Zed extensions in Chrome Web Store?

[Zef Hemel]

Hey all,

Today I discovered this Chrome API: http://developer.chrome.com/apps/messaging.html#external

This API enables inter-app/extension communication. In a sense it's a bit like using an external sandbox, much like Zed already has in a sandbox iframe (in which all the current extensions are run). However, the advantage is that we could reuse the Chrome web store as a distribution channel for Zed extensions and offer better debugging support (the extension can be debugged separately from Zed).

A user can simply:

1. Install Zed

2. Search the Chrome store for cool Zed extensions (Rust language support, say) and install it

3. Uninstall the Rust extension if it he or she doesn't want to use it anymore

The current hypothetical flow is:

1. Install Zed

2. Find an extension somewhere online (none exist at this point)

3. Clone the git repo

4. Drag & drop files into the configuration project

5. Patch /user.json to load the extensions JSON file

Removing would require removing the individual files.

Of course the latter flow can be improved, but why not use the Chrome's built in mechanism for discovering, installing and removing extensions?

I only see two potential problems:

1. Performance may not be great (although I highly doubt this will be a bottleneck)

2. Inter-extension communication happens based on application ids. That means that all extension would have to know Zed's id. If everybody installs Zed from the chrome web store, this is fine, but if you have a local clone your ID will be different and id won't match. That means that you'd also have to patch the extension code to make it work.

Note that both approaches have the advantage of taking your extensions with you wherever you go, since Google Chrome automatically syncs your installed extensions and apps wherever you login.

Thoughts?

-- Zef

[Rodrigo Axel Monroy]

I would love to see this rather than having an external or in app package manager. My only concern is how would this work with the native app?

- axel

[Zef Hemel]

It wouldn't, so I abandoned this idea. So we'll use an in-app package manager for now. 

— Zef

Sent from my iPhone

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[Michal Mühlpachr]

Hello,

is there any example/documentation how to implement Zed extension as Chrome App using API described below please ?

Thank you.

Regards,

Michal

Dne pondělí 13. ledna 2014 14:56:41 UTC+1 Zef Hemel napsal(a):

[Zef Hemel]

Hello Michal,

There once was a prototype of this using Chrome extensions, but I stepped away from it. This is no longer supported. 

— Zef

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[Michal Mühlpachr]

Hello Zef,

thank you for reply.

I need to add permissions into manifest.json.

Clonning whole Zed seams a bit overkill to change just one file (I like to use Zed Package anyway).

What approach would you suggest please ?

Regards,

Michal Mühlpachr

[Zef Hemel]

http://zedapp.org/2014/05/zed-package-manager/

— Zef