## Description
Use the `chrome.action` API to control the extension's icon in the Google Chrome toolbar.
The action icons are displayed in the browser toolbar next to the [omnibox](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/omnibox). After installation, these appear in the extensions menu (the puzzle piece icon). Users can pin your extension icon to the toolbar.
## Availability
Chrome 88+ browser.\* since Chrome 148 MV3+
## Manifest
The following keys must be declared [in the manifest](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/mv3/manifest) to use this API.
`"action"`
To use the `browser.action` API, specify a `"manifest_version"` of `3` and include
the `"action"` key in your [manifest file](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/manifest).
> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** Every extension has an icon in the Chrome toolbar, even if the `"action"` key isn't added to the manifest.
{
"name": "Action Extension",
...
"action": {
"default_icon": { // optional
"16": "images/icon16.png", // optional
"24": "images/icon24.png", // optional
"32": "images/icon32.png" // optional
},
"default_title": "Click Me", // optional, shown in tooltip
"default_popup": "popup.html" // optional
},
...
}
The `"action"` key (along with its children) is optional. When it isn't included, your extension is still shown in the toolbar to provide access to the extension's menu. For this reason, we recommend that you always include at least the `"action"` and `"default_icon"` keys.
## Concepts and usage
### Parts of the UI
#### Icon
The icon is the main image on the toolbar for your extension, and is set by the `"default_icon"` key in
your manifest's `"action"` key. Icons must be 16 device-independent pixels (DIPs) wide and tall.
The `"default_icon"` key is a dictionary of sizes to image paths. Chrome uses these icons
to choose which image scale to use. If an exact match is not found, Chrome selects the closest
available and scales it to fit the image, which might affect image quality.
Because devices with less-common scale factors like 1.5x or 1.2x are becoming more
common, we encourage you to provide multiple sizes for your icons. This also
futureproofs your extension against potential icon display size changes. However,
if only providing a single size, the `"default_icon"` key can also be set to a
string with the path to a single icon instead of a dictionary.
You can also call `action.setIcon()` to set your extension's icon programmatically
by specifying a different image path or providing a dynamically-generated icon using the [HTML canvas
element](https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/API/HTMLCanvasElement), or, if setting from an extension service worker, the [offscreen
canvas](https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/API/OffscreenCanvas) API.
const canvas = new OffscreenCanvas(16, 16);
const context = canvas.getContext('2d');
context.clearRect(0, 0, 16, 16);
context.fillStyle = '#00FF00'; // Green
context.fillRect(0, 0, 16, 16);
const imageData = context.getImageData(0, 0, 16, 16);
browser.action.setIcon({imageData: imageData}, () => { /* ... */ });
> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** The `action.setIcon()` API is intended to set a static image. Don't use animated images for your icons.
For packed extensions (installed from a .crx file), images can be in most formats that the Blink
rendering engine can display, including PNG, JPEG, BMP, ICO, and others. SVG isn't supported.
Unpacked extensions must use PNG images.
#### Tooltip (title)
The tooltip, or title, appears when the user holds their mouse pointer over the extension's icon in the
toolbar. It's also included in the accessible text spoken by screen readers when the button gets
focus.
The default tooltip is set using the `"default_title"` field of the `"action"` key in `manifest.json`.
You can also set it programmatically by calling `action.setTitle()`.
#### Badge
Actions can optionally display a "badge" --- a bit of text layered over the icon. This lets you
update the action to display a small amount of information about the state of the extension,
such as a counter. The badge has a text component and a background color. Because space is limited,
we recommend that badge text use four or fewer characters.
To create a badge, set it programmatically by calling `action.setBadgeBackgroundColor()` and
`action.setBadgeText()`. There isn't a default badge setting in the manifest. Badge color values
can be either an array of four integers between 0 and 255 that make up the RGBA color of the
badge or a string with a [CSS color](https://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Web/CSS/color) value.
browser.action.setBadgeBackgroundColor(
{color: [0, 255, 0, 0]}, // Green
() => { /* ... */ },
);
browser.action.setBadgeBackgroundColor(
{color: '#00FF00'}, // Also green
() => { /* ... */ },
);
browser.action.setBadgeBackgroundColor(
{color: 'green'}, // Also, also green
() => { /* ... */ },
);
#### Popup
An action's popup is shown when the user clicks on the extension's action button in the
toolbar. The popup can contain any HTML contents you like, and will be automatically sized to fit
its contents. The popup's size must be between 25x25 and 800x600 pixels.
The popup is initially set by the `"default_popup"` property in the `"action"` key in the
`manifest.json` file. If present, this property should point to a relative path within the extension
directory. It can also be updated dynamically to point to a different relative path using the
`action.setPopup()` method.
> [!NOTE]
> **Note:** The `action.onClicked` event won't be sent if the extension action has specified a popup to show on click of the current tab.
## Use cases
### Per-tab state
Extension actions can have different states for each tab. To set a value for an individual
tab, use the `tabId` property in the `action` API's setting methods. For example, to
set the badge text for a specific tab, do something like the following:
function getTabId() { /* ... */}
function getTabBadge() { /* ... */}
browser.action.setBadgeText(
{
text: getTabBadge(tabId),
tabId: getTabId(),
},
() => { ... }
);
If the `tabId` property is left out, the setting is treated as a global setting. Tab-specific
settings take priority over global settings.
### Enabled state
By default, toolbar actions are enabled (clickable) on every tab. You can change this default
by setting the `default_state` property in the `action` key of the manifest. If
`default_state` is set to `"disabled"`, the action is disabled by default and must be enabled
programmatically to be clickable. If `default_state` is set to `"enabled"` (the default),
the action is enabled and clickable by default.
You can control the state programmatically using the `action.enable()` and `action.disable()`
methods. This only affects whether the popup (if any) or `action.onClicked` event is sent
to your extension; it doesn't affect the action's presence in the toolbar.
## Examples
The following examples show some common ways that actions are used in extensions. To try this API,
install the [Action API example](https://github.com/GoogleChrome/chrome-extensions-samples/tree/main/api-samples/action) from the [chrome-extension-samples](https://github.com/GoogleChrome/chrome-extensions-samples)
repository.
### Show a popup
It's common for an extension to display a popup when the user clicks the extension's action. To
implement this in your own extension, declare the popup in your `manifest.json` and specify the
content that Chrome should display in the popup.
// manifest.json
{
"name": "Action popup demo",
"version": "1.0",
"manifest_version": 3,
"action": {
"default_title": "Click to view a popup",
"default_popup": "popup.html"
}
}
Hello, world!
### Inject a content script on click
A common pattern for extensions is to expose their primary feature using the extension's
action. The following example demonstrates this pattern. When the user clicks the action, the extension
injects a content script into the current page. The content script then displays an alert to verify
that everything worked as expected.
// manifest.json
{
"name": "Action script injection demo",
"version": "1.0",
"manifest_version": 3,
"action": {
"default_title": "Click to show an alert"
},
"permissions": ["activeTab", "scripting"],
"background": {
"service_worker": "background.js"
}
}
// background.js
browser.action.onClicked.addListener((tab) => {
browser.scripting.executeScript({
target: {tabId: tab.id},
files: ['content.js']
});
});
// content.js
alert('Hello, world!');
### Emulate actions with declarativeContent
This example shows how an extension's background logic can (a) disable an action by default and (b)
use [declarativeContent](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/api/declarativeContent) to enable the action on specific sites.
// service-worker.js
// Wrap in an onInstalled callback to avoid unnecessary work
// every time the service worker is run
browser.runtime.onInstalled.addListener(() => {
// Page actions are disabled by default and enabled on select tabs
browser.action.disable();
// Clear all rules to ensure only our expected rules are set
browser.declarativeContent.onPageChanged.removeRules(undefined, () => {
// Declare a rule to enable the action on example.com pages
let exampleRule = {
conditions: [
new browser.declarativeContent.PageStateMatcher({
pageUrl: {hostSuffix: '.example.com'},
})
],
actions: [new browser.declarativeContent.ShowAction()],
};
// Finally, apply our new array of rules
let rules = [exampleRule];
browser.declarativeContent.onPageChanged.addRules(rules);
});
});
## Types
### OpenPopupOptions
Chrome 99+ browser.\* since Chrome 148
#### Properties
- windowId number optional
The ID of the window to open the action popup in. Defaults to the currently-active window if unspecified.
### TabDetails
#### Properties
- tabId number optional
The ID of the tab to query state for. If no tab is specified, the non-tab-specific state is returned.
### UserSettings
Chrome 91+ browser.\* since Chrome 148
The collection of user-specified settings relating to an extension's action.
#### Properties
- isOnToolbar boolean
Whether the extension's action icon is visible on browser windows' top-level toolbar (i.e., whether the extension has been 'pinned' by the user).
### UserSettingsChange
Chrome 130+ browser.\* since Chrome 148
#### Properties
- isOnToolbar boolean optional
Whether the extension's action icon is visible on browser windows' top-level toolbar (i.e., whether the extension has been 'pinned' by the user).
## Methods
### disable()
```typescript
browser.action.disable(
tabId?: number,
): Promise
```
Disables the action for a tab.
#### Parameters
- tabId number optional
The ID of the tab for which you want to modify the action.
#### Returns
- Promise\
### enable()
```typescript
browser.action.enable(
tabId?: number,
): Promise
```
Enables the action for a tab. By default, actions are enabled.
#### Parameters
- tabId number optional
The ID of the tab for which you want to modify the action.
#### Returns
- Promise\
### getBadgeBackgroundColor()
```typescript
browser.action.getBadgeBackgroundColor(
details: TabDetails,
): Promise
```
Gets the background color of the action.
#### Parameters
- details [TabDetails](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/api/action#type-TabDetails)
#### Returns
- Promise\<[extensionTypes.ColorArray](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/extensionTypes/#type-ColorArray)\>
### getBadgeText()
```typescript
browser.action.getBadgeText(
details: TabDetails,
): Promise
```
Gets the badge text of the action. If no tab is specified, the non-tab-specific badge text is returned. If [displayActionCountAsBadgeText](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/declarativeNetRequest/#setExtensionActionOptions) is enabled, a placeholder text will be returned unless the [declarativeNetRequestFeedback](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/develop/concepts/declare-permissions#declarativeNetRequestFeedback) permission is present or tab-specific badge text was provided.
#### Parameters
- details [TabDetails](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/api/action#type-TabDetails)
#### Returns
- Promise\
### getBadgeTextColor()
Chrome 110+ browser.\* since Chrome 148
```typescript
browser.action.getBadgeTextColor(
details: TabDetails,
): Promise
```
Gets the text color of the action.
#### Parameters
- details [TabDetails](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/api/action#type-TabDetails)
#### Returns
- Promise\<[extensionTypes.ColorArray](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/extensionTypes/#type-ColorArray)\>
### getPopup()
```typescript
browser.action.getPopup(
details: TabDetails,
): Promise
```
Gets the html document set as the popup for this action.
#### Parameters
- details [TabDetails](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/api/action#type-TabDetails)
#### Returns
- Promise\
### getTitle()
```typescript
browser.action.getTitle(
details: TabDetails,
): Promise
```
Gets the title of the action.
#### Parameters
- details [TabDetails](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/api/action#type-TabDetails)
#### Returns
- Promise\
### getUserSettings()
Chrome 91+ browser.\* since Chrome 148
```typescript
browser.action.getUserSettings(): Promise
```
Returns the user-specified settings relating to an extension's action.
#### Returns
- Promise\<[UserSettings](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/api/action#type-UserSettings)\>
### isEnabled()
Chrome 110+ browser.\* since Chrome 148
```typescript
browser.action.isEnabled(
tabId?: number,
): Promise
```
Indicates whether the extension action is enabled for a tab (or globally if no `tabId` is provided). Actions enabled using only [`declarativeContent`](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/declarativeContent/) always return false.
#### Parameters
- tabId number optional
The ID of the tab for which you want check enabled status.
#### Returns
- Promise\
### openPopup()
Chrome 127+ browser.\* since Chrome 148
```typescript
browser.action.openPopup(
options?: OpenPopupOptions,
): Promise
```
Opens the extension's popup. Between Chrome 118 and Chrome 126, this is only available to policy installed extensions.
#### Parameters
- options [OpenPopupOptions](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/api/action#type-OpenPopupOptions) optional
Specifies options for opening the popup.
#### Returns
- Promise\
### setBadgeBackgroundColor()
```typescript
browser.action.setBadgeBackgroundColor(
details: object,
): Promise
```
Sets the background color for the badge.
#### Parameters
- details object
- color string \| [ColorArray](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/extensionTypes/#type-ColorArray)
An array of four integers in the range \[0,255\] that make up the RGBA color of the badge. For example, opaque red is `[255, 0, 0, 255]`. Can also be a string with a CSS value, with opaque red being `#FF0000` or `#F00`.
- tabId number optional
Limits the change to when a particular tab is selected. Automatically resets when the tab is closed.
#### Returns
- Promise\
### setBadgeText()
```typescript
browser.action.setBadgeText(
details: object,
): Promise
```
Sets the badge text for the action. The badge is displayed on top of the icon.
#### Parameters
- details object
- tabId number optional
Limits the change to when a particular tab is selected. Automatically resets when the tab is closed.
- text string optional
Any number of characters can be passed, but only about four can fit in the space. If an empty string (`''`) is passed, the badge text is cleared. If `tabId` is specified and `text` is null, the text for the specified tab is cleared and defaults to the global badge text.
#### Returns
- Promise\
### setBadgeTextColor()
Chrome 110+ browser.\* since Chrome 148
```typescript
browser.action.setBadgeTextColor(
details: object,
): Promise
```
Sets the text color for the badge.
#### Parameters
- details object
- color string \| [ColorArray](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/extensionTypes/#type-ColorArray)
An array of four integers in the range \[0,255\] that make up the RGBA color of the badge. For example, opaque red is `[255, 0, 0, 255]`. Can also be a string with a CSS value, with opaque red being `#FF0000` or `#F00`. Not setting this value will cause a color to be automatically chosen that will contrast with the badge's background color so the text will be visible. Colors with alpha values equivalent to 0 will not be set and will return an error.
- tabId number optional
Limits the change to when a particular tab is selected. Automatically resets when the tab is closed.
#### Returns
- Promise\
### setIcon()
```typescript
browser.action.setIcon(
details: object,
): Promise
```
Sets the icon for the action. The icon can be specified either as the path to an image file or as the pixel data from a canvas element, or as dictionary of either one of those. Either the **path** or the **imageData** property must be specified.
#### Parameters
- details object
- imageData ImageData \| object optional
Either an ImageData object or a dictionary {size -\> ImageData} representing icon to be set. If the icon is specified as a dictionary, the actual image to be used is chosen depending on screen's pixel density. If the number of image pixels that fit into one screen space unit equals `scale`, then image with size `scale` \* n will be selected, where n is the size of the icon in the UI. At least one image must be specified. Note that 'details.imageData = foo' is equivalent to 'details.imageData = {'16': foo}'
- path string \| object optional
Either a relative image path or a dictionary {size -\> relative image path} pointing to icon to be set. If the icon is specified as a dictionary, the actual image to be used is chosen depending on screen's pixel density. If the number of image pixels that fit into one screen space unit equals `scale`, then image with size `scale` \* n will be selected, where n is the size of the icon in the UI. At least one image must be specified. Note that 'details.path = foo' is equivalent to 'details.path = {'16': foo}'
- tabId number optional
Limits the change to when a particular tab is selected. Automatically resets when the tab is closed.
#### Returns
- Promise\
Chrome 96+ browser.\* since Chrome 148
### setPopup()
```typescript
browser.action.setPopup(
details: object,
): Promise
```
Sets the HTML document to be opened as a popup when the user clicks on the action's icon.
#### Parameters
- details object
- popup string
The relative path to the HTML file to show in a popup. If set to the empty string (`''`), no popup is shown.
- tabId number optional
Limits the change to when a particular tab is selected. Automatically resets when the tab is closed.
#### Returns
- Promise\
### setTitle()
```typescript
browser.action.setTitle(
details: object,
): Promise
```
Sets the title of the action. This shows up in the tooltip.
#### Parameters
- details object
- tabId number optional
Limits the change to when a particular tab is selected. Automatically resets when the tab is closed.
- title string
The string the action should display when moused over.
#### Returns
- Promise\
## Events
### onClicked
```typescript
browser.action.onClicked.addListener(
callback: function,
)
```
Fired when an action icon is clicked. This event will not fire if the action has a popup.
#### Parameters
- callback function
The `callback` parameter looks like:
```typescript
(tab: tabs.Tab) => void
```
- tab [tabs.Tab](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/tabs/#type-Tab)
### onUserSettingsChanged
Chrome 130+ browser.\* since Chrome 148
```typescript
browser.action.onUserSettingsChanged.addListener(
callback: function,
)
```
Fired when user-specified settings relating to an extension's action change.
#### Parameters
- callback function
The `callback` parameter looks like:
```typescript
(change: UserSettingsChange) => void
```
- change [UserSettingsChange](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/reference/api/action#type-UserSettingsChange)