Chrome Native Messaging API chrome.runtime.connectNative is not a function

Question

I am looking to manipulate the content page that's currently on the tab in Chrome and if this below can not do that then I need to find the way in order to do that!

Hey all I am trying to get this new chrome extension working with my C# program to pass messages back and forth. I've seen a lot of demos of code on stackoverflow and that's mainly what I've been going by but it seems that all the examples are not working on my end.

The issue I am having is I am getting the error of:

Connecting to native messaging host com.google.chrome.example.echo
Uncaught TypeError: chrome.runtime.connectNative is not a function

Whenever I try to "connect" to the port.

Not sure what I am doing wrong since I have followed other tetorials on here and they all seem to state it works....

The JS main.js:

var port = null;
var getKeys = function (obj) {
    var keys = [];
    for (var key in obj) {
        keys.push(key);
    }
    return keys;
}
function appendMessage(text) {
    document.getElementById('response').innerHTML += "<p>" + text + "</p>";
}
function updateUiState() {
    if (port) {
        document.getElementById('connect-button').style.display = 'none';
        document.getElementById('input-text').style.display = 'block';
        document.getElementById('send-message-button').style.display = 'block';
    } else {
        document.getElementById('connect-button').style.display = 'block';
        document.getElementById('input-text').style.display = 'none';
        document.getElementById('send-message-button').style.display = 'none';
    }
}
function sendNativeMessage() {
    message = { "text": document.getElementById('input-text').value };
    port.postMessage(message);
    appendMessage("Sent message: <b>" + JSON.stringify(message) + "</b>");
}
function onNativeMessage(message) {
    appendMessage("Received message: <b>" + JSON.stringify(message) + "</b>");
}
function onDisconnected() {
    appendMessage("Failed to connect: " + chrome.runtime.lastError.message);
    port = null;
    updateUiState();
}
function connect() {
    var hostName = "com.google.chrome.example.echo";
    appendMessage("Connecting to native messaging host <b>" + hostName + "</b>")
    console.log("Connecting to native messaging host " + hostName);
    port = chrome.runtime.connectNative(hostName);
    port.onMessage.addListener(onNativeMessage);
    port.onDisconnect.addListener(onDisconnected);
    updateUiState();
}
document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', function () {
    document.getElementById('connect-button').addEventListener(
        'click', connect);
    document.getElementById('send-message-button').addEventListener(
        'click', sendNativeMessage);
    updateUiState();
});

The manifest.json:

{
  // Extension ID: knldjmfmopnpolahpmmgbagdohdnhkik
  "key": "MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4GNADCBiQKBgQDcBHwzDvyBQ6bDppkIs9MP4ksKqCMyXQ/A52JivHZKh4YO/9vJsT3oaYhSpDCE9RPocOEQvwsHsFReW2nUEc6OLLyoCFFxIb7KkLGsmfakkut/fFdNJYh0xOTbSN8YvLWcqph09XAY2Y/f0AL7vfO1cuCqtkMt8hFrBGWxDdf9CQIDAQAB",
  "name": "Native Messaging Example",
  "version": "1.0",
  "manifest_version": 2,
  "description": "Send a message to a native application.",
  "app": {
    "launch": {
      "local_path": "main.html"
    }
  },
  "icons": {
    "128": "icon-128.png"
  },
  "permissions": [
    "nativeMessaging"
  ]
}

The Registry:

REG ADD "HKCU\Software\Google\Chrome\NativeMessagingHosts\com.google.chrome.example.echo" /ve /t REG_SZ /d "%~dp0com.google.chrome.example.echo-win.json" /f

C# code:

using Newtonsoft.Json;
using Newtonsoft.Json.Linq;
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.IO;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;

namespace talkWithChromeCSharp
{
    class Program
    {
        public static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            JObject data;
            while ((data = Read()) != null)
            {
                var processed = ProcessMessage(data);
                Write(processed);
                if (processed == "exit")
                {
                    return;
                }
            }
        }

        public static string ProcessMessage(JObject data)
        {
            var message = data["message"].Value<string>();
            switch (message)
            {
                case "test":
                    return "testing!";
                case "exit":
                    return "exit";
                default:
                    return "echo: " + message;
            }
        }

        public static JObject Read()
        {
            var stdin = Console.OpenStandardInput();
            var length = 0;

            var lengthBytes = new byte[4];
            stdin.Read(lengthBytes, 0, 4);
            length = BitConverter.ToInt32(lengthBytes, 0);

            var buffer = new char[length];
            using (var reader = new StreamReader(stdin))
            {
                while (reader.Peek() >= 0)
                {
                    reader.Read(buffer, 0, buffer.Length);
                }
            }

            return (JObject)JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<JObject>(new string(buffer))["data"];
        }

        public static void Write(JToken data)
        {
            var json = new JObject();
            json["data"] = data;

            var bytes = System.Text.Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(json.ToString(Formatting.None));

            var stdout = Console.OpenStandardOutput();
            stdout.WriteByte((byte)((bytes.Length >> 0) & 0xFF));
            stdout.WriteByte((byte)((bytes.Length >> 8) & 0xFF));
            stdout.WriteByte((byte)((bytes.Length >> 16) & 0xFF));
            stdout.WriteByte((byte)((bytes.Length >> 24) & 0xFF));
            stdout.Write(bytes, 0, bytes.Length);
            stdout.Flush();
        }
    }
}

com.google.chrome.example.echo-win.json file:

{
  "name": "com.google.chrome.example.echo",
  "description": "Chrome Native Messaging API Example Host",
  "path": "native-messaging-example-host.bat",
  "type": "stdio",
  "allowed_origins": [
    "chrome-extension://knldjmfmopnpolahpmmgbagdohdnhkik/"
  ]
}

HTML main.html:

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <script src='main.js'></script>
</head>
<body>
    <button id='connect-button'>Connect</button>
    <input id='input-text' type='text' />
    <button id='send-message-button'>Send</button>
    <div id='response'></div>
</body>
</html>

My directory structure in Visual Studio:

C:\Users\t||||||\Documents\Visual Studio 2012\Projects\talkWithChromeCSharp\talkWithChromeCSharp
   -APP
     |-icon-128.png
     |-main.html
     |-main.js
     |-manifest.json
   -bin
     |-Debug
        |-Newtonsoft.Json.dll
        |-talkWithChromeCSharp.exe
        |-etc etc...
     |-Release
   -obj
   -Properties
   -regs
     |-com.google.chrome.example.echo-win.json
     |-install_host.bat
     |-etc etc...

After starting VS debug I install the plugin and load up the main.html file on the chrome browser and click the "connect" button. That's when I get that error.

What am I missing?

UPDATE

That is the correct ID for it. I kept it that way since i'm guessing the "KEY" is what determines the ID.

Answer 1

Too many confusions and not well explained which really worked for me. Therefore, here i am trying to make a ``idiot proof` doc. (Please improve this version)

Goal: Windows OS, Google chrome till version 50 tested, communicate to Native application

---

Step 1:

---

Download: https://developer.chrome.com/extensions/examples/api/nativeMessaging/app.zip

Step 2:

---

Load the downloaded app to Google chrome

Step 3:

---

a) add the registry key

REG ADD "HKLM\Software\Google\Chrome\NativeMessagingHosts\com.google.chrome.example.echo" /ve /t REG_SZ /d "C:\\run-my-exe\\manifest.json" /f

b) To make a custom chrome executer, copy the following into C:\run-my-exe\run-chrome.bat:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --enable--native-messaging --native-messaging-hosts="com.google.chrome.example.echo=C:\\run-my-exe\\manifest.json"

Step 4: Host

---

a) put following to C:\run-my-exe\manifest.json

{
  "name": "com.google.chrome.example.echo",
  "description": "Chrome Native Messaging API Example Host",
  "path": "native-messaging-example-host.bat",
  "type": "stdio",
  "allowed_origins": [
    "chrome-extension://knldjmfmopnpolahpmmgbagdohdnhkik/"
  ]
}

b) put following to C:\run-my-exe\native-messaging-example-host.bat

@echo off
cd %windir%\system32
start calc.exe

Step 5: How do i now run it?

---

a) open chrome with this script: C:\\run-my-exe\\run-chrome.bat

b) in the chrome go to chrome://apps

c) launch

via the icon

not as below:

Final Output:

Answer 2

You are not supposed to open main.html directly, but rather from Chrome's App Launcher at chrome://apps/