I have made many CRX files for Google Chrome, and I was wondering if there was a way for someone to download the CRX file from my website and have it automatically installed (like it does for the Chrome Webstore)?
There's a special API from Google to install applications and extensions inline from your website. However, it is still hosted in the Chrome Web Store. The advantage is that user doesn't have to leave your website. It is called chrome.webstore API.
Nice read about API itself:
https://developer.chrome.com/extensions/webstore.html
More about inline installation:
https://developers.google.com/chrome/web-store/docs/inline_installation.
Related
Background:
I manage an offline network of workstations.
I have written a chrome extension that needs to be in the browser for our webapp to function
I have published it through the chrome store (but not made it public)
Question:
How do I install this extension without the internet
What I've tried:
Windows GPO: Requires the update URL to be http://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx
Windows Registry: same URL problem
Unpacked extensions: prompts users, requires developer tools, and disables the extension when chrome is restarted.
install crx: disables the extension when chrome is restarted.
Any other ideas, or ways around this?
Chrome version 48.
I was able to do this on a regular chrome installation by doing the following:
Download the extension in crx format - how to download a crx file from the chrome web store for a given id
Unzip the crx file
I had to rename the _metadata folder to metadata
Open the chrome extensions page
Enable Developer mode
Click "Load unpacked extension..."
Select the unzipped folder
This worked for me when I needed to install Advanced REST client.
I have just:
Downloaded the add-on CRX file using http://crxextractor.com/
Opened the "extensions" page on Chrome.
Drag-and-dropped the CRX file onto the "extensions" page.
I got it to work actually, sadly forgot about this post until now.
I had the Business version installed as #gerardnimo suggested.
What I wound up doing is
1) setup and IIS server to serve both the CRX and the update xml. based on this guide. https://developer.chrome.com/extensions/autoupdate
2) Then i was able to install the extension via group policy.
Here is a thread that I've found. He suggests that you can use Google Chrome for Business.
Since September 3, 2015, Installing Chrome extensions off-line no longer work (and here ) due to Google trying to prevent malicious extensions being downloaded and installed. To install an extension off-line today, require you to install a signed pre-packaged full Chrome install, using Googles Chrome for Business. This functionality is controlled by a policy list. Or according to this post, you can use their Dev or Canary channels to run any extension. Their latest builds can be found here
We built a chrome extension to be used only inside our company by selective people. We do not want to publish this on chrome web store. We could do this before by just drag & drop the crx file in the extensions page.
But in the latest version of chrome(i use 35.x), we are not able to do this anymore. Whenever we try to install the crx file, chrome automatically disables it and shows a message
"This extension is not listed in the Chrome Web Store and may have been added without your knowledge"
with a link to https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/2811969 where it says
"You're seeing this notification because one or more of your Chrome extensions has been turned off to make Chrome safer. The extensions didn't come from the Chrome Web Store or were installed without your permission."
So, Does this mean we can never install crx file from now on? No workaround?
I know we can install using Group Policy method, but is that the only way we can do this?
Thanks in advance.
Yes, this has been disabled as a protection against malware.
The only workarounds I'm aware of are:
turn on Developer Mode and have users install as an unpacked extension after unzipping the CRX
publish unlisted or to a Google Group: https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/2663860?hl=en
I have a packaged app, but I want to distribute it through my own website - outside of the Google Chrome Web Store. So when user lands on my website, they receive the dialogue box to 'install' my app, and can install it, independently of the Chrome Web Store.
Is it at all possible?
Thanks in advance -
There is a way to do it without --enable-easy-off-store-extension-install -- it's just a little bit trickier for users. You will have to tell your users to do the following:
Download the .crx file from your website.
Navigate to chrome://extensions.
Drag the .crx file from the file explorer onto the extensions page.
This will install the packaged app into Chrome completely independently of the Web Store.
I've developed extension for Chrome and I want to upload it in to Crome app store, but the issue is in that I have not only .crx file, which is needed but also some other files and dlls which should be installed in to "program files" folder.
So how can I upload my extension in to app store with .crx and some addition files?
Though I can't think of any reason why a Chrome Extension would need to install any DLLs, it is possible according to the Chrome Extension Developer FAQ. You'll end up using the NPAPI Plugin to access your DLLs, though you will need to go through an additional security review before your application gets published.
I've made a few chrome apps and published them to the chrome store and when I install them then appear in my chrome://chrome/extensions/ page. When I package an app into a crx file and install in manually, my app works fine and shows up on the new tab page but not the chrome://chrome/extensions/ page. Am I missing something in my manifest file or will only store apps show up on the extensions page?
The correct way to have apps which are under development show up in the extensions page is to load them as an "load uppacked extension" from the extensions page. You just point it to the parent directory of your app, then as you make changes, you just save and refresh your app. When you are ready to publish, just zip it up and upload it to the store.
There's no need to manual package your app unless you are distributing the app outside the chrome web store.