Strawman proposal for chrome.experimental.clear.*

chrome/common/extensions/api/extension_api.json

 [
   {
     "namespace": "extension",
     "unprivileged": true,
     "types": [
       {
         "id": "MessageSender",
         "type": "object",
         "description": "An object containing information about the script context that sent a message or request.",
         "properties": {
@@ skipping 8052 matching lines @@
                 "name": "result",
                 "type": "string",
                 "description": "A string result code. The value is non-empty on success only in tests.",
                 "optional": "true"
               }
             ]
           }
         ]
       }
     ]
+  },
+  {
+    "namespace": "experimental.clear",
+    "types": [
+      {
+        "id": "TimePeriod",
+        "type": "string",
+        "enum": ["last_hour", "last_day", "last_week", "last_month", "everything"],
+        "description": "The timeframe inside of which to delete browsing data. Passing 'last_day', for example, will delete all browsing data that was touched between 24 hours ago and right now, inclusive."
+      }
+    ],
+    "functions": [
+      {
+        "name": "browsingData",
+        "description": "Clears data generated by browsing within a particular timeframe.",
+        "type": "function",
+        "parameters": [
+          {
+            "$ref": "TimePeriod",
+            "name": "period"
+          },
+          {
+            "name": "dataToRemove",
+            "type": "object",
+            "properties": {
+              "cache": {
+                "type": "boolean",
+                "optional": true,
+                "description": "Should the browser cache be cleared?"
+              },
+              "cookies": {
+                "type": "boolean",
+                "optional": true,
+                "description": "Should the browser's cookies be cleared?"
+              },
+              "downloads": {
+                "type": "boolean",
+                "optional": true,
+                "description": "Should the browser's download list be cleared?"
+              },
+              "formData": {
+                "type": "boolean",
+                "optional": true,
+                "description": "Should stored form data be cleared?"
+              },
+              "history": {
+                "type": "boolean",
+                "optional": true,
+                "description": "Should the browser's history be cleared?"
+              },
+              "passwords": {
+                "type": "boolean",
+                "optional": true,
+                "description": "Should the stored passwords be cleared?"
+              }
+            }
+          },
+          {
+            "name": "callback",
+            "type": "function",
+            "description": "Called when deletion has completed.",
+            "optional": true,
+            "parameters": [
+                {
+                  "name": "result",
+                  "type": "boolean",

[Mihai Parparita -not on Chrome, 2011/08/23 23:24:13]

I'm not seeing this parameter being passed back. Errors for extension APIs are
normally reported via chrome.extension.lastError (setting error_ and returning
false in an ExtensionFunction implementation propagates to that).

[Mike West, 2011/08/24 09:10:33]

It's hardcoded to `true` at the moment (see
BrowsingDataExtensionFunction::OnBrowsingDataRemoverDone). I'm trying to
determine if it's possible to do anything here that makes sense, but given the
way the BrowsingDataRemover works, I'm not sure what that might be.

+                  "description": "Was the data deletion successful?"
+                }
+            ]
+          }
+        ]
+      },
+      {
+        "name": "cache",
+        "description": "Clears the browser's cache.",
+        "type": "function",
+        "parameters": [
+          {
+            "$ref": "TimePeriod",
+            "name": "period"
+          },
+          {
+            "name": "callback",
+            "type": "function",
+            "description": "Called when the browser's cache has cleared.",
+            "optional": true,
+            "parameters": [
+                {
+                  "name": "result",
+                  "type": "boolean",
+                  "description": "Was the data deletion successful?"
+                }
+            ]
+          }
+        ]
+      },
+      {
+        "name": "cookies",
+        "description": "Clears the browser's cookies and site data.",
+        "type": "function",
+        "parameters": [
+          {
+            "$ref": "TimePeriod",
+            "name": "period"
+          },
+          {
+            "name": "callback",
+            "type": "function",
+            "description": "Called when the browser's cookies and site data have been cleared.",
+            "optional": true,
+            "parameters": [
+                {
+                  "name": "result",
+                  "type": "boolean",
+                  "description": "Was the data deletion successful?"
+                }
+            ]
+          }
+        ]
+      },
+      {
+        "name": "downloads",
+        "description": "Clears the browser's list of downloaded files (<em>not</em> the downloaded files themselves).",
+        "type": "function",
+        "parameters": [
+          {
+            "$ref": "TimePeriod",
+            "name": "period"
+          },
+          {
+            "name": "callback",
+            "type": "function",
+            "description": "Called when the browser's list of downloaded files has been cleared.",
+            "optional": true,
+            "parameters": [
+                {
+                  "name": "result",
+                  "type": "boolean",
+                  "description": "Was the data deletion successful?"
+                }
+            ]
+          }
+        ]
+      },
+      {
+        "name": "formData",
+        "description": "Clears the browser's stored form data (autofill).",
+        "type": "function",
+        "parameters": [
+          {
+            "$ref": "TimePeriod",
+            "name": "period"
+          },
+          {
+            "name": "callback",
+            "type": "function",
+            "description": "Called when the browser's form data has been cleared.",
+            "optional": true,
+            "parameters": [
+                {
+                  "name": "result",
+                  "type": "boolean",
+                  "description": "Was the data deletion successful?"
+                }
+            ]
+          }
+        ]
+      },
+      {
+        "name": "history",
+        "description": "Clears the browser's history.",
+        "type": "function",
+        "parameters": [
+          {
+            "$ref": "TimePeriod",
+            "name": "period"
+          },
+          {
+            "name": "callback",
+            "type": "function",
+            "description": "Called when the browser's history has cleared.",
+            "optional": true,
+            "parameters": [
+                {
+                  "name": "result",
+                  "type": "boolean",
+                  "description": "Was the data deletion successful?"
+                }
+            ]
+          }
+        ]
+      },
+      {
+        "name": "passwords",
+        "description": "Clears the browser's stored passwords.",
+        "type": "function",
+        "parameters": [
+          {
+            "$ref": "TimePeriod",
+            "name": "period"
+          },
+          {
+            "name": "callback",
+            "type": "function",
+            "description": "Called when the browser's passwords have been cleared.",
+            "optional": true,
+            "parameters": [
+                {
+                  "name": "result",
+                  "type": "boolean",
+                  "description": "Was the data deletion successful?"
+                }
+            ]
+          }
+        ]
+      }
+    ]
   }
 ]