chrome.runtime is undefined when extension installed from chrome store

Question

When i console.log(chrome) with google chrome browser i get certain properties but i find the 'runtime' property of chrome is not available.

app: Object
csi: function () { native function GetCSI(); return GetCSI();}
loadTimes: function () { native function GetLoadTimes(); return GetLoadTimes();}
webstore: Object
__proto__: Object
__defineGetter__: function __defineGetter__() { [native code] }
__defineSetter__: function __defineSetter__() { [native code] }
__lookupGetter__: function __lookupGetter__() { [native code] }
__lookupSetter__: function __lookupSetter__() { [native code] }
constructor: function Object() { [native code] }
hasOwnProperty: function hasOwnProperty() { [native code] }
isPrototypeOf: function isPrototypeOf() { [native code] }
propertyIsEnumerable: function propertyIsEnumerable() { [native code] }
toLocaleString: function toLocaleString() { [native code] }
toString: function toString() { [native code] }
valueOf: function valueOf() { [native code] }
get __proto__: function __proto__() { [native code] }
set __proto__: function __proto__()

so chrome.runtime is undefined.

and hence i am not able to use chrome.runtime.sendMessage for my extension

How to resolve the above??

EDIT :

my code is :

    if(typeof(chrome) === 'undefined'){
                result.isChromeBrowser = false;
                return next(result);
              } else {
                result.isChromeBrowser = true;
              }

console.log(chrome.runtime);  // undefined
    
              //check whether the chrome runtime is available or not ...
              if(!chrome.runtime){
                result.isChromeRuntimeAvailable = false;
                console.log(result);
              } else {
                result.isChromeRuntimeAvailable = true;
              }

EDIT 2 :

from here : https://developer.chrome.com/docs/extensions/mv3/manifest/externally_connectable. I am sure(correct me if i am wrong after going through above link) that a web page can communicate with a chrome extension. But not able to make it up through when the extension is installed from chrome store, however working perfectly in case of extension installed from local directory.

i am providing externallyConnectable as :

"externally_connectable": {
        "matches": [
            "*://local.mywebsite.com/*"
        ]
    }

I have included the externally_connectable with "matches" property.. Now when i load unpacked directory to install extension, my web page get chrome.runtime.. but when i install extension from chrome store, the same web page on same browser does not get chrome.runtime.. why so?? in the end i still dont have chrome.runtime on the page ://local.mywebsite.com/. help me out.

Answer 1

My problem get to solved by removing the plugin completely from chrome store and re-upload and re-publish the plugin again.

The problem was : Initially i did not had 'externally_connectable' property, so wasn't able to get chrome.runtime defined. Later when i included, then i was updating the chrome plugin. And the main cause may be : 'Chrome store does not modify the 'manifest.json' (at least for certain properties like 'externally_connectable') just by updating the plugin by uploading. You may have to remove and re-upload to get manifest.json updated' (This is what i can conclude because of my experience, Please correct me if i am wrong with some valid reference source.)

and so 'chrome.runtime' remains undefined.

Later when i removed the plugin and re-uploaded, everything worked fine.