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.
Related
I need to deploy some in house software along with an extension, e.g. a native messaging app.
Based on this page: https://developer.chrome.com/extensions/external_extensions
It doesn't look like you can install from an external .crx anymore.
I've used the master_preferences file before:
https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/188453
But that only works with new installs & I need to deploy to my existing users who are already setup with Chrome.
So is my only options to publish to the Web Store & have my users click on an Inline Installation link?
I am trying to install App using App Manager in Firefox OS device. But my problem is I am unable to push any of the apps which are published on MarketPlace. It show that
The webapp manifest isn't a valid JSON file: SyntaxError: JSON.parse:
unexpected character at line 1 column 1 of the JSON data at:
https://marketplace.firefox.com/app/pacman-canvas can't be opened
So can anyone suggest some way to push the app to my device using App Manager only?
It's pretty easy. On the Marketplace page (in Firefox desktop) open the marketplace page for the app. Then open Devtools and select the Debugger. In the debugger, break in file iframe-installer.html, on this line:
installPackage(e);
Now click the 'Free' button, the debugger will break on this line. In the console you now type:
e.data.data.product.manifest_url
This will give you a URL. If the URL is located at someone else's webserver (like Pacman), e.g. http://pacman.platzh1rsch.ch/pacman-canvas.webapp, you can (in the App Manager) click 'Add hosted app' and paste the URL. However you will need internet on the phone the first time you use the app (because its hosted app).
If the URL is a Mozilla URL (https://marketplace.firefox.com/app/etc.), you can open the link in your browser. Open the file. You now have a JSON file in which you need to look for the package_path key. F.e. for Recorder it's
"package_path": "https://marketplace.firefox.com/downloads/file/258677/recorder-1.1.zip"
You can now download this ZIP file, unzip it in a folder, and add the folder as a Packaged app.
For apps in the marketplace, you best solution for getting them on the phone is to just use the marketplace app. That said if you own the app in the marketplace you should be able to look at the manifest url of the app using the edit listing marketplace button. If this is a hosted app you can you use this manifest url in the add hosted app entry box within the app manager to add it and then push it to phone. On another note you can debug the system apps by using the procedure described here:
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Firefox_OS/Using_the_App_Manager#Debugging_Certified_Apps
If I want to install the Chrome App Launcher and navigate to https://chrome.google.com/webstore/launcher , then click the only button over there, that page will install Chrome App Launcher shortcut to my Windows taskbar without any confirmation from the operating system whatsoever.
If I use a different browser, other than Chrome, I get redirected to the Chrome Webstore, with a message "You will need Google Chrome to install most apps, extensions and themes." showing. I guess, Chrome is able to place a shortcut from within a web page to my Desktop/Taskbar via its inner methods, as it's a general executable and may do "a lot" on its own.
How can I add my (any) shortcut from within a web page rendered in Chrome the same (or another) way the Chrome App Launcher has been installed?
Sorry, the webstore has special powers in chrome which regular web sites don't get. This is how it can also install extensions and apps, see whether you have particular extensions and apps installed, etc. You can see API by which it gets these special privileges here.
This API is made available by chrome just to the webstore.
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.
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.