1344058 - Add-on/extension (e.g. default theme) name and description not localized by pref if its disabled, affects customization e.g. in Firefox Developer Edition

Status: RESOLVED INACTIVE

(Toolkit :: Add-ons Manager, defect, P5)

Description

[Sebastian Hengst [:aryx] (needinfo me if it's about an intermittent or backout)]

E.g. latest 53.0a2 on Windows 8.1

Add-ons which have a localized name and description and this setting
>pref("extensions.<id>.name/description", "chrome://<path>/<file>.properties");
and
>extensions.{972ce4c6-7e08-4474-a285-3208198ce6fd}.name/description=My Extension Name
in the file don't have it localized if it's disabled (at least after a restart).

This also affects the default theme.

Steps to reproduce:
1. Use a localized build (developer edition is the easiest).
2. If you don't have the developer edition, open the Add-ons Manager and install a theme from the top-most pane.
Actual result:
- In the theme list, the default theme will now have an English name and description (works the first time, sometimes later it might a require a restart).
- In the customization mode from the hamburger menu on the right side of the toolbar, these English strings are used as label and tooltip in the theme menu at the bottom.

Comment 1

[:shell escalante]

in 57 this will work with webextensions.

Comment 2

[Andy McKay]

Sorry, to be clearer, will this be relevant in Desktop release once we only support WebExtensions? I don't think so.

Comment 3

[:Gijs (he/him)]

(In reply to Andy McKay [:andym] from comment #2)
> Sorry, to be clearer, will this be relevant in Desktop release once we only
> support WebExtensions? I don't think so.

I think it will, because the default theme will still be affected per comment #0, and at least for the moment I expect that'll keep being reflected as a 'complete' theme in the add-ons manager. I would be surprised if we were able to strip all the relevant code out immediately for 57, but maybe I'm wrong. Dave would have a better idea about this.

Comment 4

[Dave Townsend [:mossop]]

Once complete themes are gone this shouldn't be an issue but we should verify that.

Comment 5

[:shell escalante]

checking what our default theme is going to be with Photon- to understand what different kindso are.

Comment 6

[:shell escalante]

rob will ask mossop what he meant - think won't be issue beyond 57

Comment 7

[:shell escalante]

rob have you talked to mossop

Comment 8

[Robert Helmer [:rhelmer]]

Sorry for the delay. I believe this will still be an issue post-57 (what Gijs says in comment 3) because Dave is right in comment 4 that removing complete theme support will fix this but I don't know that we're going to have that removed in time for 57 (seems like the minimum bar would be to refuse to load themes for 57, and not accept them on AMO anymore etc)

I'm assuming this is a long-standing bug and while annoying is pretty low in severity, so while we probably won't get the above done in time for 57 I think it will go away soon since we definitely want to remove all the complete theme code from the addons manager.

Comment 10

[Shane Caraveo (:mixedpuppy)]

The only way I've been able to reproduce this is by installing a new language in about:preferences, which seems to not require a restart. Then I see english names for themes and buttons in customization mode. Any other steps I attempted I could not reproduce a mix. It would be great if someone could reproduce this. I'd close this, but am not certain it is not reproducible.

Comment 11

[Rob Wu [:robwu]]

name/description cannot be changed via prefs any more since the removal of the feature in bug 1462840.