Webxdc Container File Format

  • a Webxdc app is a ZIP-file with the extension .xdc
  • the ZIP-file MUST use the default compression methods as of RFC 1950, this is "Deflate" or "Store"
  • the ZIP-file MUST contain at least the file index.html
  • the ZIP-file MAY contain a manifest.toml and icon.png or icon.jpg files
  • if the webxdc app is started, index.html MUST be opened in a restricted webview that only allows accessing resources from the ZIP-file.

The manifest.toml File

If the ZIP-file contains a manifest.toml in its root directory, the following basic information MUST be read from it:

name = "My App Name"
source_code_url = "https://example.org/orga/repo"

  • name - The name of the webxdc app. If no name is set or if there is no manifest, the filename is used as the webxdc name.

  • source_code_url - Optional URL where the source code of the webxdc and maybe other information can be found. Messenger implementors may make the url accessible via a "Help" menu in the webxdc window.

Icon Files

If the ZIP-root contains an icon.png or icon.jpg, these files are used as the icon for the webxdc. The icon should be a square at reasonable width/height, usually between 128 x 128 and 512 x 512 pixel. Round corners, circle cut out etc. will be added by the implementations as needed; do not add borders or shapes to the icon therefore. If no icon is set, a default icon will be used.