Re: [firebreath-dev] Need to create browser addon communcating with local exe

[Taran Rampersad]

Actually, someone asked that recently. Take a look here: https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/firebreath-dev/G2U2sSGddiM

On Wed, Feb 13, 2013 at 8:52 AM, mohan kumar Muddana <moha...@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi,
Thanks for the nice tool. I need to create a browser add-on for FF, IE and Chrome. I am not sure this is the right forum to ask such question, but prompted me in case anyone can suggest on my question.

Would like to know if any communication mechanism can be established using Firebreath as part of the addon with some local application (some exe).

Like starting the exe.
In case exe is already running sending some parameters to it.

Thanks a lot in advance.
Mohan Muddana

--
 
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "firebreath-dev" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to firebreath-de...@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
 
 

[heinob]

The "communication with an executable" depends on the executable. So the question is impossible to answer more specific. The rule of thumb here is: If you can communicate with the executable from a native desktop application, you can do with the plugin in the same way.

Am Mittwoch, 24. April 2013 14:16:44 UTC+2 schrieb Stevie B. Gibson:

The linked topic does not answer completely to the question. It describes how to launch the executable but not how to interact with it. There are many services that use this behavior, like google talk plugin, Folio or Dynamsoft TWAIN but it's difficult to find the way they interact with the executable.

[Neil Griffiths]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inter-process_communication

I can tell you what *I* do. Whether that's the best method for you is for you to decide. But what *I* do is to use a socket bound to localhost (the loopback IP address - 127.0.0.1). When I start the process I tell it which port it should connect to. Once the process connects to my port then I know the process is up and running and I can communicate with it.

Neil

[Stevie B. Gibson]

Thanks Neil. I was just searching for an hint about what was the best way, or the most used one, to interact with the executable (As I have to develop both the executable and the plugin).
Your method is the best I've found by now, also GTalk plugin works in this way, the only problem is how the manage the possibility that the local port is already in use.
I've also found other plugins, like this one https://idp.folio.fabasoft.com/ that use some other method but I can't find what is. I'll make some test, thanks again.

[Jerry Krinock]

For native interapplication communication with a Firefox extension, you can add a dynamic library using Mozilla's js-ctypes. You do not need to use NPAPI.

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/js-ctypes

For native interapplication communication with a Google Chrome extension, at this time you must use an NPAPI plugin, although it is possible that in the future a "Native Messaging API" may provide a simpler alternative.

https://plus.google.com/100132233764003563318/posts/eENxJmQZYtC