CWS Updates: requestUpdateCheck + reload Behavior

[Gokulan Gnanendran]

Hey team, 

I have an extension that communicates with backend services which may require the extension to be updated to a certain version. I am using the strategy described in the `chrome.runtime.requestUpdateCheck()` documentation here:

• When the extension detects that it is out-of-date, it shows the user an update prompt.
• When the user clicks the button on the prompt, the handler calls `requestUpdateCheck`. 
• If `requestUpdateCheck` reports that `update_available`, then the extension calls `chrome.runtime.reload()`.
• After the update is installed, the extension performs some setup work in response to the `onInstalled` event in the background script.

This normally works fine. However, while testing (via a beta extension), I noticed that the extension was not updated after calling `chrome.runtime.reload()` even though `requestUpdateCheck` reported that an update (with the expected `available_version`) was available. Note: I have been facilitating testing by rolling back builds while bumping the build number.

I have a few questions around this:

• Did this occur due to how I've been testing?
  • Are my updates potentially too frequent?
• Is there a way to simulate CWS extension updates?
  • I've tried https://github.com/GoogleChromeLabs/extension-update-testing-tool but this still requires updates to be applied via clicking update in chrome://extensions.
• Is there a way to ensure that an update will occur before calling chrome.runtime.reload()?
  
• Is there an existing way to detect that a `chrome.runtime.reload()` has occurred?
  • I'd use this instead of onInstalled.

Let me know if you have any questions or have any alternate suggestions!

Thanks,

Goki

[Patrick Kettner]

Hi Gokulan!

> I noticed that the extension was not updated after calling `chrome.runtime.reload()` even though `requestUpdateCheck` reported that an update (with the expected `available_version`) was available. 

Thats unexpected! Are you able to reproduce the issue at all? Or was this a one time occurrence?

> Did this occur due to how I've been testing?

Based on what you mentioned, it sounds like a bug. If you call requestUpdateCheck too frequently will result it in being throttled, but if it is returning an update being available runtime.reload should give you that new version.

> Are my updates potentially too frequent?

If its an updated submitted to the store that is approved and now live, it isn't too frequent.

> Is there a way to simulate CWS extension updates?

Just the tool you mentioned

> but this still requires updates to be applied via clicking update in chrome://extensions

As opposed to what? Calling chrome.runtime.reload() would trigger the same reload behavior. If you can show a reproducible case where this is not the case, please open a bug at crbug.com/new

 > Is there an existing way to detect that a `chrome.runtime.reload()` has occurred?

This is what onInstalled is for.

best

patrick

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[Oliver Dunk]

Hi Goki,

To add a bit to what Patrick said from my experience:

• Updating an extension installed with the extension-update-testing-tool should work, even if you use `chrome.runtime.reload()`
• It's been a while, but the last time I was looking at this code I think I identified an issue where we would sometimes report an update before we had finished downloading it. Is your extension particularly large, or do you have a slower internet connection? If so, it's possible that may be responsible for what you're seeing.

Thanks,

Oliver Dunk | DevRel, Chrome Extensions | https://developer.chrome.com/ | London, GB

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