Interfaces to enable cross-browser extensions and applications thereof

A computer-implemented method for enabling cross-browser extensions, comprising:

• (a) receiving, on a translation module, at least one cross-browser command included in a browser extension, the command formatted according to a cross-browser extension application program interface, wherein the cross-browser command instructs a native browser to access a document object model of a page;
• (b) interpreting, on the translation module, the cross-browser command formatted according to a cross-browser extension application program interface;
• (c) issuing at least one native command formatted according to a native browser extension application program interface to the native browser to execute the cross-browser command;
• (d) rendering the page on a DOM (document object model) interface module configured to run on a renderer thread of the native browser, separate from the translation module;
• (e) receiving, on the DOM interface module, a message to access a document object model of the page in the native browser;
• and
• (f) accessing, on the DOM interface module, the document object model of the page in response to the message,
• wherein the cross-browser extension application program interface provides, by message passing from the translation module to the document object model through a thread separate from the renderer thread, a stable interface that prevents deadlocks to implement browser extensions that can operate in a plurality of different types of web browsers.

A system for enabling cross-browser extensions, comprising:

• a computing device;
• a browser extension, stored on the computing device, comprising a series of commands, at least some of the commands formatted according to a cross-browser extension application program interface;
• a translation module, implemented on the computing device, configured to
• receive a cross-browser command formatted according to a cross-browser extension application program interface included in the browser extension, wherein the cross-browser command accesses a document object model of a page loaded in a native browser, and
• interpret the cross-browser command to issue at least one native command formatted according to a native browser extension application program interface to the native browser to execute the cross-browser command;
• and
• a native browser, implemented on the computing device, with a renderer thread, separate from the translation module, that renders the loaded page separate from the translation and executes:
• a DOM (document object model) interface module configured to:
• receive a message from the translation module to access a document object model of a page loaded in a native browser, and
• access the document object model,
• wherein the cross-browser extension application program interface provides, by message passing from the translation module to the document object model through a thread separate from the renderer thread, a stable interface that prevents deadlocks to implement browser extensions that can operate in a plurality of different types of web browsers.