<!DOCTYPE html><!-- This page is a placeholder for generated extensions api doc. Note:
1) The <head> information in this page is significant, should be uniform
across api docs and should be edited only with knowledge of the
templating mechanism.
3) All <body>.innerHTML is genereated as an rendering step. If viewed in a
browser, it will be re-generated from the template, json schema and
authored overview content.
4) The <body>.innerHTML is also generated by an offline step so that this
page may easily be indexed by search engines.
--><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
<link href="css/ApiRefStyles.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
<link href="css/print.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="print">
<script type="text/javascript" src="../../../third_party/jstemplate/jstemplate_compiled.js">
</script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="js/api_page_generator.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="js/bootstrap.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="js/sidebar.js"></script>
<title>Google Chrome Extensions - Google Code</title></head>
<body> <div id="gc-container" class="labs">
<div id="devModeWarning">
You are viewing extension docs in chrome via the 'file:' scheme: are you expecting to see local changes when you refresh? You'll need run chrome with --allow-file-access-from-files.
</div>
<!-- SUBTEMPLATES: DO NOT MOVE FROM THIS LOCATION -->
<!-- In particular, sub-templates that recurse, must be used by allowing
jstemplate to make a copy of the template in this section which
are not operated on by way of the jsskip="true" -->
<div style="display:none">
<!-- VALUE -->
<div id="valueTemplate">
<dt>
<var>paramName</var>
<em>
<!-- TYPE -->
<div style="display:inline">
(
<span class="optional">optional</span>
<span class="enum">enumerated</span>
<span id="typeTemplate">
<span>
<a> Type</a>
</span>
<span>
<span>
array of <span><span></span></span>
</span>
<span>paramType</span>
<span></span>
</span>
</span>
)
</div>
</em>
</dt>
<dd class="todo">
Undocumented.
</dd>
<dd>
Description of this parameter from the json schema.
</dd>
<dd>
This parameter was added in version
<b><span></span></b>.
You must omit this parameter in earlier versions,
and you may omit it in any version. If you require this
parameter, the manifest key
<a href="manifest.html#minimum_chrome_version">minimum_chrome_version</a>
can ensure that your extension won't be run in an earlier browser version.
</dd>
<!-- OBJECT PROPERTIES -->
<dd>
<dl>
<div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
</dl>
</dd>
<!-- OBJECT METHODS -->
<dd>
<div></div>
</dd>
<!-- OBJECT EVENT FIELDS -->
<dd>
<div></div>
</dd>
<!-- FUNCTION PARAMETERS -->
<dd>
<div></div>
</dd>
</div> <!-- /VALUE -->
<div id="functionParametersTemplate">
<h5>Parameters</h5>
<dl>
<div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
</dl>
</div>
</div> <!-- /SUBTEMPLATES -->
<a id="top"></a>
<div id="skipto">
<a href="#gc-pagecontent">Skip to page content</a>
<a href="#gc-toc">Skip to main navigation</a>
</div>
<!-- API HEADER -->
<table id="header" width="100%" cellspacing="0" border="0">
<tbody><tr>
<td valign="middle"><a href="http://code.google.com/"><img src="images/code_labs_logo.gif" height="43" width="161" alt="Google Code Labs" style="border:0; margin:0;"></a></td>
<td valign="middle" width="100%" style="padding-left:0.6em;">
<form action="http://www.google.com/cse" id="cse" style="margin-top:0.5em">
<div id="gsc-search-box">
<input type="hidden" name="cx" value="002967670403910741006:61_cvzfqtno">
<input type="hidden" name="ie" value="UTF-8">
<input type="text" name="q" value="" size="55">
<input class="gsc-search-button" type="submit" name="sa" value="Search">
<br>
<span class="greytext">e.g. "page action" or "tabs"</span>
</div>
</form>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.google.com/jsapi"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">google.load("elements", "1", {packages: "transliteration"});</script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.google.com/coop/cse/t13n?form=cse&t13n_langs=en"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.google.com/coop/cse/brand?form=cse&lang=en"></script>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div id="codesiteContent" class="hideSideNav">
<a id="gc-topnav-anchor"></a>
<div id="gc-topnav">
<h1>Google Chrome Extensions (<a href="http://code.google.com/labs/">Labs</a>)</h1>
<ul id="home" class="gc-topnav-tabs">
<li id="home_link">
<a href="index.html" title="Google Chrome Extensions home page">Home</a>
</li>
<li id="docs_link">
<a href="docs.html" title="Official Google Chrome Extensions documentation">Docs</a>
</li>
<li id="faq_link">
<a href="faq.html" title="Answers to frequently asked questions about Google Chrome Extensions">FAQ</a>
</li>
<li id="samples_link">
<a href="samples.html" title="Sample extensions (with source code)">Samples</a>
</li>
<li id="group_link">
<a href="http://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/group/chromium-extensions" title="Google Chrome Extensions developer forum">Group</a>
</li>
</ul>
</div> <!-- end gc-topnav -->
<div class="g-section g-tpl-170">
<!-- SIDENAV -->
<div class="g-unit g-first" id="gc-toc" style="display: none; ">
<ul>
<li><a href="getstarted.html">Getting Started</a></li>
<li><a href="overview.html">Overview</a></li>
<li><a href="whats_new.html">What's New?</a></li>
<li><h2><a href="devguide.html">Developer's Guide</a></h2>
<ul>
<li>Browser UI
<ul>
<li><a href="browserAction.html">Browser Actions</a></li>
<li><a href="contextMenus.html">Context Menus</a></li>
<li><a href="notifications.html">Desktop Notifications</a></li>
<li><a href="omnibox.html">Omnibox</a></li>
<li><a href="options.html">Options Pages</a></li>
<li><a href="override.html">Override Pages</a></li>
<li><a href="pageAction.html">Page Actions</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Browser Interaction
<ul>
<li><a href="bookmarks.html">Bookmarks</a></li>
<li><a href="cookies.html">Cookies</a></li>
<li><a href="events.html">Events</a></li>
<li><a href="history.html">History</a></li>
<li><a href="management.html">Management</a></li>
<li><a href="tabs.html">Tabs</a></li>
<li><a href="windows.html">Windows</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Implementation
<ul>
<li><a href="a11y.html">Accessibility</a></li>
<li><a href="background_pages.html">Background Pages</a></li>
<li><a href="content_scripts.html">Content Scripts</a></li>
<li><a href="xhr.html">Cross-Origin XHR</a></li>
<li><a href="idle.html">Idle</a></li>
<li><a href="i18n.html">Internationalization</a></li>
<li><a href="messaging.html">Message Passing</a></li>
<li><a href="npapi.html">NPAPI Plugins</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Finishing
<ul>
<li><a href="hosting.html">Hosting</a></li>
<li><a href="external_extensions.html">Other Deployment Options</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><h2><a href="apps.html">Packaged Apps</a></h2></li>
<li><h2><a href="tutorials.html">Tutorials</a></h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="tut_debugging.html">Debugging</a></li>
<li><a href="tut_analytics.html">Google Analytics</a></li>
<li><a href="tut_oauth.html">OAuth</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><h2>Reference</h2>
<ul>
<li>Formats
<ul>
<li><a href="manifest.html">Manifest Files</a></li>
<li><a href="match_patterns.html">Match Patterns</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="permission_warnings.html">Permission Warnings</a></li>
<li><a href="api_index.html">chrome.* APIs</a></li>
<li><a href="api_other.html">Other APIs</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><h2><a href="samples.html">Samples</a></h2></li>
<div class="line"> </div>
<li><h2>More</h2>
<ul>
<li class="leftNavSelected">Chrome Web Store</li>
<li><a href="http://code.google.com/chrome/apps/docs/developers_guide.html">Hosted Apps</a></li>
<li><a href="themes.html">Themes</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<script>
initToggles();
</script>
<div class="g-unit" id="gc-pagecontent">
<div id="pageTitle">
<h1 class="page_title"></h1>
</div>
<!-- TABLE OF CONTENTS -->
<div id="toc" style="display: none; ">
<h2>Contents</h2>
<ol>
<li>
<a>h2Name</a>
<ol>
<li>
<a>h3Name</a>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li>
<a href="#apiReference">API reference</a>
<ol>
<li>
<a href="#properties">Properties</a>
<ol>
<li>
<a href="#property-anchor">propertyName</a>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li>
<a>Methods</a>
<ol>
<li>
<a href="#method-anchor">methodName</a>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li>
<a>Events</a>
<ol>
<li>
<a href="#event-anchor">eventName</a>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
<li>
<a href="#types">Types</a>
<ol>
<li>
<a href="#id-anchor">id</a>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
<!-- /TABLE OF CONTENTS -->
<!-- Standard content lead-in for experimental API pages -->
<p id="classSummary" style="display: none; ">
For information on how to use experimental APIs, see the <a href="experimental.html">chrome.experimental.* APIs</a> page.
</p>
<!-- STATIC CONTENT PLACEHOLDER -->
<div id="static"><div id="pageData-name" class="pageData"></div>
<div id="pageData-showSideNav" class="pageData">false</div>
<style>
cs {
border:none;
margin:0;
}
#pics td {
padding:0 1em 0 0;
}
#pics img {
border:none;
}
</style>
<table class="columns" style="margin:0">
<tbody><tr>
<td>
<h3>What are extensions?</h3>
<p>
Extensions are small software programs that
can modify and enhance the functionality of the Chrome browser.
You write them using web technologies such as
HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.
You can also use the extension system to build
<a href="apps.html">packaged apps</a>,
a downloadable kind of
<a href="http://code.google.com/chrome/apps/index.html">installable web app</a>.
</p>
<p>
<img src="images/index/gmail-small.png" width="91" height="35" align="right" style="margin-top:0px; margin-left:0.5em" alt="A screenshot of an extension's icon in the browser bar">
From a user's point of view,
extensions and packaged apps are very different
because they present very different user interfaces.
Extensions have little to no user interface.
For example, the image to the right shows the icon
that provides the UI for the
<a href="samples.html#gmail">Gmail extension</a>.
</p>
<p>
<img src="images/index/html5app.png" width="200" height="160" align="right" style="margin-top:0px; margin-left:0.5em" alt="A screenshot of a packaged app that implements a jigsaw puzzle">
Packaged apps, on the other hand,
look and feel like regular web apps,
with a big-screen design
and rich UI.
The image to the right shows a jigsaw puzzle game
implemented by a packaged app.
</p>
<p>
Both extensions and packaged apps bundle all their files
into a single file that the user downloads and installs.
This bundling means that, unlike ordinary web apps,
extensions and packaged apps don't need to depend
on content from the web.
</p>
<p>
You can distribute your extension or packaged app
by using the
<a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/developer/dashboard">Chrome Developer Dashboard</a>
to publish to the
<a href="http://chrome.google.com/webstore">Chrome Web Store</a>.
For more information, see the
<a href="http://code.google.com/chrome/webstore">store developer documentation</a>.
</p>
</td>
<td style="width:330px">
<h3>How do I start?</h3>
<p>
</p><ol>
<li>
Follow the <a href="getstarted.html">Getting Started tutorial</a>
<!-- PENDING: once we have one for packaged apps, change to
"for _extensions_ or _packaged_apps_" -->
</li>
<li>
Read the
<a href="overview.html">Overview</a>
</li>
<li>
Keep up-to-date by reading the
<a href="http://blog.chromium.org/">Chromium blog</a>
</li>
<li>
Subscribe to the
<a href="http://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/group/chromium-extensions">chromium-extensions group</a>
</li>
</ol>
<p></p>
<h3>Featured videos</h3>
<p>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=CA101D6A85FE9D4B">Technical videos</a> <br>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=38DF05697DE372B1">Developer snapshots</a> (below)
</p>
<p>
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="300" height="199" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wRDPTnY3yO8?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<!-- API PAGE -->
<div class="apiPage" style="display: none; ">
<a name="apiReference"></a>
<h2>API reference: chrome.apiname </h2>
<!-- PROPERTIES -->
<div class="apiGroup">
<a name="properties"></a>
<h3 id="properties">Properties</h3>
<div>
<a></a>
<h4>getLastError</h4>
<div class="summary">
<!-- Note: intentionally longer 80 columns -->
<span>chrome.extension</span><span>lastError</span>
</div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div> <!-- /apiGroup -->
<!-- METHODS -->
<div id="methodsTemplate" class="apiGroup">
<a></a>
<h3>Methods</h3>
<!-- iterates over all functions -->
<div class="apiItem">
<a></a> <!-- method-anchor -->
<h4>method name</h4>
<div class="summary"><span>void</span>
<!-- Note: intentionally longer 80 columns -->
<span>chrome.module.methodName</span>(<span><span>, </span><span></span>
<var><span></span></var></span>)</div>
<div class="description">
<p class="todo">Undocumented.</p>
<p>
A description from the json schema def of the function goes here.
</p>
<!-- PARAMETERS -->
<h4>Parameters</h4>
<dl>
<div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
</dl>
<!-- RETURNS -->
<h4>Returns</h4>
<dl>
<div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
</dl>
<!-- CALLBACK -->
<div>
<div>
<h4>Callback function</h4>
<p>
The callback <em>parameter</em> should specify a function
that looks like this:
</p>
<p>
If you specify the <em>callback</em> parameter, it should
specify a function that looks like this:
</p>
<!-- Note: intentionally longer 80 columns -->
<pre>function(<span>Type param1, Type param2</span>) <span class="subdued">{...}</span>;</pre>
<dl>
<div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
</dl>
</div>
</div>
<!-- MIN_VERSION -->
<p>
This function was added in version <b><span></span></b>.
If you require this function, the manifest key
<a href="manifest.html#minimum_chrome_version">minimum_chrome_version</a>
can ensure that your extension won't be run in an earlier browser version.
</p>
</div> <!-- /description -->
</div> <!-- /apiItem -->
</div> <!-- /apiGroup -->
<!-- EVENTS -->
<div id="eventsTemplate" class="apiGroup">
<a></a>
<h3>Events</h3>
<!-- iterates over all events -->
<div class="apiItem">
<a></a>
<h4>event name</h4>
<div class="summary">
<!-- Note: intentionally longer 80 columns -->
<span class="subdued">chrome.bookmarks</span><span>onEvent</span><span class="subdued">.addListener</span>(function(<span>Type param1, Type param2</span>) <span class="subdued">{...}</span>);
</div>
<div class="description">
<p class="todo">Undocumented.</p>
<p>
A description from the json schema def of the event goes here.
</p>
<!-- PARAMETERS -->
<div>
<h4>Parameters</h4>
<dl>
<div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
</dl>
</div>
</div> <!-- /decription -->
</div> <!-- /apiItem -->
</div> <!-- /apiGroup -->
<!-- TYPES -->
<div class="apiGroup">
<a name="types"></a>
<h3 id="types">Types</h3>
<!-- iterates over all types -->
<div class="apiItem">
<a></a>
<h4>type name</h4>
<div>
</div>
</div> <!-- /apiItem -->
</div> <!-- /apiGroup -->
</div> <!-- /apiPage -->
</div> <!-- /gc-pagecontent -->
</div> <!-- /g-section -->
</div> <!-- /codesiteContent -->
<div id="gc-footer" --="">
<div class="text">
<p>
Except as otherwise <a href="http://code.google.com/policies.html#restrictions">noted</a>,
the content of this page is licensed under the <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/">Creative Commons
Attribution 3.0 License</a>, and code samples are licensed under the
<a rel="license" href="http://code.google.com/google_bsd_license.html">BSD License</a>.
</p>
<p>
©2011 Google
</p>
<!-- begin analytics -->
<script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/ga.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
// chrome doc tracking
try {
var engdocs = _gat._getTracker("YT-10763712-2");
engdocs._trackPageview();
} catch(err) {}
// code.google.com site-wide tracking
try {
_uacct="UA-18071-1";
_uanchor=1;
_uff=0;
urchinTracker();
}
catch(e) {/* urchinTracker not available. */}
</script>
<!-- end analytics -->
</div>
</div> <!-- /gc-footer -->
</div> <!-- /gc-container -->
</body></html>