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Add-ons
  1. MDN
  2. Mozilla
  3. Add-ons
  4. Browser extensions
  5. JavaScript APIs
  6. runtime
  7. runtime.onInstalled

runtime.onInstalled

In This Article
  1. Syntax
  2. addListener syntax
    1. Parameters
  3. Browser compatibility
  4. Examples

Fired when the extension is first installed, when the extension is updated to a new version, and when the browser is updated to a new version.

Note that runtime.onInstalled is not the same as management.onInstalled. The runtime.onInstalled event is fired only for your extension. The browser.management.onInstalled event is fired for any extensions.

Syntax

browser.runtime.onInstalled.addListener(listener)
browser.runtime.onInstalled.removeListener(listener)
browser.runtime.onInstalled.hasListener(listener)

Events have three functions:

addListener(callback)
Adds a listener to this event.
removeListener(listener)
Stop listening to this event. The listener argument is the listener to remove.
hasListener(listener)
Checks whether a listener is registered for this event. Returns true if it is listening, false otherwise.

addListener syntax

Parameters

function

Callback function that will be called when this event occurs. The function will be passed the following arguments:

details
An object with the following properties:
idOptional
string. The ID of the imported shared module extension that updated. This is present only if the reason value is shared_module_update.
previousVersionOptional
string. The previous version of the extension that was just updated. This is present only if the reason value is update.
reason
An runtime.OnInstalledReason value stating the reason that this event is being dispatched.
temporary
boolean. True if the add-on was installed temporarily (for example, using the "about:debugging" page in Firefox). False otherwise.

Browser compatibility

The compatibility table in this page is generated from structured data. If you'd like to contribute to the data, please check out https://github.com/mdn/browser-compat-data and send us a pull request.

ChromeEdgeFirefoxFirefox for AndroidOpera
Basic support22Yes52 152 115
details.id22YesNoNo15
details.previousVersion22Yes555515
details.reason22Yes525215
details.temporaryNoNo5555No
1. Before version 55, this event is not triggered for temporarily installed add-ons.

Examples

When the extension is installed, log the install reason and open http://chilloutandwatchsomecatgifs.com/:

function handleInstalled(details) {
  console.log(details.reason);
  browser.tabs.create({
    url: "http://chilloutandwatchsomecatgifs.com/"
  });
}
browser.runtime.onInstalled.addListener(handleInstalled);

Acknowledgements

This API is based on Chromium's chrome.runtime API. This documentation is derived from runtime.json in the Chromium code.

Microsoft Edge compatibility data is supplied by Microsoft Corporation and is included here under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

// Copyright 2015 The Chromium Authors. All rights reserved.
//
// Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
// modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are
// met:
//
//    * Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
// notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
//    * Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above
// copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer
// in the documentation and/or other materials provided with the
// distribution.
//    * Neither the name of Google Inc. nor the names of its
// contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from
// this software without specific prior written permission.
//
// THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS
// "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
// LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR
// A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT
// OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL,
// SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT
// LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE,
// DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY
// THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT
// (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE
// OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

Document Tags and Contributors

Tags: 
  • Add-ons
  • API
  • Event
  • Extensions
  • Non-standard
  • onInstalled
  • Reference
  • runtime
  • WebExtensions
 Contributors to this page: wbamberg, andrewtruongmoz, delete12345, Makyen, chrisdavidmills
 Last updated by: wbamberg, Jul 24, 2017, 1:31:38 PM
See also
  1. Browser extensions
  2. Getting started
    1. What are extensions?
    2. Your first extension
    3. Your second extension
    4. Anatomy of an extension
    5. Example extensions
  3. How to
    1. Intercept HTTP requests
    2. Modify a web page
    3. Add a button to the toolbar
    4. Implement a settings page
  4. User interface
    1. Introduction
    2. Toolbar button
    3. Address bar button
    4. Sidebar
    5. Context menu items
    6. Options page
    7. Bundled web pages
    8. Notifications
    9. Address bar suggestions
    10. Developer tools panels
  5. Concepts
    1. Using the JavaScript APIs
    2. Content scripts
    3. Match patterns
    4. Internationalization
    5. Content Security Policy
    6. Native messaging
  6. Porting
    1. Porting a Google Chrome extension
    2. Porting a legacy Firefox extension
    3. Embedded WebExtensions
    4. Comparison with the Add-on SDK
    5. Comparison with XUL/XPCOM extensions
    6. Chrome incompatibilities
    7. Differences between desktop and Android
  7. Firefox workflow
    1. Temporary Installation in Firefox
    2. Debugging
    3. Developing for Firefox for Android
    4. Getting started with web-ext
    5. web-ext command reference
    6. Extensions and the Add-on ID
    7. Publishing your extension
  8. JavaScript APIs
    1. Browser support for JavaScript APIs
    2. alarms
    3. bookmarks
    4. browserAction
    5. browserSettings
    6. browsingData
    7. commands
    8. contextMenus
    9. contextualIdentities
    10. cookies
    11. devtools.inspectedWindow
    12. devtools.network
    13. devtools.panels
    14. downloads
    15. events
    16. extension
    17. extensionTypes
    18. history
    19. i18n
    20. identity
    21. idle
    22. management
    23. notifications
    24. omnibox
    25. pageAction
    26. permissions
    27. privacy
    28. proxy
    29. runtime
      1. Methods
        1. connect()
        2. connectNative()
        3. getBackgroundPage()
        4. getManifest()
        5. getPackageDirectoryEntry()
        6. getPlatformInfo()
        7. getURL()
        8. openOptionsPage()
        9. reload()
        10. requestUpdateCheck()
        11. sendMessage()
        12. sendNativeMessage()
        13. setUninstallURL()
      2. Properties
        1. id
        2. lastError
      3. Types
        1. MessageSender
        2. OnInstalledReason
        3. OnRestartRequiredReason
        4. PlatformArch
        5. PlatformInfo
        6. PlatformNaclArch
        7. PlatformOs
        8. Port
        9. RequestUpdateCheckStatus
      4. Events
        1. onBrowserUpdateAvailable
        2. onConnect
        3. onConnectExternal
        4. onInstalled
        5. onMessage
        6. onMessageExternal
        7. onRestartRequired
        8. onStartup
        9. onSuspend
        10. onSuspendCanceled
        11. onUpdateAvailable
    30. sessions
    31. sidebarAction
    32. storage
    33. tabs
    34. theme
    35. topSites
    36. types
    37. webNavigation
    38. webRequest
    39. windows
  9. Manifest keys
    1. applications
    2. author
    3. background
    4. browser_action
    5. chrome_settings_overrides
    6. chrome_url_overrides
    7. commands
    8. content_scripts
    9. content_security_policy
    10. default_locale
    11. description
    12. developer
    13. devtools_page
    14. homepage_url
    15. icons
    16. incognito
    17. manifest_version
    18. name
    19. omnibox
    20. optional_permissions
    21. options_ui
    22. page_action
    23. permissions
    24. protocol_handlers
    25. short_name
    26. sidebar_action
    27. theme
    28. version
    29. web_accessible_resources
  10. Themes
  11. Publishing add-ons
  12. Guides
    1. Signing and distribution overview
    2. Submit an add-on
    3. Creating an appealing listing
    4. Review policies
    5. Developer agreement
    6. Featured add-ons
    7. Contact addons.mozilla.org
  13. Community and support
  14. Channels
    1. Add-ons blog
    2. Add-on forums
    3. Stack Overflow
    4. Development newsgroup
    5. IRC Channel
  15. Legacy add-ons
  16. Legacy technologies
    1. Add-on SDK
    2. Legacy Firefox for Android
    3. Bootstrapped extensions
    4. Overlay extensions