Since Apps Script runs in Chrome V8 engine, would it be possible to use any of V8 functionalities from Apps Script?
I was wondering if it will be possible to build tools like headless browser, webpage screenshot, etc using Apps Script. I haven't read on these though, but would if it would be possible.
Thanks
V8 is an ECMAScript engine, which is just one part of a browser. It doesn't know anything about the DOM, or CSS, or rendering, etc. So no, you can't use it to render screenshots of websites.
Related
I'm currently trying to port a Chrome extension into a Firefox add-on, but the development process is incredibly different, and the part in particular that I find confusing is why I should have to install an SDK.
How are these two so different? Do Firefox add-ons run faster because they're precompiled? Why aren't firefox add-ons just HTML and javascript like (some) Chrome ones?
What's going on behind the scenes here that involves using so much command line just to get a firefox addon started?
The SDK exists to help developers build their extentions, but if you don't want to use it there is also a way.
You can use web extensions which as the wiki says have their benefits:
Porting add-ons to and from other browsers should be easier.
Reviewing add-ons for addons.mozilla.org should be easier.
WebExtensions must be compatible with multiprocess Firefox (Electrolysis).
Changes to Firefox's internal code should be less likely to break add-ons.
WebExtensions should be easier to use than the existing Firefox XPCOM/XUL APIs.
I don't have personal experience with web extension but it seems to be promising for someone who does not want to use SDK and the benefits ofthe web extensions are that they support an enrich manifest document and you only need to zip your extension and run it.
There are some examples on github to get started.
I'm writing a small chrome extension for personal use and I would like to run an executable via the context menu and pass certain information as arguments to said executable.
What the simplest and/or cleanest way to achieve this? To me it seems that it is impossible due to chrome's sandboxing.
This can be accomplished via NPAPI Plugins.
Code running in an NPAPI plugin has the full permissions of the
current user and is not sandboxed or shielded from malicious input by
Google Chrome in any way. You should be especially cautious when
processing input from untrusted sources, such as when working with
content scripts or XMLHttpRequest.
However, I should also include their warning.
Warning
NPAPI is being phased out. Consider using alternatives.
NPAPI is a really big hammer that should only be used when no other
approach will work.
via Start an external application from a Google Chrome Extension?
Alternatives to NPAPI
There are several alternatives to NPAPI. In cases where standard web
technologies are not yet sufficient, developers and administrators can
use NaCl, Apps, Native Messaging API, and Legacy Browser Support to
transition from NPAPI. Moving forward, our goal is to evolve the
standards-based web platform to cover the use cases once served by
NPAPI.
via http://blog.chromium.org/2013/09/saying-goodbye-to-our-old-friend-npapi.html
Another way, suggested here, is with Java.
Java applets: http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/deployment/applet/
Implementing Policy: http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/security/userperm/policy.html
Use sendNativeMessage:
There is chrome.runtime.sendNativeMessage which can be used to send a
message to a native application and chrome.runtime.connectNative which
allows for a more persistent connection.
So, you can't directly execute a command, but you can have a native
app do it for you.
You can find more info on Native Messaging in the docs.
via https://stackoverflow.com/a/19917672/1085891
I'm writing a Chrome extension and some parts of it need to be super high performance. I'm trying to find documentation to see if it's possible to use C extensions within the Chrome extension. Is this currently possible?
Take a look at Native Client. You can write browser/web apps with NaCl via C or C++ (and Mono since 2.10). You can find a small tutorial here.
Is there a separate plugin in eclipse i would be needing to develop apps for the Chrome WebStore? Precise what resources and tools do i need to develop apps specifically for the WebStore?
There is no plugin in eclipse for Chrome extension/app development (you dont even need one actually). All you need is a Text-editor and Chrome.This might help you get started.
How does Google Chrome command and control multiple cross platform processes and provide a shared window / rendering area?
Any insights?
There is a document called Multi-process Architecture on the Chromium developer site. It might be a good starting place.
The source code is online here ...