New In Chrome 56
- Web apps can now communicate with nearby Bluetooth Low Energy devices using the Web Bluetooth API.
position: stickyis back - making it easy to create elements that scroll normally until sticking to the top of the viewport.- And HTML5 by Default is enabled for all users.
I’m Pete LePage, let’s dive in and see what’s new for developers in Chrome 56.
Web Bluetooth API
Until now, the ability to interact with bluetooth devices has only been possible for native apps. With Chrome 56, your web apps can communicate with nearby Bluetooth Low Energy devices in a secure and private manner using the Web Bluetooth API.
The Web Bluetooth API uses the GATT protocol, which enables your app to connect to devices such as light bulbs, toys, heart-rate monitors, LED displays and more with just a few lines of JavaScript. Web Bluetooth can also be combined with physical web beacons to discover and control nearby devices.
Francois has a great article on Updates, be sure to check out some of neat demos to go along with it. And be sure to check out the Web Bluetooth Community.
CSS position: sticky;
Previously, building content headers that scrolled normally until sticking to the top of the viewport required listening to scroll events and switching an element’s position from relative to fixed at a specified threshold. It was difficult to synchronize, and often results in small visual jumps.
Chrome now supports CSS
position: sticky;,
a new way to position elements.
An element that is position sticky, starts relative; but becomes fixed, after the element reaches a certain scroll position.
Simply set position: sticky, and set a threshold for it to become sticky.
h3 {
/* Element will be 'fixed' when it ... */
position: sticky;
/* ... is 10px from the top of the viewport */
top: 10px;
}
Paul Kinlan has an Updates post about it.
HTML5 By Default
Last August, we announced that we’d be moving to HTML5 By Default to offer a safer, more power-efficient experience. This change disables Adobe Flash Player unless there’s a user indication that they want Flash content on specific sites, and eventually all websites will require the user’s permission to run Flash.
In Chrome 56, HTML5 By Default has been enabled for all users, which means they will be prompted to run Flash on sites they've never visited.
More details about how and when users will be prompted, and recommendations on how to test your Flash sites.
And more
And of course, there’s plenty more.
- WebVR is available as an Origin Trial.
- The WebGL 2.0 API is now available.
- And the Payment Request API has a variety of new features.
If you want to stay up to date with Chrome and know what’s coming, be sure to subscribe, follow @ChromiumDev on Twitter and be sure to check out the videos from the Chrome Dev Summit for a deeper dive into some of the awesome things the Chrome team is working on.
I’m Pete LePage, and as soon as Chrome 57 is released, I’ll be right here to tell you -- what’s new in Chrome!
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Oh, and a big thanks to Andrew for lending me his shirt! I had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction.