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November 4, 2009

Google Chrome Converts User Scripts into Extensions

A recent Chromium build added a feature that converts user scripts into extensions. Until now, Google's browser didn't provide an interface for adding and managing user scripts, so you had to manually copy the scripts to a folder.

"Lots of users still complain that Chrome does not support Greasemonkey user scripts. Even though we have had the infrastructure in place to handle user scripts for some time now, it has never been clear how the feature would relate to full extensions, and so it has remained incomplete," explains Aaron Boodman, a Google Chrome developer who created the Greasemonkey extension.

Now you can visit userscripts.org and any other site that links to Greasemonkey scripts and other flavors of user scripts, click on the link to a *.user.js file and install it in one click.



Like any other extensions, user scripts can be disabled or uninstalled by visiting chrome://extensions/ or selecting "Extensions" from the Tools menu.

This feature is only available in the latest Chromium builds, but it will soon be added to Google Chrome's dev channel, which already enables the support for extensions.

This week, Google released the first beta version of Chrome 4 for Windows, so the stable version should be available in the coming weeks. Chrome 4's major selling points should be the support for extensions and the long-awaited Mac & Linux ports.

11 comments:

  1. what is your chromium version?
    i have 30826 and there i doesn't work

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  2. Revision 30925

    http://src.chromium.org/viewvc/chrome?view=rev&revision=30925

    "Add first class support for user scripts.

    Install a user script (such as from userscripts.org). You should get the extension install UI and the script should show up in the extension management UI. It should also work, though some scripts use Firefox-specific APIs and those won't work in Chromium."

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  3. I have 30951 on a mac and I'm not able to make this work.

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  4. I have 4.0.238.0 (31172) on WinXP SP3 and it doesn't work. Is there any parameter to use?

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  5. @vhanla:

    What do you mean by "it doesn't work"? Did you try to install a script from userscripts.org? Did you see a prompt that said "Extensions and themes can harm your computer..."? Did you click on "Continue" and then noticed a dialog that asked you to confirm the installation?

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  6. It seems that Chrome (Chromium) had a bug that prevented the conversion if you enabled "prompt for a location for each downloaded file". The bug was fixed in rev. 31179.

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  7. I have 4.0.211.2 version on linux and when I try to install a script from userscripts.org it just displays the source. No extension install UI is displayed.
    I tried with --enable-userscripts too. But nothing happens. :-(

    ReplyDelete
  8. Download the latest beta version (4.0.249.30) or the latest dev channel version (4.0.266.0). Your version (4.0.211.2) is from September, so it's very old.

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  9. I love this! It's great to have the userscript support in Chrome BUT yes, it does have some downfalls....

    Once you "load" or install a userscript, you no longer can edit the "script" (err....I mean extension....) - at least not from the extensions pane - the only option(s) you're given is to remove/uninstall or disable (temporarily)..

    SO....if you have one of those "only load on set page" userscripts, make sure you load up the @includes BEFORE you load the script into Chrome, cause you'll have to unload, and re-install the script whenever you want to "update" it....

    And here's the catch, I can't seem to figure out where the "extensions" (err....I mean user scripts) are actually saved yet....I'm guessing they are saved somewhere in the program files though....but who knows.

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  10. This is awesome!
    This feature crushes all the other browsers!
    Chrome is (I think) the first browser to support userscripts without having to install another addon!

    ReplyDelete

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