Native Messaging!

chrome/common/extensions/api/extension.json

 // Copyright (c) 2012 The Chromium Authors. All rights reserved.
 // Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style license that can be
 // found in the LICENSE file.
 
 [
   {
     "namespace": "extension",
     "nocompile": true,
     "dependencies": [ "events", "tabs" ],
     "types": [
@@ skipping 57 matching lines @@
             },
             "optional": true
           }
         ],
         "returns": {
           "$ref": "Port",
           "description": "Port through which messages can be sent and received with the extension. The port's <a href='extension.html#type-Port'>onDisconnect</a> event is fired if extension does not exist. "
         }
       },
       {
+        "name": "connectNative",
+        "type": "function",
+        "unprivileged": true,

[Aaron Boodman, 2012/08/09 18:36:12]

"unprivileged" controls whether the api is available outside the extension
process (like in content scripts). We don't want that.

[eaugusti, 2012/08/13 23:22:34]

Done.

+        "description": "Attempts to connect a native app.",
+        "parameters": [
+          {
+            "type": "string",
+            "name": "appName",
+            "description": "The name of the registered app to connect to."
+          },
+          {
+            "name": "connectionMessage",
+            "description": "The object that will be passed to the registered native app on connection.",
+            "type": "object",
+            "additionalProperties": {
+              "type": "any"
+            }
+          }
+        ],
+        "returns": {
+          "$ref": "Port",
+          "description": "Port through which messages can be sent and received with the app."
+        }
+      },
+      {
         "name": "sendRequest",
         "nodoc": true,
         "type": "function",
         "allowAmbiguousOptionalArguments": true,
         "unprivileged": true,
         "description": "Deprecated: Please use sendMessage.",
         "parameters": [
           {"type": "string", "name": "extensionId", "optional": true, "description": "The extension ID of the extension you want to connect to. If omitted, default is your own extension."},
           { "type": "any", "name": "request" },
           {
@@ skipping 27 matching lines @@
               {
                 "name": "response",
                 "type": "any",
                 "description": "The JSON response object sent by the handler of the message. If an error occurs while connecting to the extension, the callback will be called with no arguments and <a href='extension.html#property-lastError'>chrome.extension.lastError</a> will be set to the error message."
               }
             ]
           }
         ]
       },
       {
+        "name": "sendNativeMessage",
+        "type": "function",
+        "description": "Send a single message to a registered native application.",
+        "parameters": [
+          {
+            "name": "registeredNativeApp",
+            "description": "The name of the registered native app.",
+            "type": "string"
+          },
+          {
+            "name": "message",
+            "description": "The message that will be passed to the registered native app.",
+            "type": "object",
+            "additionalProperties": {
+              "type": "any"
+            }
+          },
+          {
+            "type": "function",
+            "name": "callback",
+            "optional": true,
+            "description": "Called with the response from the native app.",
+            "parameters": [
+              {
+                "name": "nativeResponse",
+                "type": "object",
+                "description": "Whatever the native app responds with.",
+                "additionalProperties": {
+                  "type": "any"
+                }
+              }
+            ]
+          }
+        ]
+      },
+      {
         "name": "getURL",
         "type": "function",
         "unprivileged": true,
         "description": "Converts a relative path within an extension install directory to a fully-qualified URL.",
         "parameters": [
           {
             "type": "string",
             "name": "path",
             "description": "A path to a resource within an extension expressed relative to its install directory."
           }
@@ skipping 178 matching lines @@
         ],
         "returns": {
           "type": "boolean",
           "optional": "true",
           "description": "Return true from the event listener if you wish to call <code>sendResponse</code> after the event listener returns."
         }
       }
     ]
   }
 ]