1401106 - Removing an temporarily loaded add-on should keep its storage if it is already installed

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 607818

(Toolkit :: Add-ons Manager, defect, P3)

Description

[YF (Yang)]

STR:
1. Install and "Save as" the https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/sticky_notes/.
2. Write some thing to its notes.
3. Load the saved xpi file from about:debugging#addons.
4. Remove the loaded add-on from about:debugging#addons.


Actual results:
1. After step 3, you see the "some thing" keep (Shared loaded) and show.
2. After step 4, the "some thing" lost permanently.

Comment 1

[YF (Yang)]

In addition, the add-on's toolbar icon broken after the step 4 in Fx55, until restart this add-on. Fx56 and Fx57 looks fixed this issue.

Comment 2

[Andy McKay]

You've installed something temporarily over something permanent. A critical rating does not seem valid for that decision by a user.

A warning, or error, "You can't install a temporary extension over a permanent extension" would be a valid bug and perhaps something we should do.

Comment 3

[YF (Yang)]

(In reply to Andy McKay [:andym] from comment #2)
> You've installed something temporarily over something permanent. A critical
> rating does not seem valid for that decision by a user.
> 
> A warning, or error, "You can't install a temporary extension over a
> permanent extension" would be a valid bug and perhaps something we should do.

I think keeping (no removes), isolated (undo changes) or asking to keep or undo will be a better program for the users and developers. It is convenient to load a development version to an installed add-on, which can inherit the existing environment and configuration.

Comment 4

[Andrew Swan [:aswan]]

This is not limited to temporary installation.  Any time we have an addon installed in two different locations, uninstalling from the higher priority location switches to a version from the next highest priority location, but the bootstrap reasons we sent for all the events are all wrong.  If you manage to get into the "same addon installed in different locations" situation our UX is pretty horrible (ie you try to remove the addon but it just switches you to a different version) but that's a separate issue, lets at least fix the bootstrap reasons right now.