Extensionator - Rise of the Chromium

Stop waiting for the perfect productivity tool. Build your own Chrome extensions using the web skills you already have.

#1about 2 minutes

Understanding the core components of a Chrome extension

Chrome extensions are built from components like background scripts for events, content scripts for page modification, and UI elements for user interaction.

#2about 3 minutes

Creating the initial manifest.json for your extension

Every Chrome extension starts with a mandatory manifest.json file that requires three key fields: name, version, and manifest_version.

#3about 2 minutes

Customizing your extension with an icon and description

Enhance your extension's presentation in the management page by adding `icons` and a `description` to the manifest.json file.

#4about 5 minutes

Building a focus extension to redirect distracting websites

Use a background script with the `chrome.webRequest` API to intercept and redirect navigation from specified URLs to a more productive page.

#5about 3 minutes

Requesting API permissions and debugging your extension

To use powerful Chrome APIs like `webRequest`, you must declare them in the `permissions` field of your manifest and use the management page to inspect errors.

#6about 4 minutes

Building a reminder extension for work-life balance

A second extension example demonstrates how to create a tool that reminds you to stop working after a set amount of time to improve work-life balance.

#7about 5 minutes