Hello.

I've been working on Web Intents, a project to simplify client-to-client service discovery and communication on the web using technologies like IFrames and SharedWorkers. It addresses the current issue of apps needing to integrate with third-party services, which restricts user choices. However, I recently discovered a similar project, Web Introducer, also by a Googler. It tackles the same problems with more in-depth security considerations. So, I'll be shifting my focus to contribute to Web Introducer. Web Intents remains a valuable example of using SharedWorkers and messaging effectively within web apps. More on Web Introducer and SharedWorkers coming soon! Read More

Hey everyone, I've been playing with the dev channel of Chrome and discovered something huge: background pages for web apps! This means your web app can now run even when the browser is closed, or even after system start-up. It's crazy powerful. You enable this by adding the "background" permission to your app manifest and then using a simple window.open() call with a special third parameter. The background page's state can be toggled with window.close(). Communication between the background page and your app is done using SharedWorkers. Oh, and Appmator now supports this too! Read More

The Chrome Web Store is launching in the Netherlands with integrated support for Dutch sellers! Join the Dutch GTUG on March 2nd, 2011 at 7pm at Google Amsterdam for an event about HTML5 and the Chrome Web Store. I'll be showcasing new HTML5 features and discussing how to leverage the Chrome Web Store to reach more users. The event includes Q&A and lightning talks, so come prepared to demo your projects! Space is limited, so sign up now! Read More

My first year at Google has been an incredible journey. It's been a whirlwind of experiences, from joining the company after selling my Twitter web-app to working alongside industry experts like Chris Messina and Tim Bray. I started as a Developer Programs Engineer for iGoogle and Google Chrome in London, and later transitioned to a Developer Advocate role. My first month at the Mountain View campus was an intense learning experience. I've traveled extensively, presented at various events (including Google Developer Days in Munich, Moscow, and Prague), and contributed to the launch of the Chrome Web Store. I'm excited to see what the future holds, including speaking at Google IO and working with more developers outside of London. Read More

This Thursday, January 13th, 2010, I'll be working from TechHub in London with @mahemoff as part of my resolution to work more closely with developers outside of Google UK HQ. Stop by and say hello between 9:00 am and 3:30 pm if you're in the area! Read More

I'm excited to introduce "commently," a simple Buzz-based commenting system for blogs and websites. It synchronizes with your Buzz feed, allowing you to easily embed comments. Just replace the placeholders in the provided javascript snippet with your Buzz username and the URL-encoded title of your blog post, and customize the handler function to display the comments on your site. Check out this post for a quick "Getting Started" guide. Read More

2010 was a big year! Benjamin joined our family in June. I also joined Google as a Developer Programs Engineer, later transitioning to Developer Advocate, which has been an amazing experience. I've met tons of talented people, traveled a lot, and worked with developers worldwide. I've been busy with projects like creating a Chrome Web Store app, Chrome extensions showcasing the Management API, HTML5Rocks tutorials, and WebIntents. I even got a new LCD TV after years of waiting! In 2011, I'm aiming to code more, release more code, meet more developers, speak at more events, and most importantly, spend more time at home with my family. Read More

In this post, I address the question of how to detect Chrome Extension updates. While there isn't a single API call for this, we can achieve it using the Management API's onInstalled event, which fires upon both installation and updates. By maintaining a record of installed extensions and their versions, we can compare the version in the onInstalled callback with our existing record, identify updates, and notify the user when an update occurs. Read More

Many Chrome Web Store users complain that some listed "apps" are just links. While technically true in some cases, the point of the Web Store is to help users discover web apps, new and old. Listing your existing web app is encouraged! It exposes your app to a wider audience. Some users expect a different experience when installing from the store, but for many, it's their first encounter with your app. The key is to get users to your app's core functionality quickly. Prioritize a direct login or, even better, use OpenID for seamless account creation. Don't make users land on a generic product page; they've already chosen to use your app. Speedy access is key. Check out the Diary.com app for an example of a smooth OpenID sign-in process. Read More

This blog post introduces Omni Launch, a Chrome extension I built that lets you quickly launch installed web apps directly from the URL bar. Just type "go", followed by a TAB or SPACE, and then the app name. The extension searches your installed apps and provides suggestions as you type. I also explained the development process, which only took about 20 minutes, including setting up the manifest, hooking up event listeners for omnibox input changes and selections, and using the Management API to fetch and launch apps. The code is available on GitHub. Read More

In a previous post, I demonstrated how to create a custom App Launcher using the Management API and Override Pages framework. However, this approach didn't allow users to retain their custom NTP and utilize webstore apps concurrently. Thus, I developed "Quick Launch," a browser action extension that addresses this issue. The extension reuses much of the NTP tutorial's code but utilizes the 'browser_action' in the manifest, enabling a popup.html to display installed apps upon clicking the extension's icon. The popup.html dynamically generates a list of installed apps using the Management API and displays them with their icons. The source code is available on GitHub. Read More

This blog post demonstrates how to create a Chrome extension that replaces the new tab page with an app launcher. The extension uses the Chrome Management API to retrieve a list of installed apps, displays their icons and names, and enables launching apps by clicking on their icons. Read More

In appmator, I wanted to avoid traditional web elements like 'Save As' buttons. Instead, I implemented a drag-to-desktop feature using Chrome's drag-and-drop functionality. By setting a 'DownloadURL' with a data URI or regular URL on the 'dragstart' event, users can drag data directly to their desktop. This method bypasses the need for a save button. The code example demonstrates how to use the dataTransfer.setData() method with the DownloadURL type. It leverages the JSZip library to generate ZIP files as data URIs for dragging. This approach is Chrome-specific and has no feature detection available. Read More

The Chrome Web Store isn't just about HTML5 and JavaScript; Flash plays a crucial role too! Flash apps and games are readily available in the store, with examples like Vyew and Paltalk showcasing functionalities not yet fully achievable with HTML5, such as webcam access. Getting your Flash content into the store is easy, either by using Appmator or directly packaging your SWF file. The store handles distribution and updates, eliminating bandwidth costs for developers. Focus on creating immersive experiences that utilize the full screen, like Canabalt, for maximum user engagement. Read More

I'd love a Chrome Extension that converts times and dates to my local timezone. It gets confusing seeing times like 12pm PST when it's actually 8pm where I am. A simple conversion would be incredibly helpful! Read More

I've created Appmator, a tool to help developers get their web apps into the Chrome Web Store quickly. Just enter your app's URL, and Appmator generates a zip file ready for upload. Appmator is available in the Chrome Web Store and is built using some cool technologies like webfonts, Modernizr, jszip, and more. Source code is available on GitHub. Read More

I'm looking for a few web services that don't seem to exist yet. First, a way to save my Twitter favorites to Instapaper (or similar services). Second, a webhook that sends content to Instapaper, as I dislike relying on third-party app integrations. Finally, a service that sends full RSS feed content directly to my email inbox in near real-time using pubsubhubbub. Existing services only send partial archives. If I can't find these, I might build them as open-source projects. Read More

This post concludes the "Buzz This" Chrome Extension series by demonstrating how to add context menus. Context menus provide a powerful way to interact with users, letting them "Buzz" specific content like images or selected text, rather than the entire page. This is achieved by adding "contextMenus" to the permissions in the manifest file and then using chrome.contextMenus.create() in the background.html file. The create() method takes an object that defines the context menu's title, contexts (e.g., "page", "selection", "image", "link"), and an onclick event handler. The click handler determines the context of the click (selected text, image, link) and constructs the Buzz API URL accordingly. The code for the extension is available on GitHub. Read More

I'm super excited about the new classList API! It's like having jQuery's class manipulation, but built right into the browser. This means we can easily add, remove, toggle, and check for classes without messy string parsing. Currently supported in Firefox 3.6+ and Chrome 7+, the classList API uses the DOMTokenList interface and is way more convenient. I'll have a better demo up on the blog soon! Read More

Styling file input elements has always been tricky due to browser inconsistencies. WebKit-based browsers offer a clever way to style these elements. You can style the text and color of the file input using standard CSS. Additionally, the ::-webkit-file-upload-button pseudo-element allows customization of the OS-specific button's appearance, like changing it from rounded to square, going beyond basic styling. Read More