gHacks technology news » google chrome extensions http://www.ghacks.net A technology blog covering software, mobile phones, gadgets, security, the Internet and other relevant areas. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:24:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 Google Chrome To Get Automatic Userscript Support http://www.ghacks.net/2009/11/04/google-chrome-to-get-automatic-userscript-support/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/11/04/google-chrome-to-get-automatic-userscript-support/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:23:24 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=18120 Until now userscript support in the Google Chrome web browser was severely limited by the fact that the user had to copy the userscripts into a folder of the Chrome profile. Recent versions of the Chromium browser outline what users of the Google Chrome dev releases are soon going to experience as well. Google apparently has added better support for userscripts into the web browser which now can be installed by right within the browser. This could remind many Google Chrome users of the extension support in the web browser which was also initially mediocre but turned out to be in recent released to be one of the best for all web browsers.

Chromium users who want to install a userscript simply visit the website where the userscript is offered, e.g. userscripts.org, and click on the install link offered there.

google chrome userscripts

The process after clicking on the link is similar to the process of installing extensions in the Google browser. It begins with a warning at the bottom of the screen that explains that extensions can be dangerous. It gives the user the choice to continue or discard. The installation dialog will appear if the user selects the continue option. Here it is again possible to install the extension or to cancel the process.

Installed userscripts will appear in the extensions manager of the web browser from where they can be disabled, uninstalled or reloaded.

google chrome extensions

Support for this new userscript behavior is only provided in the latest Chromium builds with the promise that it will soon be added to the Google Chrome web browser as well. The only thing left do to for the Google Chrome developers is to release a public version of the web browser with this new feature set (extensions and userscripts) enabled.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2009/11/04/google-chrome-to-get-automatic-userscript-support/feed/ 2 Finally: Google Chrome Extensions Turned On By Default In Dev Releases http://www.ghacks.net/2009/09/10/finally-google-chrome-extensions-turned-on-by-default-in-dev-releases/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/09/10/finally-google-chrome-extensions-turned-on-by-default-in-dev-releases/#comments Thu, 10 Sep 2009 09:32:52 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=16182 google chrome browserNot many users understood why the Google Chrome development team decided to operate with lots of switches to manage some functionality of the web browser. Users who wanted to turn on the extension engine had to launch the web browser with a parameter, the same is true for userscript support, bookmark syncing and dozens of other switches that are available as launch parameters. The reason for this method of testing is not clear to most users who think that Google could also add options to enable or disable these features in the web browser’s settings which would make it more comfortable.

There are some launch parameters that are used more often than others. The parameter to enable extensions is definitely in the top list especially with the recent increase in extensions that get released for the Google browser.

Google finally made the decision to turn on extensions by default in all Google Chrome dev releases that are released in the future (Google Chrome 4.x). Users of the latest stable release of the web browser (Google Chrome 2.x) and those of the development builds of Google Chrome 3.x are still stuck with either no extension support at all or the need to enable it by launching Google Chrome with the command line parameter.

It is also not clear if the developers will enable extension support by default when they release Google Chrome 3 final.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2009/09/10/finally-google-chrome-extensions-turned-on-by-default-in-dev-releases/feed/ 2 Google Chrome 3 Adds Better Extension And Themes Support http://www.ghacks.net/2009/07/31/google-chrome-3-adds-better-extension-and-themes-support/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/07/31/google-chrome-3-adds-better-extension-and-themes-support/#comments Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:14:02 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=14924 google chrome browserThe latest developer release of the Google Chrome web browser introduces two important changes to the extension and theme support of the Google browser. You might remember that Google Chrome users had to enable support for the extension engine by launching the Google browser with the –enable-extensions command line parameter. This has been changed in the latest version of Google Chrome, which is currently 3.0.195.4. This basically means that the extension engine is enabled by default which makes it easier to install extensions in the web browser.

The second important addition is about theme support in the web browser. The developers have again turned the rather complex process of installing new Google Chrome themes into a much simpler process. Users who wanted to install themes in the web browser had to replace a file in the Google Chrome directory. The problem with this approach was that it would overwrite the default theme which could cause all kinds of troubles especially for users without backup.

Theme support has now been added officially to the Google browser which means that themes can be directly installed from within the web browser. A basic theme manager is available in the Google Chrome options allowing users to revert back to the default theme after installing a new theme. There is unfortunately no way of displaying the installed themes right now which is something that the developers surely plan to add in a later development stage.

google chrome themes

A get themes button is also available in the same menu. This button opens a website that is currently unavailable but is most likely the address of the official Google Chrome theme repository. Two test themes have been created by the Google Chrome developers which can be accessed at the Chromium website. Camo and Snowflake are currently not accessible as well but were earlier on.

Webupd8 have posted screenshots of the Camo theme and the prompt that appears when pointing the Chrome browser to a theme location.

google chrome camo themegoogle chrome prompt

The two changes to the extension engine and theme support are definitely important steps for the Google browser. It is now much easier to work with extensions and themes in the web browser. Future builds will surely continue to improve on that and provide access to a theme manager and working websites where the themes can be downloaded.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2009/07/31/google-chrome-3-adds-better-extension-and-themes-support/feed/ 8 Google Chrome Extensions Manager http://www.ghacks.net/2009/07/24/google-chrome-extensions-manager/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/07/24/google-chrome-extensions-manager/#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:59:44 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=14718 google chrome browserThere is currently no build in extensions manager in the Google Chrome web browser which makes it quite time consuming to manage and work with extensions. Users who want to enable extensions have to do so by launching the Google browser with a command line parameter. This will change once the extension engine has been finalized by the Google developers.

The Google Chrome Extensions Manager is a batch script that allows the Chrome user to work with extensions in the Internet browser more effectively. It can be used to quickly enable or disable extensions, create new extensions and to run Google Chrome with or without extension and user scripts support by default which means that no command line parameter needs to be added afterwards.

google chrome extensions manager

The batch script will automatically recognize all installed extensions giving the user the option to disable or enable them whenever it is needed. The script can be placed anywhere on the computer system, it does not have to reside in the same folder as the Google Chrome executable.

Users who download the Google browser extensions manager need to remove the .txt part of the filename to make it executable. Once that is done the script can be launched by double-clicking on it. The Chrome Extension Manager is available (via Techie Buzz) at the Chrome Plugins website.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2009/07/24/google-chrome-extensions-manager/feed/ 4 Google Chrome Adblocker http://www.ghacks.net/2009/06/02/google-chrome-adblocker-2/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/06/02/google-chrome-adblocker-2/#comments Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:52:27 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/2009/06/02/google-chrome-adblocker-2/ google chrome browserThe first extensions for the Google Chrome browser are finally being released and available for users who want to add functionality to the web browser that everyone is calling Google Browser. There is still no build in extension manager in the web browser which makes the installation of the extensions more complicated than other web browsers.

The first extension to block advertisement has been around for a while but the installation has changed with the official release of Google Chrome 2. Adsweep can be compared to the popular Firefox add-on Adblock Plus. Google Chrome 2.x users need to download the file AdSweep.user.js from the official AdSweep website. They then need to create a directory with the name User Scripts in their user profile. Windows XP and Windows Vista users find the Google Chrome profile folder in the following default locations:

Windows XP user profile directory:

C:\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default

Windows Vista user profile directory:

C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default

Google Chrome needs to be started with a parameter to enable userscripts. This can be best done by adding the parameter to the shortcut of the Google Browser. A right-click on the shortcut will open the shortcut properties of the browser. The parameter –enable-user-scripts needs to be added at the end of the Target field in the Shortcut tab.

google browser

The complete command to launch Google Chrome with extensions would then look like the following:

"c:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --enable-user-scripts

The website of the Adsweep developers contains additional information to add the parameter to the shell command when opening websites this way.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2009/06/02/google-chrome-adblocker-2/feed/ 10 Google Chrome And Firefox Extensions Differences http://www.ghacks.net/2009/05/30/google-chrome-and-firefox-extensions-differences/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/05/30/google-chrome-and-firefox-extensions-differences/#comments Sat, 30 May 2009 10:58:57 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/2009/05/30/google-chrome-and-firefox-extensions-differences/ google chrome browserWe all know that the Google Chrome development team is planning to add extensions to the web browser. Extensibility seems to be one of the key features that many users, especially Firefox users, except from a web browser. A developer’s build of the Google browser was released with basic extension support a while ago but it is not clear yet when the public will be able to download a version of the Google browser supporting extensions.

It might be interesting however to take a evaluate how the system differs in the two web browsers. The Google System blog published a short post and Google Docs presentation that details how Google Chrome will be handling browser extensions.

Extensions in Google Chrome use HTML, JavaScript and CSS. The web browser does not need to be restarted after installing an extension. Google Chrome extensions are updated automatically to make sure that the user is always running the latest version. They are also automatically compatible will future browser versions which means that developers do not need to update their extensions if the web browser version makes a jump (like in Firefox).

Each extension will run in a separate process which is interesting from both a security and performance standpoint. Future versions of the Firefox web browser will get rid of the forced restart after extension installation as well.

Google Chrome adds some interesting features which make life more comfortable and easier. The main difference now is that Firefox users can download and install thousands of Firefox add-ons while Google Chrome users will have to wait until they can start using user-generated extensions. The future however looks interesting.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2009/05/30/google-chrome-and-firefox-extensions-differences/feed/ 8 One Step Closer To Extension Support In Google Browser http://www.ghacks.net/2009/05/14/one-step-closer-to-extension-support-in-google-browser/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/05/14/one-step-closer-to-extension-support-in-google-browser/#comments Thu, 14 May 2009 17:08:45 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/2009/05/14/one-step-closer-to-extension-support-in-google-browser/ google chrome browserOne of the things that is keeping the Google browser from attracting a larger audience is missing extension support. While it is without doubt possible to work with a web browser that does not support extensions it is not quite as comfortable – and sometimes secure – as it could be. The majority of experienced Internet users love extensions and this influential group seems to use the Firefox web browser more than any other browser. Since they are familiar with Firefox they tend to recommend it to friends and colleagues all the time.

The Google Chrome developers have promised to add extension support to the Google browser for some time. Lee over at the Download Squad noticed that the current developer build of the Google Browser as well as the nightly builds of Chromium contained basic extension support. It seems to be in a very early stage as the support has to be activated with the launch parameter –enable-extensions.

google browser

The three example extensions that are currently available will not blow away the minds of the spoiled Firefox user base but give interested users a first glimpse of things to come. The first extension displays the unread message count in Gmail, the second a quick link to subscribe to a web feed in Google Reader and the third the status of the Chromium Build Bot.

Installation of extensions is more comfortable than in Firefox as no restart of the web browser is required to use them. Uninstallation on the other hand requires some Windows Explorer skills as the only way to uninstall is to delete a cryptic folder in the Google Chrome user data directory.

It is definitely a first step in the right direction and likely something that many users have been waiting for.

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