405921 - visually identify dynamic containers

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Firefox :: Bookmarks & History, defect, P3)

Description

[Dietrich Ayala (:dietrich)]

There's currently no visual identification that "dynamic containers" are different from regular folders. There are at least two reasons why we want them to be identifiable:

1. If an extension or malicious script inserts a container, the user should be able to visually discriminate it.

2. The user should be aware of potential performance penalty for opening a bookmark folder that may pull in remote data or require processing time over and above a normal folder.

Comment 1

[Brandon Sterne (:bsterne)]

Since this is a dependency of bug 375898, marking P2 so it stays on our radar for Fx3 triage/tracking.

Comment 2

[Daniel Veditz [:dveditz]]

In comment 0 point 1 where is the "malicious script" from if not an extension? Content can't create dynamic containers, can it?

If it's only chrome code this doesn't need to be a p2.

Comment 3

[Dietrich Ayala (:dietrich)]

This can only happen via addons.

Comment 4

[Daniel Veditz [:dveditz]]

Thanks, that's what I thought. The "or" threw me. If maliciousness is limited to extensions (and a malicious extension is bad in so many ways) then this is not a security blocker.

Comment 5

[Marco Bonardo [:mak]]

Faaborg: can we get an icon to identify dynamic containers in Places views?

Dynamic Containers are populated on container opening and can contain uris/folders/containers generated by an add-on.
For example, in bug 453530 we are trying to use them for livemarks, we already have an icon for livemarks container, so this is not top priority for that bug, but would be good fix this since i'm fixing some dynamic containers code.

Comment 6

[Alex Faaborg [:faaborg] (Firefox UX)]

I'm not sure I totally understand what you mean by dynamic containers, but it sounds like you want to use these icons, which we developed to visually reference OS X's smart folders, and Vista's saved searches, which are types of dynamic folders in their respective file systems.

OS X:
http://mxr.mozilla.org/seamonkey/source/browser/themes/pinstripe/browser/places/query.png

Windows:
http://mxr.mozilla.org/seamonkey/source/browser/themes/winstripe/browser/places/query.png
http://mxr.mozilla.org/seamonkey/source/browser/themes/winstripe/browser/places/query-aero.png

Linux:
http://mxr.mozilla.org/seamonkey/source/browser/themes/gnomestripe/browser/places/query.png

Comment 7

[Marco Bonardo [:mak]]

humm no, they are not queries, i mean that the data contained does not come from our databases/datas, it could come from an internet service or be generated by the extension, for example we could have a folder containing bookmarks from delicious. the content of the folder is completely free to choice by the extension owner.

Comment 8

[Alex Faaborg [:faaborg] (Firefox UX)]

Ok understood, do you need the new icons for beta 2?

Comment 9

[Marco Bonardo [:mak]]

before final, if possible, beta2 would be ok.
What about an icon similar to queries ones but with a gear insted of the magnifier lens?

Comment 10

[Alex Faaborg [:faaborg] (Firefox UX)]

Will these dynamic folders commonly involve some sort of network connection?

Comment 11

[Marco Bonardo [:mak]]

not necessarly, they are filled by a service that could (and i think it will often do) require informations to the web before populating them, but ideally it could also fill with our known data.
the service can populate the dynamic container with links, folders, queries, and data can come from everywhere (but since we are a browser i guess they will come from the net). Imho the most used feature will be catching links from web services though, and provide them organized into folders or tags, but ideally it could also create dynamic links to a web service with different params based on current navigation contest or day time.

Comment 12

[Alex Faaborg [:faaborg] (Firefox UX)]

Attachment: OS X dynamic folder

Comment 13

[Alex Faaborg [:faaborg] (Firefox UX)]

Attachment: Linux dynamic folder

Comment 14

[Alex Faaborg [:faaborg] (Firefox UX)]

I'll post XP and Vista sometime in between B2 and the next milestone (B3 or RC1), in the meantime, just make a copy of the search folders and then we can do an image drop in.

Comment 15

[Alex Faaborg [:faaborg] (Firefox UX)]

Attachment: Vista dynamic folder

Comment 16

[Alex Faaborg [:faaborg] (Firefox UX)]

Attachment: XP dynamic folder

Comment 17

[Gervase Markham [:gerv]]

Bug 451915 - move Firefox/Places bugs to Firefox/Bookmarks and History. Remove all bugspam from this move by filtering for the string "places-to-b-and-h".

In Thunderbird 3.0b, you do that as follows:
Tools | Message Filters
Make sure the correct account is selected. Click "New"
Conditions: Body   contains   places-to-b-and-h
Change the action to "Delete Message".
Select "Manually Run" from the dropdown at the top.
Click OK.

Select the filter in the list, make sure "Inbox" is selected at the bottom, and click "Run Now". This should delete all the bugspam. You can then delete the filter.

Gerv

Comment 18

[Marco Bonardo [:mak]]

dynamic containers are dead