
What you need is a content script executed on all the tabs, that then communicates with the background page, using the message passing mechanism.
Without more information, it's difficult to help you more.
As mentioned in the first answer, "Without more information, it's difficult to help you more.", but for your second question it sounds like what you need is a reference to the function defined in your background page. This can be achieved with the getBackgroundPage function. The code looks like this;
var bgPage = chrome.extension.getBackgroundPage();
bgPage.myFunction();
As chrome.browserAction.onClicked works only if there is no popup, is there any alternative method to fire a query when browser action icon is clicked?
Let me make myself clear..
I have more than one view i.e, html files in my extension. My default popup in index.html
Whenever I click on the icon I want to fetch some data from server. If I include this function in index.html or index.js, this function gets called every time I go to that page. Can anyone help me?
Thank you in advance.
What I would do is:
Have the behavior take place in the onload handler of the page. Since it sounds like the default popup page, index.html, can be loaded as time when the user is not creating the initial popup, I would create a page that is a dedicated initial popup load page that is not used anywhere else. This page could redirect to index.html or include it as an iframe.
Another option is to have index.html take a query string indicating how it is being used. Your initial popup could be index.html?init=1 and all other inclusions of the page simply use index.html. Then use window.location.search.substring(1) to test if a query string is present and take the appropriate action.
I'm also looking for an solution to this and I'm wondering if it is possible to start the browser action with no popup, detect the click, then set a popup with "setPopup()". If it works it doesn't seem like the nicest approach, I hope someone knows of a better solution.
I want a confirmation window on click of a browser back button. If I press yes then the previous page will get load ortherwise I will remain in the same page?
Any suggestion is highly appreciated.. But please be on track.. my question is straight forward
thx in advance..
Why do you want to do that?
You can prevent them from leaving the page by using Javascript, but if you can't use that, it's not possible to do anything about it.
Generally you should use the unload event in the body (in jQuery for instance, just add
jQuery(window).unload(function(evt){
if(!confirm('Do you really want to leave')){
evt.preventDefault();
}});
Prototype have something similar, and for pure Javascript, I guess that it still depends on the browser you're using, but window.unload = function(evt){return false;} might work.
Don't remember the correct syntax for it though.
but I do not know if you can limit that for only the back or if it will trigger for all the unloads (like clicking on a link, closing the browser etc.)
If you want to stop them because they might have unsaved data in a form, then that is ok. If you want to stop them from going back for another reason than that, I think you should rethink why.
Generally if using the back button can cause issues you already have bigger problems.
What you probably want to do is check that you do things like this:
Use POST for all requests that alter data
Use nonce's (unique ID's) to enure forms don't get submitted twice
I use noscript for this very reason. I insist on having control of my browser not the site that I am visiting. I only allow scripts for certain sites. For any site that disables my back button,I don't allow it to run scripts.