How does Chrome load unpacked extensions automatically, even after restarting it?

[Dattatreya Mohapatra]

It must be saving the location of the source of that unpacked extension, so that it can load it automatically at start-up. I want to know where in the userdata directory does Chrome store this information?

By "unpacked extensions", I mean those which you can load from their source directory in developer mode.

Consider this situation:

Suppose I am developing an extension. I loaded that unpacked extension, and then closed chrome. When I start chrome again, I see that the unpacked extension is already loaded automatically. I close chrome again. I change the rename the directory of the source of the extension to something else. Now, I start chrome again. I see that I can't launch that extension anymore.

This means that Chrome doesn't save the source files that extension in its own storage area. Because if it were so, renaming the directory containing the source files of extension wouldn't have had any effect. This is actually true as I looked for this extension in C:\Users\Dattatreya Mohapatra\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions and couldn't find it.

I think that chrome just saves the location of source files of that extension somewhere in its storage area. If I am right about this, I want to know where exactly does it save that information. And if I am wrong, I want to know how does then chrome load that extension automatically.

I had asked this question in Chrome Help Forum earlier. This is the reply I got.

Thanks.

[PhistucK]

It just stores the manifest, if I recall correctly.

It is in the Preferences file (it is a whitespace-removed JSON file) of the user profile directory.

☆PhistucK

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[Dattatreya Mohapatra]

Hey,

I can't find anything related to the extension in the Preferences file. The closest thing it contains is the ids of the downloaded extensions. I can't find their manifest either. Can you guide me a bit further?

Thanks,

Dattatreya Mohapatra

On Thu, Oct 13, 2016 at 9:42 PM, PhistucK <phis...@gmail.com> wrote:

It just stores the manifest, if I recall correctly.

It is in the Preferences file (it is a whitespace-removed JSON file) of the user profile directory.

☆PhistucK

On Thu, Oct 13, 2016 at 4:23 PM, Dattatreya Mohapatra <dattatr...@iiitd.ac.in> wrote:

It must be saving the location of the source of that unpacked extension, so that it can load it automatically at start-up. I want to know where in the userdata directory does Chrome store this information?

By "unpacked extensions", I mean those which you can load from their source directory in developer mode.

Consider this situation:

Suppose I am developing an extension. I loaded that unpacked extension, and then closed chrome. When I start chrome again, I see that the unpacked extension is already loaded automatically. I close chrome again. I change the rename the directory of the source of the extension to something else. Now, I start chrome again. I see that I can't launch that extension anymore.

This means that Chrome doesn't save the source files that extension in its own storage area. Because if it were so, renaming the directory containing the source files of extension wouldn't have had any effect. This is actually true as I looked for this extension in C:\Users\Dattatreya Mohapatra\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions and couldn't find it.

I think that chrome just saves the location of source files of that extension somewhere in its storage area. If I am right about this, I want to know where exactly does it save that information. And if I am wrong, I want to know how does then chrome load that extension automatically.

I had asked this question in Chrome Help Forum earlier. This is the reply I got.

Thanks.

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[PhistucK]

Sorry, check the Secure Preferences file instead.

☆PhistucK

[Dattatreya Mohapatra]

Thanks. I found what I needed in that file.

[Naqushab Neyazee]

Hi PhistucK,

Can you tell the difference between the two? When each Preference file is modified?

Thanks!

On Thursday, October 13, 2016 at 10:18:25 PM UTC+5:30, PhistucK wrote:

Sorry, check the Secure Preferences file instead.

☆PhistucK

On Thu, Oct 13, 2016 at 7:32 PM, Dattatreya Mohapatra <dattatr...@iiitd.ac.in> wrote:

Hey,

I can't find anything related to the extension in the Preferences file. The closest thing it contains is the ids of the downloaded extensions. I can't find their manifest either. Can you guide me a bit further?

Thanks,

Dattatreya Mohapatra

On Thu, Oct 13, 2016 at 9:42 PM, PhistucK <phis...@gmail.com> wrote:

It just stores the manifest, if I recall correctly.

It is in the Preferences file (it is a whitespace-removed JSON file) of the user profile directory.

☆PhistucK

On Thu, Oct 13, 2016 at 4:23 PM, Dattatreya Mohapatra <dattatr...@iiitd.ac.in> wrote:

It must be saving the location of the source of that unpacked extension, so that it can load it automatically at start-up. I want to know where in the userdata directory does Chrome store this information?

By "unpacked extensions", I mean those which you can load from their source directory in developer mode.

Consider this situation:

Suppose I am developing an extension. I loaded that unpacked extension, and then closed chrome. When I start chrome again, I see that the unpacked extension is already loaded automatically. I close chrome again. I change the rename the directory of the source of the extension to something else. Now, I start chrome again. I see that I can't launch that extension anymore.

This means that Chrome doesn't save the source files that extension in its own storage area. Because if it were so, renaming the directory containing the source files of extension wouldn't have had any effect. This is actually true as I looked for this extension in C:\Users\Dattatreya Mohapatra\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions and couldn't find it.

I think that chrome just saves the location of source files of that extension somewhere in its storage area. If I am right about this, I want to know where exactly does it save that information. And if I am wrong, I want to know how does then chrome load that extension automatically.

I had asked this question in Chrome Help Forum earlier. This is the reply I got.

Thanks.

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[PhistucK]

I am not sure exactly. I guess it is either of those -

- Preferences is just the remains of the old preferences file.

- Preferences has less user-affecting preferences, while Secure Preferences keeps extensions, startup pages and other things that are more likely to be abused by malware.

☆PhistucK

☆PhistucK

☆PhistucK

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[Naqushab Neyazee]

Do you any documentation regarding this? I might be helpful for me.

Best Regards!

[PhistucK]

If I did, I would probably know more. :)

cs.chromium.org can help you search the code quickly and you may find out.

☆PhistucK

On Tue, Jan 31, 2017 at 8:58 PM, Naqushab Neyazee <nnaq...@gmail.com> wrote:

Do you any documentation regarding this? I might be helpful for me.

Best Regards!

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[Naqushab Neyazee]

Thanks. :) 

On 1 Feb 2017 3:28 am, "PhistucK" <phis...@gmail.com> wrote:

If I did, I would probably know more. :)

cs.chromium.org can help you search the code quickly and you may find out.

☆PhistucK

On Tue, Jan 31, 2017 at 8:58 PM, Naqushab Neyazee <nnaq...@gmail.com> wrote:

Do you any documentation regarding this? I might be helpful for me.

Best Regards!

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