A few Opera Desktop updates for developers

September 9, 2011 · by Arnstein Teigene

Our Desktop Team regularly publishes snapshots of Opera with upcoming features that are in development. They've just published one with a few updates that should be interesting to extension developers.

Cross-posting from the Opera Desktop Team blog:

This snapshot is dedicated especially to all of those working on extensions. We have done a bunch of bug fixes, plus developer and discoverability enhancements.

As a developer, you can now drag and drop config.xml from unpacked extensions onto the main Opera window, and your extension will be silently installed in developer mode. Also the Extensions Manager will be opened, so that you can easily manage the extension. While you are developing your extensions, you also will be able to easily reload them. This can be achieved in several ways:

Press F5 in the Extensions Manager
Use the right mouse button menu on the Extension Speed Dial cell
Use the right mouse button menu on the Extension button on the toolbar

If you are working with extensions that use a toolbar button popup, you should notice that the popup window will not be closed automatically (in developer mode only). This will allow you to use Dragonfly together with your popups, making designing popup content faster and easier.

Head over to the Desktop Team blog to grab the snapshot.

Readers' comments 10

Left under the original article, as archived.

Martin KadlecFriday, September 9, 2011 9:54:49 AM
Do you plan to ad some new API soon as well?
metudeFriday, September 9, 2011 12:25:16 PM
Originally posted by BS-Harou:

Do you plan to ad some new API soon as well?

+1

And can we see see more usefull catalog? I mean tagging, more spesific bug report system, favorite extensions section for each my opera members. Updated extension's section.
Arnstein TeigeneMonday, September 12, 2011 8:57:54 AM
@BS-Harou: jups, we're working on a few more APIs + some updates on existing ones, including the URL filter.

@metude: we're working on an update on the design which will launch later this year. Could you elaborate on the 'more specific bug report system' and 'Updated extension's section'?
Swapnil RustagiMonday, September 12, 2011 11:19:29 AM
Originally posted by spirobind:

jups, we're working on a few more APIs + some updates on existing ones, including the URL filter.

Hopefully you add APIs that allow extensions to modify or use Panels and context menu.
If extensions are allowed to use Panels that would be good.

And if extensions are allowed to modify context menu that would be awesome. Currently even for a small simple "manual" link checker (for example this link safety checker) who use the context menu, you need to modify the standard_menu.ini Opera ini file.
metudeMonday, September 12, 2011 11:19:31 AM
@Arnstein Tiegene, Thank you for your interest. Later this year -IMHO- is too late. Public beta may be usefull for excited Opera users. Just like new My Opera.

About more spesific bug report system: Developer will have more authorities on reported problems section. So developer can delete and mark that items as FIXED, SCHEDULED IN v2.0, PLANNED, WONTFIX, WORKING etc. And when My Opera user gets an answer to his/her report, s/he will get an message or mail. (this can be optional)

"Suggest idea" along with Reviews and Reports may be nice.

About updated extensions: I made a quick consept to explain this:
1. http://prntscr.com/30gcl
2. http://prntscr.com/30gcu

+ I have an one more idea. In reviews section, every comment will have pros, cons and other sections. In pros, users write about extension's nice feautures....... And so on.
Swapnil RustagiMonday, September 12, 2011 11:28:04 AM
Originally posted by metude:

Later this year -IMHO- is too late.

Whatever atleast they will be doing it, that's the thing to celebrate.
Originally posted by metude:

About more spesific bug report system: Developer will have more authorities on reported problems section. So developer can delete and mark that items as FIXED, SCHEDULED IN v2.0, PLANNED, WONTFIX, WORKING etc.

+1.
Originally posted by metude:

About updated extensions: I made a quick consept to explain this:
1. http://prntscr.com/30gcl
2. http://prntscr.com/30gcu

Not a requirement; very low priority.
Originally posted by metude:

+ I have an one more idea. In reviews section, every comment will have pros, cons and other. In pros, users write about extension's nice feautures

Low priority.
Swapnil RustagiTuesday, September 13, 2011 1:50:32 PM
Mr. Arnstein Tiegene, can I get a yes or no on my previous comment
neng omihFriday, September 16, 2011 11:00:18 AM
thank you for interest
Manuel Andreas KuhnSunday, September 18, 2011 3:35:54 PM
Originally posted by metude:

About more spesific bug report system: Developer will have more authorities on reported problems section. So developer can delete and mark that items as FIXED, SCHEDULED IN v2.0, PLANNED, WONTFIX, WORKING etc. And when My Opera user gets an answer to his/her report, s/he will get an message or mail. (this can be optional)

+1000

Its very annoying if a developer wants to get the reported issue list clean, he has to write to each user and ask if he/she can delete the issue.
Also when on an existing report an answer is posted, no email is send. So the possibility to not notice the comment is extreme high...
sacudWednesday, October 12, 2011 1:12:40 PM
Hey,
are they some news about adding bookmark api for extensions?
I really like Opera, but i not using it only because there are no Xmarks extension.
From Xmarks they said that still from more than 10 months they waiting when Opera will add bookmark api for extensions.
Other browsers like Firefox and Chrome have such things but Opera not - why?