How to create a valid .CRX app file

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Robert Schultz

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May 22, 2010, 8:27:22 AM5/22/10
to Chromium Apps
So despite what http://code.google.com/chrome/apps/docs/developers_guide.html
says about the .crx file just being a .ZIP file, it's actually not.

If you create it with standard zip tools and re-name it .crx, when you
open a link to the CRX file in Chrome, it will try and download it
instead of installing it.

You need to pack the app using the following command line:
<path-to-dev-channel-chrome>\chrome.exe --enable-apps --pack-
extension=<path\to\app\folder>

This will create a valid .crx file

Now if you open Google Chrome with --enable-apps and click on the
following link: http://worldofsolitaire.com/WorldOfSolitaire.crx
It will automatically ask you if you want to install the application.
Nice!

Funny enough you can still extract it with normal .zip tools, so it's
still a valid zip, it just must have some special magic in it that is
only put there when created with Chrome itself.

DJ Necrogami

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May 22, 2010, 8:29:04 AM5/22/10
to Robert Schultz, Chromium Apps
Under the extensions page there is a Pack Extension option as well
that will allow you to also update extensions with your key file.

brightai

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May 22, 2010, 10:17:39 AM5/22/10
to Chromium Apps
Thanks for this, really useful to be able to download from a URL. When
I go to the URL to the .crx on my server. It cannot be found.
Pretty sure it is a MIME type issue. What MIME type should a .crx be
set to on the server?

Thanks,

David


On May 22, 1:27 pm, Robert Schultz <sembia...@gmail.com> wrote:
> So despite whathttp://code.google.com/chrome/apps/docs/developers_guide.html

PhistucK

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May 22, 2010, 10:40:28 AM5/22/10
to brightai, Chromium Apps
A CRX file is a regular ZIP file with some additional metadata at the beginning of the file.
Its mime type should be application/x-chrome-extension.

☆PhistucK

brightai

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May 22, 2010, 10:44:38 AM5/22/10
to Chromium Apps
Great, all works now.

Thanks for the quick response.

David
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TheEeveeLovers

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May 13, 2017, 6:35:46 PM5/13/17
to Chromium-Apps-Announce


On Saturday, 22 May 2010 08:27:22 UTC-4, Robert Schultz wrote:
So despite what http://code.google.com/chrome/apps/docs/developers_guide.html
says about the .crx file just being a .ZIP file, it's actually not.

If you create it with standard zip tools and re-name it .crx, when you
open a link to the CRX file in Chrome, it will try and download it
instead of installing it.

You need to pack the app using the following command line:
<path-to-dev-channel-chrome>\chrome.exe --enable-apps --pack-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 "I don't have a command prompt on my Chromebook."

Willman604 Games

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Aug 20, 2018, 10:18:57 AM8/20/18
to Chromium-Apps-Announce
same problem i don't know to to convert it with a command prompt
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