1712104 - Add a preference 'print.prefer_system_dialog' to allow printing directly via the system print dialog

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(Toolkit :: Printing, enhancement, P3)

Description

[Mike Kaply [:mkaply]]

Chrome and Edge provide a policy that goes directly to the system print dialog when set (avoiding print preview).

https://chromeenterprise.google/policies/#DisablePrintPreview

With our new print preview functionality, we should consider implementing this.

Comment 1

[Blake Winton (:bwinton) (:☕️)]

(Adding Emma, for visibility…)

Comment 2

[Mike Kaply [:mkaply]]

Probably should be here:

https://searchfox.org/mozilla-central/rev/c5b2a134fe3f817e2853a4e23b6692bcc311dd6f/toolkit/components/printing/content/printUtils.js#247

Comment 3

[Jonathan Watt [:jwatt]]

How do you actually set DisablePrintPreview on macOS? It's not clear from the document linked above.

Comment 4

[Mike Kaply [:mkaply]]

on macOS Chrome? I'll see if I can find you an easy way. Policies on mac Chrome are a little painful.

Comment 5

[Mike Kaply [:mkaply]]

Attachment: com.google.Chrome.mobileconfig

Save this file as com.google.Chrome.mobileconfig

When you double click on it, mac will add it as an enterprise policy.

This file only has the DisablePrintPreview policy in it.

When you want to remove, you can search on "Profiles" in spotlight and it will bring up the UI to remove it.

Comment 6

[Jonathan Watt [:jwatt]]

Attachment: Bug 1712104 p1 - Refactor PrintUtils.startPrintWindow for easier reasoning. r=emilio

Having the called-back-for-new-static-doc logic mixed in with the
start-new-print logic was confusing. The new structure, function names
and comments should hopefully make it easier for people unfamiliar with the
various printing code flows to understand and reason about this code.

Comment 7

[Jonathan Watt [:jwatt]]

Attachment: Bug 1712104 p2 - Support printing directly via the system print dialog. r=emilio

Depends on D135451

Comment 9

[MarjaE]

Because the print modal can still trigger migraines, if users scroll or accidentally scroll, I think an accessible alternative is still an accessibility issue. (And an accessible option should be enabled by default, with the current version requiring user consent.)

Comment 16

[Tom S [:evilpie]]

This still seems like something we should do to me. Has there been any progress on this?

Comment 17

[Bruce Barrett]

I originally reported this as https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1755156.
I subsequently rolled back to v96.0.3 and disabled Firefox updates until this is fixed.

Comment 18

[sam.carter8]

Please, please, please, add an option to use the system print dialogue by default.

I'm using macOS and have various keyboard shortcuts configured for the system print dialogue, e.g. I could print to pdf by simply pressing cmd+p two times in a row. That was so much more convenient than your new dialogue, in which I have to either move my hand away from the keyboard to the mouse or cumbersomely navigate through drop down menus with tons of keystrokes.

Comment 21

[Anje]

Attachment: switch off preview.jpg

In Thunderbird :
Setting: 'print.tab_modal.enabled' = 'True',
Click on 'Print' - opens 'Print Preview' screen.

Setting 'print.tab_modal.enabled' = 'false'
Right on email and choose 'Print',
now offered the printer 'Print' screen - see image as example.
It by passes the Thunderbird Print Preview screen.

Can this be added to Firefox?

Comment 22

[peter håkanson]

This has been my sole wishes for firefox. Scrap the "deficient print dialogue" and enable the systems built-in dialogue. Or
give the use a simple configuration dialogue ( use system print dialogue OR give the command line that invokes a printout )

Current approach is a shame !

Comment 23

[Daniel Holbert [:dholbert]]

(In reply to Anje from comment #21)

Setting 'print.tab_modal.enabled' = 'false'
Right on email and choose 'Print',
now offered the printer 'Print' screen - see image as example.
It by passes the Thunderbird Print Preview screen.

Can this be added to Firefox?

That is essentially what this bug is about, yes.

(Not necessarily via that particular about:config preference, since that preference was guarding some obsolete code, which was removed along with the pref in bug 1702501. This bug here is about adding back a pref/configuration to explicitly let you skip the tab-modal dialog in a more targeted way without also enabling all that obsolete code.)

Comment 24

[peter håkanson]

What is wrong with a checkbox in the "preferences" section ?

As i understand it, skipping the built-in print dialogue and instead using the systems print dialogue seems to be what many users want.

Using "about:config + some variable to set" seems very ad-hoc and obscure, a proper checkbox under "preferences"
fits sane user interface and might even have a description for the user.

Comment 25

[Pulsebot]

Pushed by [e-mail]:
https://hg.mozilla.org/integration/autoland/rev/d3fc3c28488e
p1 - Refactor PrintUtils.startPrintWindow for easier reasoning. r=emilio,webdriver-reviewers
https://hg.mozilla.org/integration/autoland/rev/27f08073cac6
p2 - Support printing directly via the system print dialog. r=emilio

Comment 26

[Jonathan Watt [:jwatt]]

[Tracking Requested - why for this release]:
Just a heads-up that I plan or requesting uplift.

Comment 27

[Jonathan Watt [:jwatt]]

(In reply to peter håkanson from comment #24)

What is wrong with a checkbox in the "preferences" section ?

That would require a decision by the User Experience team. I've filed bug 1768210 to consider that.

Comment 28

[Ryan VanderMeulen [:RyanVM]]

Not something I'm going to track for the release, but I'm open to considering an uplift request when the time comes.

Comment 29

[Bruce Barrett]

I'm not a programmer... just a long-time fan and user of Firefox. I'm currently stuck on v96.03 (updates disabled!) solely because of the annoying and useless default print dialog which requires me to switch to the system dialog every time I want to print.

v96.03 is the last version I'm aware of that allows me to use the normal [system] dialog as all my other software. I hate to forgo subsequent updated and improved versions but, quite frankly, it's worth it just to circumvent the hurdle.

I know several other Firefox users who concur. PLEASE PROVIDE A PREFERENCE SETTING! And include it in your "What's New" release notes so we know when it's finally fixed after so many months.

Thank you.
Bruce

Comment 30

[Cosmin Sabou [:CosminS]]

https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/rev/d3fc3c28488e
https://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/rev/27f08073cac6

Comment 31

[Jonathan Watt [:jwatt]]

Comment on attachment 9258215 [details]
Bug 1712104 p1 - Refactor PrintUtils.startPrintWindow for easier reasoning. r=emilio

Beta/Release Uplift Approval Request

• User impact if declined: A number of users would prefer to be able to print directly using the system dialog without going through the preview. I'd also like to have this in 101 so we have some chance of getting user feedback before ESR 102.
• Is this code covered by automated tests?: No
• Has the fix been verified in Nightly?: Yes
• Needs manual test from QE?: No
• If yes, steps to reproduce:
• List of other uplifts needed: None
• Risk to taking this patch: Low
• Why is the change risky/not risky? (and alternatives if risky): Behind a pref.
• String changes made/needed: none
• Is Android affected?: No

Comment 32

[Ryan VanderMeulen [:RyanVM]]

Comment on attachment 9258215 [details]
Bug 1712104 p1 - Refactor PrintUtils.startPrintWindow for easier reasoning. r=emilio

Adds an option behind a pref for a commonly-requested ability. Approved for 101.0b4.

Comment 33

[Ryan VanderMeulen [:RyanVM]]

https://hg.mozilla.org/releases/mozilla-beta/rev/bf2d32209e42
https://hg.mozilla.org/releases/mozilla-beta/rev/90e87c43805c

Comment 34

[Emil Ghitta, QA [:emilghitta]]

This is verified fixed using Firefox 102.0a1 (BuildId:20220511094252) and Firefox 101.0b5 (BuildId:20220510144626) on Windows 10 64bit, macOS 11 and Ubuntu 20.04

Verified that:

• The "print.prefer_system_dialog" preference set to true opens the system print dialog instead of the print preview (tested using different trigger mechanisms: ctrl+p, window.print(), Print using via app menu and via menu bar option).
• The "print.prefer_system_dialog" preference set to false opens the print preview instead of the system print dialog.
• The preference can be enforced using a policies.json file successfully

Comment 35

[Alex Finder]

Hello! We encountered the following regression for talos on mozilla-beta. Would it be possible for this push to have triggered that regression ?

Comment 36

[Jonathan Watt [:jwatt]]

None of the commits listed over in that bug could have affected the perf of those tests IMO.

Comment 37

[Jonathan Watt [:jwatt]]

Mike, I guess I co-opted this bug for the platform side of things. Do you need a separate bug for the policy side of things?

Comment 38

[Mike Kaply [:mkaply]]

Mike, I guess I co-opted this bug for the platform side of things. Do you need a separate bug for the policy side of things?

I'll get one opened and done. It's on my list :).

Thanks for doing this!

Comment 39

[jscher2000]

I think it would be helpful if tabs.printPreview() could cause Firefox to ignore this preference so an add-on could call up the standard print experience on demand. Otherwise, it's difficult for users of this setting to change print job parameters such as scaling and printing headers/footers.

I filed a new bug for that over here: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1770862

Comment 40

[Mike Kaply [:mkaply]]

I opened bug 1770960 for the policy. Thanks for doing this work!