I'm confused. I've written an extension, already (just for Chrome, all Javascript). Getting started was simply a matter of copying a few files from the Chrome extension documentation site. I haven't done anything to configure an IDE, but I don't know what I should want to do.
I'm trying to understand what your tool does, above and beyond copying a few files. Is it cross-browser support? multi-language support?
In your case, Extension.js can help by managing the configuration details that are usually overlooked in general web development.
After copying a few files from the Chrome extension documentation site, you'll need to manually enable "developer mode" in your browser and add these files. If you make changes to your code, seeing the updates live requires manually reloading the various contexts that a browser extension can influence. Additionally, if you want to test your extensions on multiple browsers, you must do this manually for each one.
If you plan to use package dependencies like TypeScript or a JavaScript framework, you'll either have to rely on an existing abstraction framework for extensions and learn new techniques, or create your own configuration using tools like webpack, Parcel, esbuild, or another code compiler. At this point, developing browser extensions can become complex and frustrating.
Extension.js simplifies this by automating the process of bundling an extension in a browser ready for development. It comes with auto-reload support for every context, including parts of the browser that are not HTML/CSS/JavaScript. It also has built-in support for code dependencies such as TypeScript and React, where a simple installation enables your extension to have support without any setup wizardry. And it runs on multiple browsers at once.
Hope that clarifies things, and I'm happy to answer more questions :)
I'm trying to understand what your tool does, above and beyond copying a few files. Is it cross-browser support? multi-language support?