1407424 - Don't close the sidebar when the active content in the sidebar is a webextension that is updating

Status: NEW

(WebExtensions :: General, enhancement, P5)

Description

[Trevor Rowbotham [:rowbot]]

I am currently using the Tree Style Tab[1] WebExtension. This extension updated while I was browsing and the sidebar closed itself since the sidebar was displaying my tabs from the extension. This was somewhat jarring and caused me to lose my position on the page. 

Would it be possible to not close the sidebar when an extension updates and instead just reload the document inside it?

The immediate closing and then opening of the sidebar due to an extension updating can also cause additional work for the browser such as unnecessary restyle, reflow, painting, etc as well as kicking off image decodes for images that were not yet visible in the viewport, only to have them discarded again when the sidebar reopens.

[1] https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/tree-style-tab/

Both Bug 793018 and Bug 1117253 seem to point to poor performance behalf of the sidebar, so it seems like doing this could be good for performance and reduce visual jank.

Comment 1

[Caitlin Neiman [:caitmuenster]]

Hi Trevor, this has been added to the agenda for the March 13, 2018 WebExtensions APIs triage. Would you be able to join us? 

Here’s a quick overview of what to expect at the triage: 

* We normally spend 5 minutes per bug
* The more information in the bug, the better
* The goal of the triage is to give a general thumbs up or thumbs down on a proposal; we won't be going deep into implementation details

Relevant Links: 

* Wiki for the meeting: https://wiki.mozilla.org/WebExtensions/Triage#Next_Meeting
* Meeting agenda: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1b4r8z964_Est_mbSYUx9jtRt-HTtXgu-EAzM_3yr7ww/edit
* Vision doc for WebExtensions: https://wiki.mozilla.org/WebExtensions/Vision

Comment 2

[Shane Caraveo (:mixedpuppy)]

This is a bug that needs to be addressed, no need for design-decision.  Fixing for the sidebar may require a bit more than bug 1439674, but will still need that first.

Comment 3

[ariasuni]

Any news on this? That would be very nice to have.