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* Substitute about:debugging#/runtime/this-firefox for about:debugging Extensions are loaded at about:debugging#/runtime/this-firefox not about:debugging * Drop Python 2 support. Fixes #489 * Update README.md * Revert to https://github.com/mdn/webextensions-examples/commit/ae1c2176ea0d7df04778ee2d46503223ca436289 * Update native-messaging/README.md Co-authored-by: rebloor <git@sherpa.co.nz> --------- Co-authored-by: rebloor <git@sherpa.co.nz>
40 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
40 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
This is a very simple example of how to use [native messaging](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Add-ons/WebExtensions/Native_messaging) to exchange messages between a WebExtension and a native application.
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The WebExtension, which can be found under "add-on", connects to the native application and listens to messages from it. It then sends a message to the native application when the user clicks on the WebExtension's browser action. The message payload is just "ping".
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The native application, which can be found under "app", listens for messages from the WebExtension. When it receives a message, the native application sends a response message whose payload is just "pong". The native application is written in Python.
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## Setup ##
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To get this working, there's a little setup to do.
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### Mac OS/Linux setup ###
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1. Check that the [file permissions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_system_permissions) for "ping_pong.py" include the `execute` permission.
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2. Edit the "path" property of "ping_pong.json" to point to the location of "ping_pong.py" on your computer.
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3. copy "ping_pong.json" to the correct location on your computer. See [App manifest location ](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Add-ons/WebExtensions/Native_manifests#Manifest_location) to find the correct location for your OS.
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### Windows setup ###
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1. Check you have Python installed, and that your system's PATH environment variable includes the path to Python. See [Using Python on Windows](https://docs.python.org/2/using/windows.html). You'll need to restart the web browser after making this change, or the browser won't pick up the new environment variable.
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2. Edit the "path" property of "ping_pong.json" to point to the location of "ping_pong_win.bat" on your computer. Note that you'll need to escape the Windows directory separator, like this: `"path": "C:\\Users\\MDN\\native-messaging\\app\\ping_pong_win.bat"`.
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3. Edit "ping_pong_win.bat" to refer to the location of "ping_pong.py" on your computer.
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4. Add a registry key containing the path to "ping_pong.json" on your computer. See [App manifest location ](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Add-ons/WebExtensions/Native_manifests#Manifest_location) to find details of the registry key to add.
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To assist in troubleshooting on Windows, there is a script called `check_config_win.py`. Running this from the command line should give you an idea of any problems.
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## Testing the example ##
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First, install the add-on. Visit `about:debugging#/runtime/this-firefox` or, from `about:debugging` click "This Firefox" (or "This Nightly" in the Nightly version of Firefox), click "Load Temporary Add-on", and open the add-on's "manifest.json".
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Now, open the extension's console using the "Inspect" button - this is where you'll see communication between the browser and native app.
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You should see a new browser action icon in the toolbar. Click it. You should see output like this in the console:
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Sending: ping
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Received: pong3
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If you're running Python 2.x, you'll see "pong2" as the response instead.
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If you don't see this output, see the [Troubleshooting guide](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Add-ons/WebExtensions/Native_messaging#Troubleshooting) for ideas.
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