runtime
This module provides information about your extension and the environment it's running in.
It also provides messaging APIs enabling you to:
- Communicate between different parts of your extension. For advice on choosing between the messaging options, see Choosing between one-off messages and connection-based messaging.
- Communicate with other extensions.
- Communicate with native applications.
Types
runtime.Port
-
Represents one end of a connection between two specific contexts, which can be used to exchange messages.
runtime.MessageSender
-
Contains information about the sender of a message or connection request.
runtime.PlatformOs
-
Identifies the browser's operating system.
runtime.PlatformArch
-
Identifies the browser's processor architecture.
runtime.PlatformInfo
-
Contains information about the platform the browser is running on.
runtime.RequestUpdateCheckStatus
-
Result of a call to
runtime.requestUpdateCheck()
. runtime.OnInstalledReason
-
The reason that the
runtime.onInstalled
event is being dispatched. runtime.OnRestartRequiredReason
-
The reason that the
runtime.onRestartRequired
event is being dispatched.
Properties
runtime.lastError
-
This value is set when an asynchronous function has an error condition that it needs to report to its caller.
runtime.id
-
The ID of the extension.
Functions
runtime.getBackgroundPage()
-
Retrieves the Window object for the background page running inside the current extension.
runtime.openOptionsPage()
-
Opens your extension's options page.
runtime.getFrameId()
-
Gets the frame ID of any window global or frame element.
runtime.getManifest()
-
Gets the complete manifest.json file, serialized as an object.
runtime.getURL()
-
Given a relative path from the manifest.json to a resource packaged with the extension, returns a fully-qualified URL.
runtime.setUninstallURL()
-
Sets a URL to be visited when the extension is uninstalled.
runtime.reload()
-
Reloads the extension.
runtime.requestUpdateCheck()
-
Checks for updates to this extension.
runtime.connect()
-
Establishes a connection from a content script to the main extension process, or from one extension to a different extension.
runtime.connectNative()
-
Connects the extension to a native application on the user's computer.
runtime.sendMessage()
-
Sends a single message to event listeners within your extension or a different extension. Similar to
runtime.connect
but only sends a single message, with an optional response. runtime.sendNativeMessage()
-
Sends a single message from an extension to a native application.
runtime.getPlatformInfo()
-
Returns information about the current platform.
runtime.getBrowserInfo()
-
Returns information about the browser in which this extension is installed.
runtime.getPackageDirectoryEntry()
-
Returns a DirectoryEntry for the package directory.
Events
runtime.onStartup
-
Fired when a profile that has this extension installed first starts up. This event is not fired when an incognito profile is started.
runtime.onInstalled
-
Fired when the extension is first installed, when the extension is updated to a new version, and when the browser is updated to a new version.
runtime.onSuspend
-
Sent to the event page just before the extension is unloaded. This gives the extension an opportunity to do some cleanup.
runtime.onSuspendCanceled
-
Sent after
runtime.onSuspend
to indicate that the extension won't be unloaded after all. runtime.onUpdateAvailable
-
Fired when an update is available, but isn't installed immediately because the extension is currently running.
runtime.onBrowserUpdateAvailable
Deprecated-
Fired when an update for the browser is available, but isn't installed immediately because a browser restart is required.
runtime.onConnect
-
Fired when a connection is made with either an extension process or a content script.
runtime.onConnectExternal
-
Fired when a connection is made with another extension.
runtime.onMessage
-
Fired when a message is sent from either an extension process or a content script.
runtime.onMessageExternal
-
Fired when a message is sent from another extension. Cannot be used in a content script.
runtime.onRestartRequired
-
Fired when the device needs to be restarted.
Browser compatibility
BCD tables only load in the browser
Example extensions
- beastify
- content-script-register
- cookie-bg-picker
- devtools-panels
- export-helpers
- favourite-colour
- find-across-tabs
- imagify
- menu-demo
- mocha-client-tests
- native-messaging
- notify-link-clicks-i18n
- permissions
- runtime-examples
- store-collected-images
- user-script-register
- webpack-modules
Note: This API is based on Chromium's chrome.runtime
API. This documentation is derived from runtime.json
in the Chromium code.