paramName
( optional Type array of paramType )
Undocumented.
Description of this parameter from the json schema.

Google Chrome Extensions (Labs)

Page Actions

Page Actions

Use page actions to put icons inside the address bar. Page actions represent actions that can be taken on the current page, but that aren't applicable to all pages. Some examples:

  • Subscribe to this page's RSS feed
  • Make a slideshow out of this page's photos

The RSS icon in the following screenshot represents a page action that lets you subscribe to the RSS feed for the current page.

If you want the extension's icon to always be visible, use a browser action instead.

Manifest

Register your page action in the extension manifest like this: 

"page_action": {
  "default_icon": "icons/foo.png", // required
  "default_title": "Do action",    // optional; shown in tooltip
  "popup": "popup.html"            // optional
}

Parts of the UI

Like browser actions, page actions have an icon and can also have a tooltip and popup; they can't have badges, however. In addition, page actions can appear and disappear. You can find information about icons, tooltips, and popups by reading about the browser action UI.

You make a page action appear and disappear using the show() and hide() methods, respectively. By default, a page action is hidden. When you show it, you specify the tab in which the icon should appear. The icon remains visible until the tab is closed or starts displaying a different URL (because the user clicks a link, for example).

[PENDING: We should discuss how tabs and page actions are related. All methods take a tab ID argument. How do you get that tab ID? What's the usual way of arranging the code that monitors pages? Point to examples.]

Tips

For the best visual impact, follow these guidelines:

  • Do use page actions for features that make sense for only a few pages.
  • Don't use page actions for features that make sense for most pages. Use browser actions instead.
  • Do use icons that are slightly lighter weight than browser action icons. Most icons that Chrome displays in the location bar are smaller than 19 pixels. If the edge pixels are used, they are usually only used for a faint shadow.
  • Don't constantly animate your icon. That's just annoying.

API reference: chrome.pageAction

Methods

hide

void chrome.pageAction.hide(, integer tabId)

Hides the page action.

Parameters

tabId
( Type array of integer )
The id of the tab for which you want to modify the page action.

Returns

Callback function

If you specify the callback parameter, it should specify a function that looks like this: 

function(Type param1, Type param2) {...});

setIcon

void chrome.pageAction.setIcon(, object details)

Sets the icon for the page action. The icon can be specified either as the path to an image file or as the pixel data from a canvas element. Either the path or the imageData property must be specified.

Parameters

details
( Type array of object )
Undocumented.
Description of this parameter from the json schema.
tabId
( Type array of integer )
The id of the tab for which you want to modify the page action.
imageData
( optional Type array of ImageData )
Pixel data for an image. Must be an ImageData object (for example, from a canvas element).
path
( optional Type array of string )
Relative path to an image in the extension to show in the browser action.
iconIndex
( optional Type array of integer )
Deprecated. The zero-based index into the icons vector specified in the manifest.

Returns

Callback function

If you specify the callback parameter, it should specify a function that looks like this: 

function(Type param1, Type param2) {...});

setTitle

void chrome.pageAction.setTitle(, object details)

Sets the title of the page action. This is displayed in a tooltip over the page action.

Parameters

details
( Type array of object )
Undocumented.
Description of this parameter from the json schema.
tabId
( Type array of integer )
The id of the tab for which you want to modify the page action.
title
( Type array of string )
The tooltip string.

Returns

Callback function

If you specify the callback parameter, it should specify a function that looks like this: 

function(Type param1, Type param2) {...});

show

void chrome.pageAction.show(, integer tabId)

Shows the page action. The page action is shown whenever the tab is selected.

Parameters

tabId
( Type array of integer )
The id of the tab for which you want to modify the page action.

Returns

Callback function

If you specify the callback parameter, it should specify a function that looks like this: 

function(Type param1, Type param2) {...});

Events

onClicked

chrome.pageAction.onClicked.addListener(function(Tab tab) {...});

Fired when a page action icon is clicked.

Parameters

tab
( Tab array of paramType )
Undocumented.
Description of this parameter from the json schema.