Controlll remote instance of Google Chrome or Chromium via simple API from your phone or browser Designed to use running Chrome(ium) as a HTPC frontend

Abstract

Idea

Chrome/Chromium setup

Chromote tabs extension

Exensoion provides API over web socket connection to controll tabs and windows

It should be registered by it's first message

ws = new WebSocket("ws://localhost:8080/browser?token=XXXXXXXX");
ws.onopen = function() {
  ws.send("")
};

Extension binds on each tab action and updates Chromote with changes Extension binds on incomming messages and perform navigate/activate/close/open/refresh by tabID

Example tab object

{
    "active": true,
    "audible": false,
    "autoDiscardable": true,
    "discarded": false,
    "favIconUrl": "https://www.redditstatic.com/favicon.ico",
    "height": 653,
    "highlighted": true,
    "id": 45,
    "incognito": false,
    "index": 9,
    "mutedInfo": {
      "muted": false
    },
    "pinned": false,
    "selected": true,
    "status": "complete",
    "title": "The \"Origin not allowed\" error. : golang",
    "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/golang/comments/2j0v46/the_origin_not_allowed_error/",
    "width": 1360,
    "windowId": 1
}

Architecture

Chromote API endpoints:

url	params	action
GET: /		get browser client/see all the public hubs. Also provides downloads
GET: /client	key	pregister a new client and open a ws connection to it
GET: /browser		register a browser by it's first message, containing key and create a Hub for this browser

Client

Client connects to a webscoket by providing a key, previously generated by browser extension Connection fails if no Hubs available/no Hubs with provided key available

Client sends commands and recieves notifications Command example:

{
  targetId: 42, // target tab id
  action: "nvaigate", //one of tab's actions
  params: {
      url: "http://linux.org.ru" //parabms for action, if needed
  }
}

Browser

Connects to a browser websocket and initializes a Hub with provided key

Browser gets commands and sends notifications Notification is an array of Tab objects or an error msg

Hub

Hub consists of one browser and many clients. Hub routes commands from clients to browser and updates clients with latest tabs state Clients should register with some kind of auth, e.g. passphrase, generated by browser extension. Hub also holds `Tabs []*Tab` object with map of all browser's tabs.

Tab

Fields:

• active
• audible show speacker icon
• pinned show pin icon
• favIconUrl show favIcon
• id 45
• incognito show mask icon
• index just index in chrome
• muted controll mute/unmute
• status show/hide spinner
• title
• url
• windowId group tabs by windows

Available methods:

• Nvaigate to an {URL}
• Close
• Reload
• Activate - switch to this tab in view
• Open opens a new Tab with {URL}
• toggleMute
• ZoomIn|ZoomOut|zoomRestore

Tab is being changed by method and then corresponding JSON command composed and being sent to tx

Update tabs on rx by browser responce being unmarshalled

Comuncation protocol

1. Client sends command
2. Command is being unmarshalled and marshalled to JSON (fore security reasons), cliens list appended
3. Command is being sent to Browser along with client list
4. Browser performs actions and responses with tabs list and command result (error||succes)
5. Tabs being updated
6. broadcast Tabs to clients

It is possible to start from #3 in case of external browser update (e.g. by mouse/keyboard)

Extension (brwoser) generates hash [a-z0-9]{8} and sends it via GET with first request. Clients should register on the Hub by this key.

Extension

It has two parts: . background.js - all the logic of extension . index.js - code for the extension's popup

They do comunicate via chrome.extensionsendMessage

thigs to be done:

where	what
views/client.html:30:12:	emit event to websocket
views/client.html:46:12:	bind all other functions
views/client.html:49:12:	store all tabs sorted by tab.index
views/client.html:59:14:	implement two way data binding
hub.go:53:6:	validate command & append clients list
hub.go:63:6:	update Tabs struct
chrome-ext/index.js:32:6:	for each client build table
chrome-ext/background.js:1:4:	can we move to ES6?
chrome-ext/background.js:4:3:	add callbacks for each action to get tabs.
chrome-ext/background.js:61:68:	change signature, add cb
chrome-ext/background.js:78:6:	store URL in store; configure it via settings page
chrome-ext/background.js:115:11:	all other tab events
chrome-ext/background.js:150:4:	on store.hash update - drop connection