633506 - If a user cancels the software install dialog for packed extensions in 3.6 they lose those extensions

Status: RESOLVED INACTIVE

(Toolkit :: Add-ons Manager, defect)

Description

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+2]]

Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10.6; rv:2.0b12pre) Gecko/20110209 Firefox/4.0b12pre ID:20110209030359

Whenever an user has installed add-ons in the extensions directory of his home folder (i.e. ~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/extensions on OS X) those add-ons aren't installed anymore. Even with extensions.enabledScopes set to 15 which should allow all types of add-ons to be installed, we don't check the extensions directory.

http://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/source/toolkit/mozapps/extensions/AddonManager.jsm#1022

I can't remember that we have decided to no longer check that location. Right now it's a regression from Firefox 3.6. Dave, worth having it at least as softblocker?

Comment 1

[Dave Townsend [:mossop]]

You mean ~/Library/Application Support/Mozilla/Extensions/{ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384} right?

Breaking the global install locations is hardblocker material I think

Comment 2

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+2]]

Oh right. But I have to update my steps. It looks like we correctly install the contained extensions, except the following case which trapped me: When you run Firefox 3.6 and hit cancel in the software installation dialog during start-up, and you start Minefield afterward, the extension is not listed. Does that mean we have generally banned it?

Steps:
1. Place an XPI into the global folder
2. Start Firefox 3.6 and hit ESC for the software installation dialog
3. Close Firefox 3.6 and start Minefield
4. Check the add-ons manager that the add-on doesn't exist

That probably changes the severity but will affect users who downgrade and later upgrade.

Comment 3

[Dave Townsend [:mossop]]

Only packed extensions then. In Firefox 3.6 we interpret then as dropped-in extension to install, if the user cancels that they are deleted, this will be true even for the profile. One thing we could look at is just dropping the install dialog there on 3.6 so we don't get into this mess at all but that is something of a behaviour change.

Comment 4

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+2]]

Wow, this also happens to packaged extensions located in the profile. I'm pretty sure that I have tested exactly that path in the past and it was working. I will check if we have a different regression range as bug 533038.

Comment 5

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+2]]

Ok, so bug 533038 isn't really related here. Dave, just for the clarification, when we cancel the installation dialog do we add a note somewhere that this extension should not be installed in the future?

Comment 6

[Dave Townsend [:mossop]]

No, we just delete the XPI file so we'll never ask again.

Comment 7

[BMO Automation]

Per policy at https://wiki.mozilla.org/Bug_Triage/Projects/Bug_Handling/Bug_Husbandry#Inactive_Bugs. If this bug is not an enhancement request or a bug not present in a supported release of Firefox, then it may be reopened.