56243 - Need platform specific prefs

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(SeaMonkey :: Preferences, defect, P3)

Description

[Colin Blake]

OpenVMS needs some changes to the default prefs. Here's the initial cut at those
changes. For each pref, the first value is the existing UNIX value, and the
second value is what it need to be for OpenVMS.

unix.js
  print.print_command
    lpr
    print
  applications.telnet
    xterm -e telnet %h %p
    create/terminal/detach "telnet %h %p"
  applications.tn3270
    xterm -e tn3270 %h
    create/terminal/detach "telnet /term=IBM-3278-5 %h %p"
  applications.rlogin
    xterm -e rlogin %h
    create/terminal/detach "rlogin %h"
  applications.rlogin_with_user
    xterm -e rlogin %h -l %u
    create/terminal/detach "rlogin %h -l %u"
  mail.use_movemail
    true
    false
  mail.use_builtin_movemail
    true
    false
  helpers.global_mime_types_file
    /usr/local/lib/netscape/mime.types
    /sys$library/netscape/mime.types
  helpers.global_mailcap_file
    /usr/local/lib/netscape/mailcap
    /sys$library/netscape/mailcap

all.js
  security.enable_java
    true
    false

My question at this point is, what's the right way to make platform specific
changes to the prefs? Should I create a vmspref.js and then add that to
http://lxr.mozilla.org/seamonkey/source/modules/libpref/src/nsPref.cpp#1572
Would anything in vmspref.js then supercede any pref that came from initpref.js
or unix.js? Is that the way it works?

Comment 1

[Colin Blake]

Neeti, can you tell me the right way to do this. Thanks, Colin.

Comment 2

[Colin Blake]

Neeti, can you tell me the right way to do this. Or can you point me at someone 
who can? Thanks.

Comment 3

[neeti]

Seth,
Can you help Colin with this?

Thanks,
Neeti

Comment 4

[sairuh (rarely reading bugmail)]

i can prolly verify the info in the resulting file[s] when this is fixed, but
since i don't have access to a vms box, am adding qawanted to see if someone can
really test this...

Comment 5

[Colin Blake]

I am really looking for HOW to make platform specific pref changes. If someone 
can tell me, I'm willing to make the changes, test, and check in.

Please don't check in the changes above. That was just my first guesstimate
back in October and IS NOT TESTED AT ALL.

Comment 6

[neeti]

cc'ing alec, dveditz

Comment 7

[Alec Flett]

the proper way to do this is to call yours vms.js, (not vmspref.js, that's just
redundant) and add it to your packaging for your platform. prefs are loaded in
alphabetical order (yes, I know thats a hack) so your vms.js would get loaded at
the end, and override any default prefs.

We may eventually have some better special ordering but for now that is what I
would recommend

Comment 8

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

alec, I thought we parsed the specialFiles[] prefs in order?

Comment 9

[Daniel Veditz [:dveditz]]

actually they're loaded in *reverse* alphabetical order, because of the 
all-ns.js hack.

Comment 10

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

I think if colin adds "vms.js" to specialFiles[] (like we do for os2prefs.js and
unix.js), it will "do the right thing".

if you want your vms.js to override unix.js, you'll need to do this:

Index: nsPref.cpp
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/mozilla/modules/libpref/src/nsPref.cpp,v
retrieving revision 3.135
diff -u -r3.135 nsPref.cpp
--- nsPref.cpp	2001/02/07 07:55:58	3.135
+++ nsPref.cpp	2001/02/07 20:17:15
@@ -1742,6 +1742,9 @@
 	,	"unix.js"
 #elif defined(XP_OS2)
    ,	"os2pref.js"
+#elif defined(XP_VMS)
+   ,	"unix.js"
+   ,	"vms.js"
 #endif
 	};

but if vms.js overrides most of unix.js, just add "vms.js" to specialFiles[] and
copy prefs from unix.js into vms.js

Comment 11

[Alec Flett]

it really sucks that we have to hand-edit prefs.js just to add a platform.
we need a better solution

my thought is this: just call it "platform.js" - it would exist in a different
directory for each platform, i.e. unix/platform.js, windows/platform.js, and so
forth. then we hardcode platform.js into nsPref.cpp

Comment 12

[Colin Blake]

Something I don't understand. I created zzz.js, a.js, and _openvms.js, each
containing the same pref but with different values. The same pref is also
in the unix.js file. Turned on some file open tracing and here's the order
in which the prefs files were opened (and I assume read):

  /dka0/work/m08opt/defaults/pref/initpref.js
  /dka0/work/m08opt/defaults/pref/zzz.js
  /dka0/work/m08opt/defaults/pref/xpinstall.js
  /dka0/work/m08opt/defaults/pref/security-prefs.js
  /dka0/work/m08opt/defaults/pref/mailnews.js
  /dka0/work/m08opt/defaults/pref/editor.js
  /dka0/work/m08opt/defaults/pref/config.js
  /dka0/work/m08opt/defaults/pref/all.js
  /dka0/work/m08opt/defaults/pref/a.js
  /dka0/work/m08opt/defaults/pref/_openvms.js
  /dka0/work/m08opt/defaults/pref/unix.js
  /dka0/users/cblake/_mozilla/default/prefs.js

But the pref that "won" was the one in _openvms.js.  How come??

Comment 13

[Colin Blake]

It seems that whatever is found in unix.js or any prefs file from the bin area 
gets copied into the prefs.js file in the user's profile directory. If this is 
the case, shouldn't the pref files in the bin area only ever be read once, 
during some kind of "initialisation" phase?

Comment 14

[Alec Flett]

if every pref is getting copied over, then that is a bug. the only prefs that
are supposed to be written to prefs.js are the ones where someone calls
SetXXXPref() on it...

Comment 15

[timeless]

see also pref needs splitting and prefs need joining.  this trio is fun.
Bug 66877 - prefs files need to be consolidated
Bug 62755 - prefs files need to be partitioned / factored

Comment 16

[timeless]

sorry loops are bad

Comment 17

[Colin Blake]

> if every pref is getting copied over, then that is a bug.

I just made one up and it got copied to user-profile/prefs.js
Damn. This must be an OpenVMS-specific bug. I enter a report for it.
Any idea where I should look for what could be causing this?

Comment 18

[Colin Blake]

The prefs getting copied into prefs.js was my fault. I was using user_pref 
instead of pref in my .js files to set them. Grrr. Now its working as expected; 
initpref.js first, then all the others EXCEPT the special files in reverse 
alphabetical order, and finally the special files as listed in nsPref.cpp.

Comment 19

[Colin Blake]

If I only have a few prefs that I want to set for OpenVMS and the rest are all 
the same as in unix.js, would it make more sense to have a small "if (vms)" 
section in unix.js. Would this be a better way to allow the different flavors of 
UNIX to each tailor the prefs, rather than each one having to have their own 
prefs file? This is assuming that you could do the "if (vms)" test in unix.js.

Comment 20

[Alec Flett]

no, don't do that because we are likely switching formats to a non-JavaScript
based format at some point

Comment 21

[Colin Blake]

About to attach my fix for this. Looking for some reviews. Thanks.

Comment 22

[Colin Blake]

Attachment: Patch for OpenVMS specific prefs

Comment 23

[Colin Blake]

Attachment: modules/libpref/src/unix/openvms.js (new file)

Comment 24

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

r=sspitzer

Comment 25

[Daniel Veditz [:dveditz]]

rmoa=dveditz if you need it

Comment 26

[Alec Flett]

sr=alecf - I didn't mean to hold this up with the architectural discussion, sorry :)

Comment 27

[Colin Blake]

Attachment: revised patch (moved the include line down to its "normal" place)

Comment 28

[(not reading, please use [e-mail] instead)]

since alecf sr the first patch, and the second patch looks fine to me,
sr=sspitzer on the second patch.

check that bad boy in.

Comment 29

[Colin Blake]

Checked in to trunk. Marking fixed.

Comment 30

[sairuh (rarely reading bugmail)]

rs vrfy by checking lxr.