How To Create A Chrome App For Your Blog In Less Than 5 Minutes

I'm writing about Google Chrome apps first time. In this short tutorial I am going to explain how to create a simple Google chrome extension and app for your blog or website and push it to the Chrome store in less than five minutes. Google Chrome is the most-used browser in the world. It is growing very faster almost occupied 35% market. For creating app and extension, you need some basic HTML, CSS and JavaScript skills.

Chrome App For Your Website/Blog

The process is very simple. Download the chrome-app.zip file to your desktop, extract the archive and open the included manifest.json file in Notepad or any other text editor. Make some changes to the opened file.

Simply, write your website or blog name highlighted in red color (Your website name), put a short description of the website highlighted in pink (Short Description Here.) and then replace blogsdaddy.com highlighted in  yellow color with your own website or blog URL. Now, save your manifest.json file. Before going to next step please make sure that you have verified ownership for your website or blog using Google Webmaster Tools.

{
    "name": "Your website name",
    "description": "Short Description Here.",
    "app": {
        "urls": ["http://www.blogsdaddy.com/"],
        "launch": {
            "web_url": "http://www.blogsdaddy.com/"
        }
    },
    "manifest_version": 2,
    "update_url": "http://clients2.google.com/service/update2/crx",
    "version": "0.1",
    "icons": {
        "128": "icon.png"
    }
}

Now, create a 128×128 thumbnail image and save the file as icon.png in the same folder where the manifest.json file is saved.

Publish Your App To Google Chrome Store

Your Google Chrome app is ready to upload, but wait first of all create a new zip file with the icon.png and manifest.json files saved above.

Go to the Chrome Dashboard and upload your zip file. On the next page, choose a category for your app (I picked Social & Communication => Blogging) upload some screenshots, set a default language and publish your app. Its all done.

My Chrome app essentially adds an icon in Chrome’s New Tab page that takes you to the associated website upon clicking (much like any bookmark).

Important: If you wish to publish the app in the Chrome web store then you do need to pay Google a one-time registration fee of $5 using Google Wallet to activate your Chrome web store developer account.

Create a Chrome Extension For Your Website/Blog

Download google-chrome-extension.zip file and extract the files. Change the manifest.json file to include your extension name and short description. After it open the blogsdaddy.js file and add the URL of your RSS feed.

Send all the files to a zip folder and upload it to your Chrome Dashboard. Fill all the information and within few minutes, your extension will be live in the Chrome store worldwide.

Resources For Developers

• Extensionizr – Start a chrome extension in 15 seconds!
• Appmator – Prepare your app for upload to the Chrome Web Store.
• App Icons – Choosing icons and images for your Google Chrome app.

Did I missed any point in this guide? Do you recommend this method of Creating a Chrome App and Extension? Share below.

The post How To Create A Chrome App For Your Blog In Less Than 5 Minutes appeared first on Blogs Daddy and is written by Gagan Masoun.

Author - Gagan Masoun is the owner of Blogs Daddy Blog. Gagan lives in India, has been blogging since 2010 and writing Blogs Daddy Blog since 2011.You can follow him on twitter @BlogsDaddy. You can also follow him on Google+.