1062752 - NPAPI plug-ins not loads if extension created using sdk 1.16 installed as unpack

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Add-on SDK Graveyard :: General, defect, P2)

Description

[Henadz Linevich]

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:32.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/32.0
Build ID: 20140825202822

Steps to reproduce:

By development of a plug-in using the addon-sdk version 1.16 I faced the following problem:
if the plugin is installed as unpacked then after restarting of the browser, npapi-plugins which loaded from the folder <extension>/plugins are not loaded (for example "IE Tab 2").
Reason: synchronous loading of harness-options.json in bootstrap.js which generated by sdk.
Steps:
0. IE Tab 2 is installed
1. Create an extension using the sdk version 1.16
2. Set "unpack = true" 
3. Install our extension
4. Restart browser
5. Open about:addons
6. Record for IE Tab Plug-in (npietab2.dll) is missing


Actual results:

npapi-plugins which loaded from the folder <extension>/plugins are not loaded (for example "IE Tab 2") after restert browser


Expected results:

npapi-plugins loads

Comment 1

[Erik Vold [:erikvold] (please needinfo? me)]

(In reply to Henadz Linevich from comment #0)
> User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:32.0) Gecko/20100101
> Firefox/32.0
> Build ID: 20140825202822
> 
> Steps to reproduce:
> 
> By development of a plug-in using the addon-sdk version 1.16 I faced the
> following problem:
> if the plugin is installed as unpacked then after restarting of the browser,
> npapi-plugins which loaded from the folder <extension>/plugins are not
> loaded (for example "IE Tab 2").
> Reason: synchronous loading of harness-options.json in bootstrap.js which
> generated by sdk.
> Steps:
> 0. IE Tab 2 is installed
> 1. Create an extension using the sdk version 1.16
> 2. Set "unpack = true" 
> 3. Install our extension
> 4. Restart browser
> 5. Open about:addons
> 6. Record for IE Tab Plug-in (npietab2.dll) is missing
> 
> 
> Actual results:
> 
> npapi-plugins which loaded from the folder <extension>/plugins are not
> loaded (for example "IE Tab 2") after restert browser
> 
> 
> Expected results:
> 
> npapi-plugins loads

Are there are errors reported in the browser console?

This is on windows too I assume?

Comment 2

[Dave Townsend [:mossop]]

I don't think we've ever supported loading NPAPI plugins from restartless add-ons which is what the SDK add-ons are.

Comment 3

[Henadz Linevich]

(In reply to Erik Vold [:erikvold] [:ztatic] (needinfo me if you have a question please) from comment #1)
> (In reply to Henadz Linevich from comment #0)
> > User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:32.0) Gecko/20100101
> > Firefox/32.0
> > Build ID: 20140825202822
> > 
> > Steps to reproduce:
> > 
> > By development of a plug-in using the addon-sdk version 1.16 I faced the
> > following problem:
> > if the plugin is installed as unpacked then after restarting of the browser,
> > npapi-plugins which loaded from the folder <extension>/plugins are not
> > loaded (for example "IE Tab 2").
> > Reason: synchronous loading of harness-options.json in bootstrap.js which
> > generated by sdk.
> > Steps:
> > 0. IE Tab 2 is installed
> > 1. Create an extension using the sdk version 1.16
> > 2. Set "unpack = true" 
> > 3. Install our extension
> > 4. Restart browser
> > 5. Open about:addons
> > 6. Record for IE Tab Plug-in (npietab2.dll) is missing
> > 
> > 
> > Actual results:
> > 
> > npapi-plugins which loaded from the folder <extension>/plugins are not
> > loaded (for example "IE Tab 2") after restert browser
> > 
> > 
> > Expected results:
> > 
> > npapi-plugins loads
> 
> Are there are errors reported in the browser console?
> 
> This is on windows too I assume?

Yes, this is on windows (Windows 7 32/64)

No errors in the browser console. NPAPI library not loaded.

Comment 4

[Henadz Linevich]

(In reply to Dave Townsend [:mossop] from comment #2)
> I don't think we've ever supported loading NPAPI plugins from restartless
> add-ons which is what the SDK add-ons are.

This is a different plug-ins.
My plugins created using Firefox SDK 1.16 and is restartless.
Plugins with NPAPI is not restartless plugin. And this plugin (IETab 2 for example) can't load NPAPI library from <extension>/plugins if used synchronous loading of harness-options.json in bootstrap.js (generated by sdk).
When I changed loading for asynchronously - all works OK.

Comment 5

[Erik Vold [:erikvold] (please needinfo? me)]

Sorry I wasn't able to look at this, I had to deal with bug 1037235, then our test suite was red and I had to fix that, now I have to go to our work week and I'm on pto after that, so someone else on the team will have to take a look at this if they can in the meantime.

It should be triaged on Monday I hear.

Comment 6

[Irakli Gozalishvili [:irakli] [:gozala] [@gozala]]

I'm afraid I have ton of other things on my plate, so I won't be able to take this.

Comment 7

[Erik Vold [:erikvold] (please needinfo? me)]

(In reply to Henadz Linevich from comment #4)
> (In reply to Dave Townsend [:mossop] from comment #2)
> > I don't think we've ever supported loading NPAPI plugins from restartless
> > add-ons which is what the SDK add-ons are.
> 
> This is a different plug-ins.
> My plugins created using Firefox SDK 1.16 and is restartless.
> Plugins with NPAPI is not restartless plugin. And this plugin (IETab 2 for
> example) can't load NPAPI library from <extension>/plugins if used
> synchronous loading of harness-options.json in bootstrap.js (generated by
> sdk).
> When I changed loading for asynchronously - all works OK.

So with JPM there is no harness-options.json, there is a package.json file, and this is loaded asynchronously, so perhaps that will resolve your issue?

We aren't planning to release a new version of CFX, which includes the old bootstrap.js file which synchronously loaded a harness-options.json file (which is also no longer used) and used the cuddlefish/loader. 

Please try making your add-on with JPM and see if this is still an issue, I doubt that it is however based on your description.