One of the coolest features of Extension.js is the ability to execute remote extensions. By running a valid GitHub URL as the command argument, Extension.js downloads and executes the extension files against the target browser, as if you were using any local extension.
This is useful during the prototyping stage when you want to create something based on a working extension sample, such as Chrome Samples or MDN samples.
dev
commandThe dev
command runs the extension in development mode with support for reloading upon file changes. By passing a valid GitHub URL (as long as there is a valid manifest file), Extension.js will download the files to your current directory and run your extension against the current browser.
In the example below, we are using the remote Chrome Sample page_redder from Google Chrome Extension Samples.
start
commandThe start
command runs the extension in production mode without support for reloading upon file changes. This is how your extension will look to users, the equivalent of running a browser against the build
of your extension. Aside from the reloading capability, it runs the same way as the dev
command.
In the example below, see page_redder from Google Chrome Extension Samples running via start
. The key difference between dev
and start
is the mode: development
and production
respectively.
build
commandBuilds your extension with production defaults. The build command does not run any browser, but it uses it to validate files.
In the example below, using the same page_redder sample from Chrome.