1271330 - Avoid homepage overrides in the default profile

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Remote Protocol :: Marionette, defect)

Description

[Dave Hunt [:davehunt] [he/him] ⌚BST]

We should avoid homepage overrides in the default profile created by Marionette when launching Firefox. This can be achieved by setting the browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone preference to 'ignore' in testing/marionette/client/marionette_driver/geckoinstance.py

See also: https://dxr.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/rev/e5a10bc7dac4ee2453d8319165c1f6578203eac7/browser/components/nsBrowserContentHandler.js#108-109

Comment 1

[Priyank Trivedi]

Hi Dave, 

I'd like to take this up. This will be my first attempt for mozilla-central.

I have built the documentation to understand Marionette using Sphinx and I am currently reading it's documentation [1].

Regarding fix:
From what I understand from your comment, adding browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone:'ignore' in the required_prefs dict of GeckoInstance in file: testing/marionette/client/marionette_driver/geckoinstance.py

My Doubt:
How do I test this ? 

Is testing on Marionette client as described in [1] enough or do I need to write further tests ?



[1] https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/QA/Marionette

Comment 2

[Priyank Trivedi]

After making the changes, I built again with "./mach build testing/". Post that I tested with Marionette in the following [1] manner.

[1] https://pastebin.mozilla.org/8871392

Comment 3

[Dave Hunt [:davehunt] [he/him] ⌚BST]

(In reply to priyankt68 from comment #2)
> After making the changes, I built again with "./mach build testing/". Post
> that I tested with Marionette in the following [1] manner.
> 
> [1] https://pastebin.mozilla.org/8871392

I think your pastebin has expired as I'm unable to see anything there. You can test your patch manually by instantiating Marionette and checking the preference has been set in the launched Firefox instance. Without this preference set you may also see a first-run page in Firefox, depending on the version you're launching.

Comment 4

[Priyank Trivedi]

I have created a new pastebin [1]. I did instantiate Marionette and then using "get_pref("browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone")" tried to get the value of the preference set. Take a look at this pastebin [1]

I am getting the preference value as u'49.0a1', which is my buildId, I suppose. 

Before instantiating, I did make the changes, built again with "./mach build testing/" and then run the Firefox instance with "./mach run -marionette". Is this the right process ?

Please let me know where am I going wrong OR depending upon by build, is this the expected result ?

[1] https://pastebin.mozilla.org/8871602

(In reply to Dave Hunt (:davehunt) from comment #3)
> (In reply to priyankt68 from comment #2)
> > After making the changes, I built again with "./mach build testing/". Post
> > that I tested with Marionette in the following [1] manner.
> > 
> > [1] https://pastebin.mozilla.org/8871392
> 
> I think your pastebin has expired as I'm unable to see anything there. You
> can test your patch manually by instantiating Marionette and checking the
> preference has been set in the launched Firefox instance. Without this
> preference set you may also see a first-run page in Firefox, depending on
> the version you're launching.

Comment 5

[Dave Hunt [:davehunt] [he/him] ⌚BST]

Rather than using pastebin, please use comments or attachments in Bugzilla. This avoids situations when the pastebin has expired or is otherwise not available. Your code:

>>> from marionette import Marionette
>>> client = Marionette(host='localhost', port=2828)
>>> client.start_session()
> {u'rotatable': False, u'raisesAccessibilityExceptions': False, u'takesScreenshot': True, u'acceptSslCerts': False, u'appBuildId': u'20160430163040', u'XULappId': u'{ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384}', u'browserVersion': u'49.0a1', u'specificationLevel': 0, u'platform': u'DARWIN', u'browserName': u'Firefox', u'version': u'49.0a1', u'device': u'desktop', u'proxy': {}, u'platformVersion': u'15.4.0', u'takesElementScreenshot': True, u'platformName': u'Darwin', u'command_id': 1}
>>> client.get_pref("browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone")
> u'49.0a1'

Your import suggests you're using the Marionette harness. You only need the Marionette driver (marionette-driver) package, and can import Marionette using: from marionette_driver.marionette import Marionette

When you're instantiating Marionette, you're passing a host and port. I believe this will connect to an already running instance of Firefox, and therefore you will not be able to influence the profile (and preferences). Try instead passing a bin argument with the full path to the Firefox binary. This will then create a profile based on the defaults and launch a new Firefox instance using this profile. You should then be able to test using client.get_pref("browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone") and the value should be "ignore".

Comment 6

[Priyank Trivedi]

I will not use pastebin in future.

You are right. When I was instantiating Marionette, I was connecting to an already running instance of Firefox. I will try with bin argument and let you know the results with Marionetter driver.



(In reply to Dave Hunt (:davehunt) from comment #5)
> Rather than using pastebin, please use comments or attachments in Bugzilla.
> This avoids situations when the pastebin has expired or is otherwise not
> available. Your code:
> 
> >>> from marionette import Marionette
> >>> client = Marionette(host='localhost', port=2828)
> >>> client.start_session()
> > {u'rotatable': False, u'raisesAccessibilityExceptions': False, u'takesScreenshot': True, u'acceptSslCerts': False, u'appBuildId': u'20160430163040', u'XULappId': u'{ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384}', u'browserVersion': u'49.0a1', u'specificationLevel': 0, u'platform': u'DARWIN', u'browserName': u'Firefox', u'version': u'49.0a1', u'device': u'desktop', u'proxy': {}, u'platformVersion': u'15.4.0', u'takesElementScreenshot': True, u'platformName': u'Darwin', u'command_id': 1}
> >>> client.get_pref("browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone")
> > u'49.0a1'
> 
> Your import suggests you're using the Marionette harness. You only need the
> Marionette driver (marionette-driver) package, and can import Marionette
> using: from marionette_driver.marionette import Marionette
> 
> When you're instantiating Marionette, you're passing a host and port. I
> believe this will connect to an already running instance of Firefox, and
> therefore you will not be able to influence the profile (and preferences).
> Try instead passing a bin argument with the full path to the Firefox binary.
> This will then create a profile based on the defaults and launch a new
> Firefox instance using this profile. You should then be able to test using
> client.get_pref("browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone") and the value
> should be "ignore".

(In reply to Dave Hunt (:davehunt) from comment #5)
> Rather than using pastebin, please use comments or attachments in Bugzilla.
> This avoids situations when the pastebin has expired or is otherwise not
> available. Your code:
> 
> >>> from marionette import Marionette
> >>> client = Marionette(host='localhost', port=2828)
> >>> client.start_session()
> > {u'rotatable': False, u'raisesAccessibilityExceptions': False, u'takesScreenshot': True, u'acceptSslCerts': False, u'appBuildId': u'20160430163040', u'XULappId': u'{ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384}', u'browserVersion': u'49.0a1', u'specificationLevel': 0, u'platform': u'DARWIN', u'browserName': u'Firefox', u'version': u'49.0a1', u'device': u'desktop', u'proxy': {}, u'platformVersion': u'15.4.0', u'takesElementScreenshot': True, u'platformName': u'Darwin', u'command_id': 1}
> >>> client.get_pref("browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone")
> > u'49.0a1'
> 
> Your import suggests you're using the Marionette harness. You only need the
> Marionette driver (marionette-driver) package, and can import Marionette
> using: from marionette_driver.marionette import Marionette
> 
> When you're instantiating Marionette, you're passing a host and port. I
> believe this will connect to an already running instance of Firefox, and
> therefore you will not be able to influence the profile (and preferences).
> Try instead passing a bin argument with the full path to the Firefox binary.
> This will then create a profile based on the defaults and launch a new
> Firefox instance using this profile. You should then be able to test using
> client.get_pref("browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone") and the value
> should be "ignore".

(In reply to Dave Hunt (:davehunt) from comment #5)
> Rather than using pastebin, please use comments or attachments in Bugzilla.
> This avoids situations when the pastebin has expired or is otherwise not
> available. Your code:
> 
> >>> from marionette import Marionette
> >>> client = Marionette(host='localhost', port=2828)
> >>> client.start_session()
> > {u'rotatable': False, u'raisesAccessibilityExceptions': False, u'takesScreenshot': True, u'acceptSslCerts': False, u'appBuildId': u'20160430163040', u'XULappId': u'{ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384}', u'browserVersion': u'49.0a1', u'specificationLevel': 0, u'platform': u'DARWIN', u'browserName': u'Firefox', u'version': u'49.0a1', u'device': u'desktop', u'proxy': {}, u'platformVersion': u'15.4.0', u'takesElementScreenshot': True, u'platformName': u'Darwin', u'command_id': 1}
> >>> client.get_pref("browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone")
> > u'49.0a1'
> 
> Your import suggests you're using the Marionette harness. You only need the
> Marionette driver (marionette-driver) package, and can import Marionette
> using: from marionette_driver.marionette import Marionette
> 
> When you're instantiating Marionette, you're passing a host and port. I
> believe this will connect to an already running instance of Firefox, and
> therefore you will not be able to influence the profile (and preferences).
> Try instead passing a bin argument with the full path to the Firefox binary.
> This will then create a profile based on the defaults and launch a new
> Firefox instance using this profile. You should then be able to test using
> client.get_pref("browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone") and the value
> should be "ignore".

(In reply to Dave Hunt (:davehunt) from comment #5)
> Rather than using pastebin, please use comments or attachments in Bugzilla.
> This avoids situations when the pastebin has expired or is otherwise not
> available. Your code:
> 
> >>> from marionette import Marionette
> >>> client = Marionette(host='localhost', port=2828)
> >>> client.start_session()
> > {u'rotatable': False, u'raisesAccessibilityExceptions': False, u'takesScreenshot': True, u'acceptSslCerts': False, u'appBuildId': u'20160430163040', u'XULappId': u'{ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384}', u'browserVersion': u'49.0a1', u'specificationLevel': 0, u'platform': u'DARWIN', u'browserName': u'Firefox', u'version': u'49.0a1', u'device': u'desktop', u'proxy': {}, u'platformVersion': u'15.4.0', u'takesElementScreenshot': True, u'platformName': u'Darwin', u'command_id': 1}
> >>> client.get_pref("browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone")
> > u'49.0a1'
> 
> Your import suggests you're using the Marionette harness. You only need the
> Marionette driver (marionette-driver) package, and can import Marionette
> using: from marionette_driver.marionette import Marionette
> 
> When you're instantiating Marionette, you're passing a host and port. I
> believe this will connect to an already running instance of Firefox, and
> therefore you will not be able to influence the profile (and preferences).
> Try instead passing a bin argument with the full path to the Firefox binary.
> This will then create a profile based on the defaults and launch a new
> Firefox instance using this profile. You should then be able to test using
> client.get_pref("browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone") and the value
> should be "ignore".

Comment 7

[Priyank Trivedi]

Hi Dave,

I did test using Marionette driver package and I still do not get the desired results. Here is what I did.

```
>>> from marionette_driver.marionette import Marionette
>>> client = Marionette(host='localhost', port=2922, bin='/Users/priyanktrivedi/mozilla/mozilla-central/obj-ff-dbg/dist/NightlyDebug.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox-bin')
>>> client.start_session()
> {u'rotatable': False, u'raisesAccessibilityExceptions': False, u'takesScreenshot': True, u'acceptSslCerts': False, u'appBuildId': u'20160430163040', u'XULappId': u'{ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384}', u'browserVersion': u'49.0a1', u'specificationLevel': 0, u'platform': u'DARWIN', u'browserName': u'Firefox', u'version': u'49.0a1', u'device': u'desktop', u'proxy': {}, u'platformVersion': u'15.4.0', u'takesElementScreenshot': True, u'platformName': u'Darwin', u'command_id': 1}
>>> client.get_pref("browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone")
> u'49.0a1'

```
Please suggest where am I going wrong.

(In reply to Dave Hunt (:davehunt) from comment #5)
> Rather than using pastebin, please use comments or attachments in Bugzilla.
> This avoids situations when the pastebin has expired or is otherwise not
> available. Your code:
> 
> >>> from marionette import Marionette
> >>> client = Marionette(host='localhost', port=2828)
> >>> client.start_session()
> > {u'rotatable': False, u'raisesAccessibilityExceptions': False, u'takesScreenshot': True, u'acceptSslCerts': False, u'appBuildId': u'20160430163040', u'XULappId': u'{ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384}', u'browserVersion': u'49.0a1', u'specificationLevel': 0, u'platform': u'DARWIN', u'browserName': u'Firefox', u'version': u'49.0a1', u'device': u'desktop', u'proxy': {}, u'platformVersion': u'15.4.0', u'takesElementScreenshot': True, u'platformName': u'Darwin', u'command_id': 1}
> >>> client.get_pref("browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone")
> > u'49.0a1'
> 
> Your import suggests you're using the Marionette harness. You only need the
> Marionette driver (marionette-driver) package, and can import Marionette
> using: from marionette_driver.marionette import Marionette
> 
> When you're instantiating Marionette, you're passing a host and port. I
> believe this will connect to an already running instance of Firefox, and
> therefore you will not be able to influence the profile (and preferences).
> Try instead passing a bin argument with the full path to the Firefox binary.
> This will then create a profile based on the defaults and launch a new
> Firefox instance using this profile. You should then be able to test using
> client.get_pref("browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone") and the value
> should be "ignore".

Comment 8

[Dave Hunt [:davehunt] [he/him] ⌚BST]

(In reply to Priyank Trivedi from comment #7)
> Hi Dave,
> 
> I did test using Marionette driver package and I still do not get the
> desired results. Here is what I did.
> 
> ```
> >>> from marionette_driver.marionette import Marionette
> >>> client = Marionette(host='localhost', port=2922, bin='/Users/priyanktrivedi/mozilla/mozilla-central/obj-ff-dbg/dist/NightlyDebug.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox-bin')
> >>> client.start_session()
> > {u'rotatable': False, u'raisesAccessibilityExceptions': False, u'takesScreenshot': True, u'acceptSslCerts': False, u'appBuildId': u'20160430163040', u'XULappId': u'{ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384}', u'browserVersion': u'49.0a1', u'specificationLevel': 0, u'platform': u'DARWIN', u'browserName': u'Firefox', u'version': u'49.0a1', u'device': u'desktop', u'proxy': {}, u'platformVersion': u'15.4.0', u'takesElementScreenshot': True, u'platformName': u'Darwin', u'command_id': 1}
> >>> client.get_pref("browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone")
> > u'49.0a1'

You shouldn't need to specify the host or port, as the defaults should be acceptable. That said, I'd need to see your code changes to understand why you're not seeing the new preference value. Where are you setting this? It's also important that you're using the code from your local source, and not running with packages installed from PyPI. To do this, first make sure you're running in a clean virtual environment (or at least uninstall the existing marionette-driver package), and then run:

> $ cd testing/marionette/client
> $ python setup.py develop

Any changes you then make to the client will be reflected in the installed package.

Comment 9

[Dave Hunt [:davehunt] [he/him] ⌚BST]

Are you still interested in working on this Priyank?

Comment 10

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+2]]

Looks like Priyank is no longer around. 

Sanyam, you were seeking for a new bug. Maybe you would be interested in? It's a somewhat useful one we would like to have.

Comment 11

[Sanyam Khurana [:CuriousLearner]]

Hi @whimboo!

Sure, I would love to work on this bug.

I've tried the above steps and I'm able to do this:

In [1]: from marionette_driver.marionette import Marionette

In [2]: client = Marionette()

In [3]: client.start_session()
Out[3]: 
{u'XULappId': u'{ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384}',
 u'acceptSslCerts': False,
 u'appBuildId': u'20160822103436',
 u'browserName': u'firefox',
 u'browserVersion': u'51.0a1',
 u'command_id': 1,
 u'platform': u'DARWIN',
 u'platformName': u'darwin',
 u'platformVersion': u'15.6.0',
 u'processId': 73311,
 u'proxy': {},
 u'raisesAccessibilityExceptions': False,
 u'rotatable': False,
 u'specificationLevel': 0,
 u'takesElementScreenshot': True,
 u'takesScreenshot': True,
 u'version': u'51.0a1'}

In [4]: client.get_pref("browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone")
Out[4]: u'ignore'

What's next?

Comment 12

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+2]]

Dave, what was the exact example when you have seen this problem? Looks like using Marionette directly with a fresh profile works the same whether the pref has been set or not.

Comment 13

[Dave Hunt [:davehunt] [he/him] ⌚BST]

Can you try on a release version of Firefox? I suspect the default value for this preference is different on Nightly.

In [1]: from marionette_driver.marionette import Marionette

In [2]: client = Marionette(bin='/Applications/Firefox 48.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox-bin')

In [3]: client.start_session()
Out[3]: 
{u'XULappId': u'{ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384}',
 u'acceptSslCerts': False,
 u'appBuildId': u'20160726073904',
 u'browserName': u'Firefox',
 u'browserVersion': u'48.0',
 u'command_id': 1,
 u'device': u'desktop',
 u'platform': u'DARWIN',
 u'platformName': u'Darwin',
 u'platformVersion': u'15.6.0',
 u'proxy': {},
 u'raisesAccessibilityExceptions': False,
 u'rotatable': False,
 u'specificationLevel': 0,
 u'takesElementScreenshot': True,
 u'takesScreenshot': True,
 u'version': u'48.0'}

In [4]: client.get_pref("browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone")
Out[4]: u'48.0'

Comment 14

[Sanyam Khurana [:CuriousLearner]]

Hi Dave!

It shows me this: 

In [1]: from marionette_driver.marionette import Marionette

In [2]: client = Marionette(bin='/Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox-bin')

In [3]: client.start_session()
Out[3]: 
{u'XULappId': u'{ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384}',
 u'acceptSslCerts': False,
 u'appBuildId': u'20160623154057',
 u'browserName': u'Firefox',
 u'browserVersion': u'47.0.1',
 u'command_id': 1,
 u'device': u'desktop',
 u'platform': u'DARWIN',
 u'platformName': u'Darwin',
 u'platformVersion': u'15.6.0',
 u'proxy': {},
 u'raisesAccessibilityExceptions': False,
 u'rotatable': False,
 u'specificationLevel': 0,
 u'takesElementScreenshot': True,
 u'takesScreenshot': True,
 u'version': u'47.0.1'}

In [4]: client.get_pref("browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone")
Out[4]: u'ignore'


I've changed the path for the bin here, since I don't have that version of Firefox.

Comment 15

[Sanyam Khurana [:CuriousLearner]]

Also, the above is when I've preference set up on my nightly build, if I remove that and execute the same as above (running release version)

I get this:

In [1]: from marionette_driver.marionette import Marionette

In [2]: client = Marionette(bin='/Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox-bin')

In [3]: client.start_session()
Out[3]: 
{u'XULappId': u'{ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384}',
 u'acceptSslCerts': False,
 u'appBuildId': u'20160623154057',
 u'browserName': u'Firefox',
 u'browserVersion': u'47.0.1',
 u'command_id': 1,
 u'device': u'desktop',
 u'platform': u'DARWIN',
 u'platformName': u'Darwin',
 u'platformVersion': u'15.6.0',
 u'proxy': {},
 u'raisesAccessibilityExceptions': False,
 u'rotatable': False,
 u'specificationLevel': 0,
 u'takesElementScreenshot': True,
 u'takesScreenshot': True,
 u'version': u'47.0.1'}

In [4]: client.get_pref("browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone")
Out[4]: u'47.0.1'

Comment 16

[David Burns :automatedtester]

Looks good. Can you push your change to Mozreview (details to get it setup at http://mozilla-version-control-tools.readthedocs.io/en/latest/mozreview.html) so we can review.

Comment 17

[Sanyam Khurana [:CuriousLearner]]

Attachment: Bug 1271330 - Avoid homepage overrides in the default profile;

Review commit: https://reviewboard.mozilla.org/r/74058/diff/#index_header
See other reviews: https://reviewboard.mozilla.org/r/74058/

Comment 18

[Dave Hunt [:davehunt] [he/him] ⌚BST]

Comment on attachment 8784725 [details]
Bug 1271330 - Avoid homepage overrides in the default profile;

https://reviewboard.mozilla.org/r/74058/#review71956

Change looks good and when tested locally Firefox 48 no longer launches with a first run page.

Comment 19

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+2]]

Comment on attachment 8784725 [details]
Bug 1271330 - Avoid homepage overrides in the default profile;

https://reviewboard.mozilla.org/r/74058/#review71988

::: testing/marionette/client/marionette_driver/geckoinstance.py:46
(Diff revision 1)
>          "startup.homepage_welcome_url.additional": "",
>          "toolkit.telemetry.enabled": False,
>          # Until Bug 1238095 is fixed, we have to enable CPOWs in order
>          # for Marionette tests to work properly.
>          "dom.ipc.cpows.forbid-unsafe-from-browser": False,
> +        "browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone": "ignore"

Please add this entry next to the other browser related preferences, so it's also sorted alphabetically.

Also please add a comment before which states that this only happens for branded builds of Firefox.
 
With both fixed r=me.

Comment 20

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+2]]

Comment on attachment 8784725 [details]
Bug 1271330 - Avoid homepage overrides in the default profile;

https://reviewboard.mozilla.org/r/74058/#review71990

Comment 21

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+2]]

I think this patch has a kinda low risk to break something, so it would be great to have it also for aurora and beta.

Comment 22

[Sanyam Khurana [:CuriousLearner]]

Comment on attachment 8784725 [details]
Bug 1271330 - Avoid homepage overrides in the default profile;

Review request updated; see interdiff: https://reviewboard.mozilla.org/r/74058/diff/1-2/

Comment 23

[Pulsebot]

Pushed by [e-mail]:
https://hg.mozilla.org/integration/autoland/rev/1c39b57bd204
Avoid homepage overrides in the default profile; r=davehunt,whimboo

Comment 24

[Wes Kocher (:KWierso) (Not reading bugmail; email directly if needed)]

https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/rev/1c39b57bd204

Comment 25

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+2]]

Please land this test-only patch to aurora and beta. Thanks.

Comment 26

[Wes Kocher (:KWierso) (Not reading bugmail; email directly if needed)]

https://hg.mozilla.org/releases/mozilla-aurora/rev/97238d31562d

Comment 27

[Wes Kocher (:KWierso) (Not reading bugmail; email directly if needed)]

https://hg.mozilla.org/releases/mozilla-beta/rev/a9ea5a5e86bc