649807 - Extensions with temporary files are not recognized

Status: VERIFIED WONTFIX

(Toolkit :: Add-ons Manager, defect)

Description

[3e2224c2]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; rv:2.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/4.0
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; rv:2.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/4.0

I have a couple of extensions that create temporary files under the extension installation folder. Since Firefox 4, these folders are created outside the xpi, because of the new method of handling xpi files. They are created normally on every testing version. However, after restarting Firefox 4.2a1pre, 5.0a2 and 6.0a1, the extension is no longer recognized as installed if it has a folder in addition to the xpi file.

I have tested other extensions that do not create temporary folders, by manually creating them and restarting Firefox. The extension disappears from the add-ons manager. After restarting Firefox again, then the extension reappears.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1.Create a folder in the extensions directory naming it after the ID of an extension already installed
2.Restart the browser
Actual Results:  
The extension is not loaded and disappear from the Add-ons Manager until you restart the browser again.

Expected Results:  
Extensions temporary folders should not affect extension detection and loading

Tested with Firefox 4.2a1pre, 5.0a2 and 6.0a1

Firefox 4.0 behaves properly.

Comment 1

[Dave Townsend [:mossop]]

I don't want to support both a file and directory existing for the extension. If you absolutely must put your temporary files there (and why not use the profile folder instead?) then you'll just have to mark your extension to be unpacked on installation with <em:unpack>true</em:unpack> in the install.rdf.

Comment 2

[Jorge Villalobos [:jorgev] (he/him)]

Is there a bug fix that caused this to happen until Firefox 5, though? This could affect other devs.

Comment 3

[3e2224c2]

(In reply to comment #1)
> I don't want to support both a file and directory existing for the extension.
> If you absolutely must put your temporary files there (and why not use the
> profile folder instead?) then you'll just have to mark your extension to be
> unpacked on installation with <em:unpack>true</em:unpack> in the install.rdf.

I just realized Firefox 4 is also affected and I never noticed because I test my extensions unpacked. I will update them asap.

Thanks.

Comment 4

[Dave Townsend [:mossop]]

Nope, this should be happening in Firefox 4 too, however the behaviour is totally undefined. Whether the add-on works with a directory there as well as an xpi likely depends on what order the OS enumerates the files in the filesystem. If it gives us the XPI first then things will probably work, if it gives us the directory then we'll think that is where the add-on is installed and find no install.rdf there.