1

Of course it would mean you're plugin is not cross-platform but let's focus on the technical side...

Is a browser plugin (like done in NPAPI) restricted in what it can do? Or do you get fairly free reign to access the PC and the render-window you're given? For instance can you create Win32/MFC controls in your browser this way?

A side question - is your browser plugin conceptually akin to a .DLL, which is therefore just arbitrary compiled code implementing a specific interface for browser control/communication?

Mr. Boy
  • 60,845
  • 93
  • 320
  • 589
  • 2
    Why would you want to stab your eyes out and insult the work of all the abstraction the browsers give you? – EnabrenTane Jan 15 '11 at 10:50
  • 3
    Welcome to the real world. Maybe I already have a code-base involving such code, and it's more important to get it online in _some fashion_ quickly for business users who all use Windows. – Mr. Boy Jan 15 '11 at 10:58

1 Answers1

2

There are 2 types of NPAPI plugins: windowed and windowless plugins. Both of them has some advantages and disadvantages (see this link). When you deal with windowed plugin on Win32 you get HWND of browser plugin window and you can work with it like with any window in OS.

DReJ
  • 1,966
  • 15
  • 14
  • Nice link. Bit over my head on first read but full of insight. – Mr. Boy Jan 15 '11 at 11:02
  • 1
    Windowless plugins (not fully supported by FireBreath yet but hopefully will be before FireBreath 1.4 hits RC -- we'll see if we get it in time) basically give you the HDC instead of a HWND and tell you when to draw. Either way you can use win32 gui. – taxilian Jan 15 '11 at 16:07