How to Build a Chrome Extension with Auto-Refresh Functionality
Chrome extensions allow users to enhance their browser experience in endless ways, from managing tabs to automating web interactions. One popular functionality is auto-refreshing web pages, often used to keep dynamic pages up-to-date (e.g., live sports scores, stock tickers, or social media feeds). In this blog, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of building a Chrome extension with auto-refresh functionality.
Table of Contents
1 What is a Chrome Extension?
2 Use Cases for Auto-Refresh Extensions
3. Prerequisites and Tools Needed
4. Step-by-Step: Building an Auto-Refresh Chrome Extension
5. Testing Your Extension
6. Publishing the Extension on the Chrome Web Store
7. Best Practices for Auto-Refresh Extensions
1. What is a Chrome Extension?
A Chrome extension is a small software program that customizes the browsing experience by adding features or modifying existing behavior. It consists of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files, along with a manifest.json file that defines the extension’s permissions and metadata.
2. Use Cases for Auto-Refresh Extensions
● Social Media Feeds: Keep Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook feeds updated automatically.
● Live Score Websites: Refresh sports or stock market sites periodically.
● Development and Debugging: Reload web pages to check for design or code updates in real-time
3. Prerequisites and Tools Needed
Before building the extension, make sure you have the following:
● Code Editor: VS Code, Sublime Text, or any preferred editor.
● Google Chrome Browser: Ensure it’s up-to-date.
● Basic Knowledge of HTML, JavaScript, and JSON
4. Step-by-Step: Building an Auto-Refresh Chrome Extension
Step 1: Create the Project Folder
1 Create a new folder named auto-refresh-extension
2 Inside it, create the following files:
○ manifest json
○ popup html
○ popup js
Step 2: Write the Manifest File (manifest.json)
The manifest.json file defines the extension’s metadata and permissions. Here's what it should look like:
Json { "manifest version": 3, "name": "Auto Refresh Extension",
"version": "1.0",
"description": "Automatically refreshes web pages at a set interval.",
"permissions": ["tabs", "storage"],
"action": { "default popup": "popup html",
"default icon": { "16": "icons/icon16.png", "48": "icons/icon48.png", "128": "icons/icon128.png"
} }, "background": { "service worker": "background js"
Explanation:
● manifest version: Version 3 is the latest.
● permissions: The extension needs access to tabs and storage to refresh pages.
● default popup: This is the user interface that appears when the extension icon is clicked.
Step 3: Create the Popup UI (popup.html)
This file contains the HTML for the popup interface, where users can set the refresh interval.
html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Auto Refresh</title>
</head>
<body>
<h2>Auto Refresh Settings</h2>
<label for="interval">Refresh Interval (seconds): </label>
<input type="number" id="interval" min="1" value="5">
<button id="start">Start</button>
<button id="stop">Stop</button>
<script src="popup.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Explanation:
● This simple popup lets users input the refresh interval and start/stop the auto-refresh feature.
Step 4: Add JavaScript Logic (popup.js)
This script contains the functionality to start and stop the auto-refresh javascript
let intervalId;
document.getElementById('start').addEventListener('click', () => {
const interval = parseInt(document.getElementById('interval').value) * 1000;
chrome.tabs.query({ active: true, currentWindow: true }, (tabs) => { const tabId = tabs[0].id; intervalId = setInterval(() => { chrome tabs reload(tabId); }, interval); }); });
document.getElementById('stop').addEventListener('click', () => { clearInterval(intervalId); });
Explanation:
● chrome.tabs.query: Identifies the active tab.
● setInterval: Refreshes the page at the specified interval.
● clearInterval: Stops the auto-refresh when the user clicks "Stop."
Step 5: Test Your Extension Locally
1. Open Chrome and navigate to chrome://extensions/.
2. Enable Developer Mode (toggle on the top-right).
3. Click "Load unpacked" and select your project folder (auto-refresh-extension).
4. Your extension should now appear in the list. Click the icon to test the popup functionality.
5. Testing Your Extension
1. Open a webpage (like a news site or social media feed).
2. Set the refresh interval using the popup interface.
3. Click Start to begin refreshing.
4. Verify that the page reloads every few seconds.
5. Test the Stop button to ensure the refreshing stops.