Proposal: extensions can register and trigger on the keywords in the address bar
Zoran Rilak
this is a proposal to allow extensions to register interest in
handling a subset of user's input in the address bar. Many users find
it more convenient to hit Ctrl-L (or Apple-L, or whatever) and type
URL or a search query that will result in desired content being
displayed than to reach for the mouse. Similarly, it would make sense
to allow extensions to extend the usability of the already very savvy
address bar.
I'll list a few use-cases first and offer a more formal description of
what I have in mind below.
Use Case 1
----------
Alice is reading an interesting article on Slashdot and wants to
discuss it with her friend Bob via Google Talk. She hits Ctrl-L and
types:
gtalk bob
Alice's Gmail page loads, possibly in a new tab. A conversation
window with Bob, who's in her contacts, opens. Text input area gets
focus and Alice can type a message to Bob without ever reaching for
her mouse.
Use Case 2
---------
Meanwhile, Bob is reading an article in Czech in which he isn't
proficient, so he visits Google Translate rather often. For that
reason he has installed a small "translate" plugin, which he uses by
typing Ctrl-L to visit the address bar, then entering:
xlate cz-en šetrnost
(or optionally only "xlate šetrnost" in which case source language
will be autodetected)
A new tab opens and "http://translate.google.com/#cs|en|%C5%A1etrnost
%0A" loads, so Bob knows that "šetrnost" means "thrift". He closes
the tab with Ctrl-W and continues reading the article.
Use Case 3
---------
Carrie wants to post on Buzz a link to a page she's reading. She
types in the address bar
buzz
A list of suggestions opens and she sees that the default action would
be to visit "BuzzwinkleTheMischievousCat.com", Alice's cat's webpage.
She presses Down Arrow (or Ctrl-N, etc.) and chooses the line with an
extension icon and the text "buzz about this", hits Enter, and her
Buzz page opens with a link to her originating webpage already
insterted into the body of a new post. She adds a sentence or two and
posts the buzz.
There are some things to consider when addressing a potential
extension of functionality, namely:
Q: Do we really need it? I.e. does it offer anything that can't be
done without it?
A: No. It's only a time-saver. Allowing the extensions to act on an
input in the address bar is primarily for people who use the address
bar extensively. Preferably we'd know how many people use it and in
what manner before making this decision.
Q: Does it compromise the security or provide a new vector of attack?
A: Not in any manner that's not already present, I'd say. Installing
an extension is always a risk. Untrusted extensions should be kept
away from all parts of the browser, not just the address bar.
Q: Would it mask or make obsolete some feature that is already
present? How does it integrate?
A: As seen in Use Case 3, an input to an extension is treated the same
as any other input in the address bar. Conceptually, this is correct,
since in all three use cases there was an actual address the users
wanted to visit. In Use Case 1 & 3 the "address" can't even be
encoded in a proper URL, since (to the best of my knowledge) you can't
get Gmail to open a chat box with user X by passing X as a parameter
in the URL. Extensions can help by navigating the DOM accordingly.
Also, trigger keywords should probably be allowed alphanumerics only
(definitely no dots) so as not to mask genuine host names.
Q: Implementation complexity?
A: I have no clue. Hoping for an input from someone from the Chrom(e|
ium) teams.
Please, let me know what you think about this. I'm itching to
download Chromium source and start poking around but I'd prefer some
input from people who are in the know and otherwise. Would this be of
any use to you?
/Zoran
Caleb Eggensperger
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Caleb Eggensperger
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