Google has released a new no code tool that allows us to easily create our own Chrome extensions for the new tab page. The utility can be used by any no need to know programming.
Its name is Tab Maker and it is specifically used to create an extension that customize what appears on the page each time we open a new tab of the browser, a type of extension that is quite popular due to the level of utility it can have, and that you can now create by yourself and to your liking.
11 pre-designed templates to get you started and inspired
You can use Tab Maker to share images, texts, links or GIFs, either to find inspiration, find out about something, or learn something. To start the process you just have to go to tabmaker.withgoogle.com/maker and follow the five simple steps that the same tool will tell you.
If you don’t know where to start, don’t worry, Tab Maker already offers you 11 templates to guide you and what you can edit to your liking. You will have to fill in a Google spreadsheet with the links to the content you want to add and when you are ready you will be able to download a ZIP file with your extension completed.
When you start, the tool will give you a template in the form of a spreadsheet, you will have to create a copy of that sheet and rename it with the name of your own extension. Inside you will see instructions on how to fill each cell with links, images, or GIFs.
You will basically use the blade as the skeleton to build your extension. It is important that you do not mix images and GIFs with text in the same column. You can add as many rows of content as you want and you can always return to the sheet at any time to edit, add and remove content.
To add an image or a GIF, you just have to find one you like online, right-click on the image, select “copy image address” and paste the url on the sheet. You can add links to any content on the sheet, you just have to paste the link in the corresponding “link” column.
When you have finished filling in everything and want to publish the extension, you must first click on: File> Publish to the web. In the drop-down menu “Entire document” select: “Add content to this sheet“, and in the drop-down menu” Website “select:”Comma Separated Values (.csv)“.
Finally click on “Publish”, copy the URL that appears in the box and paste it in the Tab Maker tool to start creating. At the end of the process you will get a ZIP file with your extension ready that you can install in Chrome if you activate the Developer Mode from the configuration by entering chrome: // extensions.
If you have some additional skills and are interested in publishing one of these extensions beyond your own or a friend’s use, you can read the Chrome extensions documentation for more information.