Could Someone Give me Advice on Customizing GNOME Shell Extensions?

Hello there,

I am new to the GNOME desktop environment and have been exploring its capabilities. I have become particularly interested in customizing my GNOME Shell experience using extensions; but I have run into a few challenges along the way.

I have successfully installed a couple of popular extensions from the GNOME Extensions website; like the Dash to Panel and No Annoyance. Although; I would love to dive deeper into creating my own extensions to tailor the desktop environment to my preferences.

Are there any tutorials; documentation; or courses you would recommend for beginners wanting to understand GNOME Shell extension development? I have looked through the official GNOME documentation; but I find myself needing more practical examples.

What are some best practices when it comes to developing and maintaining GNOME Shell extensions? :thinking: Are there common pitfalls that I should avoid; especially as I am just starting out? :thinking:

Also; I have gone through this post; https://discourse.gnome.org/t/whats-going-on-with-extensions-gnome-org-again-minitab/ which definitely helped me out a lot.

How can I effectively contribute to existing extensions or the GNOME community? :thinking: I believe that collaborating and learning from others will enhance my understanding and skills.

Thank you in advance for your help and assistance. :innocent:

Please refer to https://gjs.guide/extensions/.

  • First step would be to start with the above guide, and get a feel of how things work.
  • Next step would be to pick your favorite extension (preferably a simpler one), and customize its code and load the new changes in Shell.
  • If you’ve questions and the above guide doesn’t answer them, ask them here or in GNOME matrix rooms.
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