Creating an IT Pro TV "app" for the Launcher on your Chrome OS device

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I'm reposting information from my blog entry at http://wnmctech.blogspot.com/2014/11/software-settings-launch-website-as-app.html, on how to create an "app" for IT Pro TV (or other websites) in the Launcher of your Chrome OS device. There is a similar "Chrome App Launcher" for the Windows and Linux platforms, but this procedure can only be used on a device running Chrome OS (which will then sync them to any linked Launcher of those systems and other Chrome OS devices where you use your account), not initially on those operating systems.
Within the integrated browser of your Chromebook, Chromebox, or Chromebase system, go to the internal address of chrome://flags/#enable-streamlined-hosted-apps. Click on "Enable" link for the highlighted selection. Restart your system completely.
From this point, once you are on the IT Pro TV website (I used the "Live" page myself), click on the "hamburger" icon (three short horizontal lines in the upper-right corner) to access the configuration menu, click on "More tools", then select "Add a shortcut to this website". In the dialog box that comes up, rename the entry to the shorter "IT Pro TV" (this step is important if you have "Voice Search" enabled, as what you say will need to match the "app" name). You will probably want to leave "Open as tab" unchecked (so it launches as a window), then click on the "Add" button.
It's a known issue that the "app" icon that will now be in your App Launcher (and synced to the Chrome App Launcher of you Windows and/or Linux systems) is rather generic, and it will not be shown the same on other linked launchers (I have submitted feedback, hopefully the Chrome OS developers will improve that behavior in later releases). If you have "Voice Search" enable, from the Launcher window you can say "Ok Google, IT Pro TV" to launch it by voice. To see a video showing this, or for further details including pictures of a couple steps, please visit my blog by the link provided above. Comment here or on the blog if you have any questions.

As an update to my earlier post, I now have the settings so that the IT Pro TV "hosted app" is synchronized better (accounting for bug) between your Chrome OS devices, as well as an ability to add a better icon. Remove the app you have created from my initial post, by right-clicking on it in the launcher. To make sure the new hosted app we are going to create is synced to your other Chrome OS devices, go to your "Settings", "People" (as it is named under Stable 40), and select "Advanced sync settings". Uncheck the "Settings" selection in the dialog box that comes up, then click on the "OK" button.
Create a new directory on your local drive with a relevant name like "IT Pro TV" (the directory can be removed later if desired, and the name is unimportant as long as you can find it for the following steps). Create a text file named "manifest.json" with the following code (I use the "txt" editor available from the Web Store):
{
"app": {
"launch": {
"urls": [
"https://itpro.tv/live/"
],
"web_url": "https://itpro.tv/live/",
"container": "tab"
}
},
"offline_enabled": false,
"permissions": [],
"requirements": {
"3D": {
"features": []
}
},
"icons": {
"128": "ITProTV.png"
},
"name": "IT Pro TV",
"description": "Simple Bookmark",
"version": "1.0.0.0",
"manifest_version": 2
}
Add an image to the folder, like this one I have named "ITProTV.png" (the image needs to be optimized, so that the background is opaque, and it displays properly on backgrounds of different colors):

[I have both files in the directory http://www.IBMMuseum.com/ITProTV/]
Go to the address "chrome://extensions" with the Chrome OS browser. Check the "Developer mode" box if unchecked. Click on the "Load unpacked extension" button, select the directory you created above, and "Open" the "manifest.json" file. Close the window when it is complete. The IT Pro TV "hosted app" is now in your launcher (you must create it by the same steps on your other Chrome OS devices to have it on them, but unchecking the "Settings" box above prevents you from playing "whack-a-mole" for the app creation), you can right-click it to "Pin to shelf" (the name of the Chrome OS taskbar). Further options in launching it as a window or tab (which I do) can be changed.

As above, if you have the "Ok Google" voice search function turned on ("Settings" -> "Show advanced settings" -> check "Enable 'Ok Google' to start a voice search"), you can launch the "hosted app" by voice.

The section:
"Click on the "Load unpacked extension" button, select the directory you created above, and "Open" the "manifest.json" file."
Should be:
Click on the "Load unpacked extension" button, select the directory you created above, and click "Open".
I am currently experimenting with more images as icons, and will update this thread on the changes.

I've now updated the image for the launcher "icon", and the manifest file to be more descriptive. Both are at the same location (www.IBMMuseum.com/ITProTV/). To show what it looks like now, here is a couple screen captures:

If you install the Chrome extension "App Launcher Customizer" you can also put an IT Pro TV icon in the Chrome grid launcher (present in the Chrome browser of all platforms). After the extension is installed, click on the grid square in the upper-right corner, and then select "Configure". Select the red "Add custom shortcut" button, and enter the following information (using the image I have at IBMMuseum.com/ITProTV/ITProTV.png as the "icon"):

Click on "Save service", and you may need to refresh the browser window before it displays as so:

Additional benefits of the "App Launcher Customizer" allows you to select from many more apps and sort how they display. The separate Chrome App Launcher program you can have on a Windows or Linux system can't have apps added unless they are in the "Web Store". I am trying to help get that added as soon as possible.

With Chrome OS "Stable 41", voice-launching an app doesn't work. It now brings up a web search on the app that you announced. I'm trying to get developers notified that the behavior needs to revert to the older, more functional, style.