251613 - [Mac] When launching build isn't the same as the last one used, it is backgrounded after opening. Also fails to open external link

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Toolkit :: Startup and Profile System, defect, P4)

Description

[Tracy Walker [:tracy]]

seen with recent 0.9+ branch builds on Mac OSX on a G3 
can't reproduce on a G5

-open a couple apps; tested with ichat and safari open
-install and launch Firefox with a new profile.

tested results: Firefox opens in the background of the other two apps.

expected results:  Firefox opens in the foreground with focus.

subsequent launches of Firefox also open in the background.

Comment 1

[Wayne Woods]

I see this too on trunk nightlies. You don't need to have a new profile. You
just have to run a build of Firefox that is different to the last one run. It
doesn't matter if the build is older or newer. I can reproduce the problem
consistently simply by running two different builds alternately.

If the same build is run twice in a row, then it always loads in the foreground
on the second and subsequent launches, so this problem is minor.

This problem began in builds somewhere between 20040528 and 20040623 (sorry I
can't be more specific for now).

The builds that show this problem also show another behaviour that is different
to earlier builds: basically, when you launch Firefox and it's not the same as
the last build that was run, then the icon appears in the dock briefly, then it
vanishes for a second or two, then comes back and loads properly, but appears in
the background. Earlier builds don't do the brief vanishing trick and always
load in the foreground.

So it appears that whatever code was added that executes when a new/different
build is being run is causing the application to be backgrounded in the process.

Comment 2

[Hiro]

It has been reproducing, after aviary branch is made.
This problem is not generated up to before it.
And this problem is reproduced also by Thunderbird.

>If the same build is run twice in a row, then it always loads in the foreground
>on the second and subsequent launches, so this problem is minor.
Although the icon of Firebird/Thunderbird appears in Doc when it starts for the
first time, the window of Migration may hide in Finder.
It may be bewildered by the window of application not appearing, even if it
waits till when.
This thinks that it is very bad on user experience.

Mac OS X 10.3.5

Comment 3

[Wayne Woods]

As you say, I guess it could be the profile migration code backgrounding the
application (even though it's obviously not migrating anything as a profile
already exists).

Further narrowing down: It began between builds 20040530 and 20040621 on the
trunk. Unfortunately there don't seem to be any trunk builds in between, so I
can't narrow it further. However I also know it began by 20040608 on the 0.9
branch. Assuming that the cause was checked in at a similar date on both branch
and trunk, that'd narrow it down to a week.

Comment 4

[Wayne Woods]

This bug causes another problem, but I never got around to reporting it before
now. I'm hoping it can be fixed up for 1.1, when polishing up the Mac version...

If you first open the new build by clicking on an external link (say a url in an
email), the browser launches, but the page fails to load. It just opens a blank
page. Of course it works fine if the browser is already running, or it's the
second time in a row that the build is launched.

So it looks like the profile migration code (if that's what's launching (?)) is
interfering with opening external links, as well as causing the aforementioned
backgrounding issue.

Since both problems seem to have the same root cause, I'm filing it here rather
than opening a new bug. I can file a new bug if you think it deserves it.

Changing the bug summary accordingly.

cheers

Comment 5

[Benjamin Smedberg]

No fix in sight.

Comment 6

[Mark Mentovai]

Fixed in bug 345057.