574685 - On install/enable, Helper addon should add window.mozFlightDeck to already-open windows and send notification events to them

Status: RESOLVED FIXED

(Mozilla Labs Graveyard :: FlightDeck, defect)

Description

[Dietrich Ayala (:dietrich)]

i started FlightDeck development from scratch in a new profile.

after installing the flightdeck addon, i tried clicking "test", and got the "addon required" notification again.

i reloaded the page, and then it worked as expected.

looks like FlightDeck needs to be reloaded after installing the addon?

if so this should be done for the user, so it doesn't just appear broken. i'd also recommend another notification once the addon is detected, confirming things are ready to go.

Comment 1

[Piotr Zalewa [:zalun]]

I just checked and in FF 3.6.3 the Addons window is displayed saying that the restart is needed. Isn't that enough?

Comment 2

[Dietrich Ayala (:dietrich)]

I'm using trunk, where the addon doesn't require a restart.

Comment 3

[Piotr Zalewa [:zalun]]

Sure - it should reload in the next iteration or Addon should instantiate itself in the window scope after installation

Comment 4

[Myk Melez [:myk] [@mykmelez]]

The optimal experience for this process would be the following:

1. A user presses the Test button for an addon they would like to test.

2. The builder displays a notification informing the user that they need to install the helper addon and prompting them to install it.  Per bug 573860, the notification should read: To test this add-on, please install the <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/downloads/latest/182410?src=external-builder">Add-ons Builder Helper add-on</a>.

3. When the user clicks the link, AMO prompts them to install the helper addon.

4. After the user accepts AMO's prompt, the helper addon is installed and loaded without a restart.

5. Once the helper addon has been installed and loaded, FD notifies the user that it is proceeding with the testing of the addon via a temporary notification that disappears after several seconds (and thus does not need to be dismissed manually).  That notification reads: Now that you have installed the Add-ons Builder Helper, loading the add-on into your browser for testing...

6. FD tells the helper addon to load the addon into the user's browser, and the helper addon does so.

Note that there are no page reloads as part of this process, as reloads can lose the user's context on a page (scroll position, unsaved changes, the test request) or require cumbersome additional steps (a prompt about saving unsaved changes, once we add that feature).

Instead, the helper addon should notify open FD pages when it is installed and inject the necessary globals into them.  And FD pages should start using those globals the moment it receives those notifications.

cc:ing Atul, as building this experience likely requires some work on the helper addon in addition to some FD work.  Once we figure out what needs to be done, we should split the helper addon work and FD work into separate bugs.

Comment 5

[Myk Melez [:myk] [@mykmelez]]

Atul: can you confirm whether or not the experience described in comment 4 requires any changes to the helper addon?

Comment 6

[Atul Varma [:atul]]

Hm, there's a number of different ways we can do this actually. Since the FD addon injects the jetpack global into windows on trusted domains when they're loaded, one option is to just have a simple iframe in FD that constantly reloads itself and checks for the existence of the jetpack global, effectively "polling" for evidence of the installation of the addon.

The nice thing about this is that since it takes place entirely in content space, it's easier to debug/iterate on. It also won't involve distracting me from work on e10s integration, if that's of any concern...

Another option is for me to implement an actual notification from the FD addon, presumably as a DOM event that gets sent down to the page on installation.

Comment 7

[Myk Melez [:myk] [@mykmelez]]

(In reply to comment #6)
> The nice thing about this is that since it takes place entirely in content
> space, it's easier to debug/iterate on. It also won't involve distracting me
> from work on e10s integration, if that's of any concern...

That's certainly of concern!


> Another option is for me to implement an actual notification from the FD addon,
> presumably as a DOM event that gets sent down to the page on installation.

This sounds like the better approach, but it doesn't necessarily involve your involvement.  We could find someone else to implement this piece.

Comment 8

[Piotr Zalewa [:zalun]]

just as a side note - it needs to happen in all FD pages which are currently open

Comment 9

[Myk Melez [:myk] [@mykmelez]]

Atul is going to take on the helper addon pieces to make this work, so assigning this bug to him.

Comment 10

[Atul Varma [:atul]]

Ok, I've just added this functionality to the helper addon:

  "As soon as the addon is activated, an event of type
   addonbuilderhelperstart will be dispatched to the
   document.body element of every open tab."

This is covered by these commits:

http://github.com/toolness/addons-builder-helper/commit/897e3ab8616124716a87cb8841f5b05c6f6bad0b

http://github.com/toolness/addons-builder-helper/commit/423eb9bf97d18c2bd0de8c3f052766455c7b6265

http://github.com/toolness/addons-builder-helper/commit/a9a3ffe92848167096eaa887052d11610b865891

The latest xpi can be found here:

https://secure.toolness.com/xpi/addons-builder-helper.html

Let me know if this works for you.

Comment 11

[Atul Varma [:atul]]

Added window.mozFlightDeck to all trusted open windows when the addon is activated:

  http://github.com/toolness/addons-builder-helper/commit/a98093b382de1fd96c45054924fa2e6b55cacdc3

Comment 12

[Piotr Zalewa [:zalun]]

Just one thing - could you add http://localhost:8090 and http://127.0.0.1:8090 to the list of allowed hosts? I know I can create my own XPI, but that simplifies and unifies the experience. Thanks

Comment 13

[Atul Varma [:atul]]

Sure, I've just added a mechanism at addon install/enable that checks the `extensions.addonBuilderHelper.trustedOrigins` preference and adds it to the list of trusted origins. You can separate multiple origins with commas.