Chrome app, open link in a new tab

Question

I am building a chrome app, which will simply open a link, for example "http://www.cnn.com/" in a new tab in chrome.

I have the following code in my manifest.json

{
  "manifest_version": 2,
  "name": "CNN",
  "version": "2.1",
  "permissions": ["webview", "pointerLock", "geolocation", "videoCapture"],
  "app": {
    "background": {
      "scripts": ["main.js"]
    }
  }
}

And this is what i have in main.js:

chrome.app.runtime.onLaunched.addListener(function() {
  chrome.app.window.create('http://www.cnn.com/', {

  });
});

I have also tried,

chrome.app.runtime.onLaunched.addListener(function() {
  chrome.app.window.create({ "url": "http://cloudsupport.neonova.net/home" });
});

as well as:

chrome.app.runtime.onLaunched.addListener(function(tab) {
  chrome.app.tab.create({ "url": "http://cloudsupport.neonova.net/home" });
});

PLease help.

Thank you

@MuhammadUmer I want the page to open when I launch the app. I added the tab permission. When I double click on the app from Chrome:Apps , the page that is open "Chrome:Apps" closes and that's it. — user3464774, Mar 27 '14 at 12:05

score 6 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 27 '14 at 05:04

6

Anyway, I've tried window.open and it forked like a charm:

'use strict';

chrome.app.runtime.onLaunched.addListener(function() {
    window.open("https://google.com/");
});

So it might work for you as well.

answered Mar 27 '14 at 05:04

Ale

1,998
19
31

What does 'use strict'; do? – user3464774 Mar 27 '14 at 12:00
@user3464774 It turns on ECMAScript's Strict Mode: http://stackoverflow.com/a/1335881/1593459 – Ale Mar 27 '14 at 18:32
wont this open a new window instead of tab – Muhammad Umer Mar 27 '14 at 19:25
use strict guarantees that in future your code will stop working. :D – Muhammad Umer Mar 27 '14 at 19:27
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1335851/what-does-use-strict-do-in-javascript-and-what-is-the-reasoning-behind-it – Muhammad Umer Mar 27 '14 at 19:31
@MuhammadUmer It shouldn't. It is counter-intuitive, but that's how things work. It's a tradition going back to ~2004, when tabs in browsers were a new cool feature®. – Ale Mar 27 '14 at 20:01
@MuhammadUmer in fact there is an option in Firefox to make `window.open` open real new windows, but haven't seen one in Chrome. – Ale Mar 27 '14 at 20:03
this opens popup in chrome – Muhammad Umer Mar 27 '14 at 21:04

score 6 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 22 '15 at 13:02

6

As of chrome 42, chrome.browser may help:

chrome.app.runtime.onLaunched.addListener(function() {
    chrome.browser.openTab({
      url: 'https://google.com/'
    });
});

answered Apr 22 '15 at 13:02

Ivan Yan

475
6
8

score -3 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 27 '14 at 05:08

-3

Reference: https://developer.chrome.com/extensions/tabs#method-create

var options= { url: "http://cloudsupport.neonova.net/home" };

chrome.app.runtime.onLaunched.addListener(function() {
  chrome.tabs.create(options);
});

then in manifest.json. add this permission.

...
"permissions": ["tabs","webview", "pointerLock", "geolocation", "videoCapture"]
...

answered Mar 27 '14 at 05:08

Muhammad Umer

17,263
19
97
168

Seems like more native way to do it, but why would you need all these permissions (especially `geolocation` and `videoCapture`)? – Ale Mar 27 '14 at 18:37
i don't know that's what op has...for this you only need tabs permission because you are accessing url...Though i am not sure if you need any permission. But just in case if it's needed i'll wont hesitate to add tabs permission. there is one more permission type called activeTab – Muhammad Umer Mar 27 '14 at 19:22
And i am not sure what will happen if no chrome instance is running. Ill have to check, what happens if no windows is open...there can't be a tab if there is no window. maybe code should check that if window is open or not. Or maybe tabs.create itself opens a window if there isn't one open already.. – Muhammad Umer Mar 27 '14 at 19:33
2

Note that chrome.tabs.create will only work in extensions or legacy packaged apps. – danf Jan 09 '15 at 16:14

Chrome app, open link in a new tab

3 Answers3