601306 - RFE: Need an option to Hide disabled extension and plugin

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Toolkit :: Add-ons Manager, enhancement)

Description

[Biju]

For personal reasons I have disabled Plugins
* Windows Presentation Foundation
* Mozilla Default Plug-in
* Adobe Acrobat

As well as I have disabled Add-on that I dont use often.

When I go to Add-on/Plug-in screen I wish I was able to hide/unhide disabled components.

Comment 1

[Matt A. Tobin [:nsITobin]]

That may be convenient however the common every day user may forget that an extension is installed but disabled. If this was to be implemented then I would suggest that it not be a simple check box out in the open for the reason I stated. Personally however I think it is a great idea.

Comment 2

[Biju]

It can be a simple check box or <show all> button.
Or have +/- signed line on the list.

We should make it easily toggle-able for user who have forget extension was already installed.

Or it may be like for extension/theme it can sorted the enabled at top of list disabled at bottom of list.

and for plugins I want completely hide.

Comment 3

[Biju]

discuss at 
http://groups.google.com/group/mozilla.dev.usability/browse_thread/thread/e57e3ffcb5efd172#

Comment 4

[Blair McBride [:Unfocused] (UNAVAILABLE)]

(In reply to comment #2)
> and for plugins I want completely hide.

I suspect the underlying issue here is that we can't yet uninstall plugins (which, for system plugins, would probably be implemented by just disabling and hiding them).

I'm not sure what the benefit of hiding addons would be. In the case of wanting to reduce noise in the list, grouping/sorting based on state (enabled/disabled/pending uninstall/blocked/etc) - pretty sure there's a bug on that, but I can't find it now. 

See also bug 549145, which is somewhat similar to this (option to hide based on state). I think the same conclusion applies here - ie, that there are simpler ways (UX-wise) to solve the underlying issue.

Comment 5

[Dave Townsend [:mossop]]

We went the route of ordering based on status in bug 624808. I don't think we want to add this option now.