CODEWITHSUNDEEP
google-chrome-extensiongoogle-chrome-app
ddumont
ddumont

Reputation: 583

Tabs/Windows in Chrome apps

It appears that chrome apps are unable to render as tabs in the browser... I happen to like the chrome tabbing interface and it would be a shame to have to try and re-implement it in html/css/js. Is there really no way to do tab management at the chrome application level? Must all new windows be shell/panel level windows?

I can imagine scenarios for applications where they would want to contribute extension related features to the browser... why are you making it more confusing for users (who now have to install an app and an extension) in order to get the full feature set?

Is there really no room for middle-ground here?

Upvotes: 0

Views: 190

Answers (1)

Ben Wells
Ben Wells

Reputation: 1892

Chrome apps are separate from the browser. This is a very deliberate approach, which is unlikely to change.

For apps to be seen as apps, as opposed to websites, which are always available regardless of connectivity, they need to be seen as separate to a browser. We have found having apps launched and run outside the browser very important for users to conceptualize them as apps.

There are also security reasons to keep apps out of the browser. They have access to APIs that websites and extensions do not have access to, but to make this possible they are also individually sandboxed and have no access to the browser.

Extensions and apps can communicate via messages. It is less than ideal that a user may need to install both an app and an extension; we have been looking at some form of bundling to make this simpler.

Upvotes: 4

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