659006 - Quick Reload Button for testing addons

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(addons.mozilla.org Graveyard :: Add-on Builder, enhancement, P4)

Description

[arky [:arky]]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; rv:2.0.1) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/4.0.1
Build Identifier: Addon-on Builder preview

When a user makes changes to the addon-kit code, you to hit the test button twice to unload and reload the addon.

A Reload button can be provided if the addon is already installed.  

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Create a new addon/library, write sample code
2. Hit 'Test' button to build the addon and install it
3. Make some changes the code 
4. Hit the 'Test' (the addon is uninstalled)
5. Hit the 'Test' button to install build and install the addon.

A reload button can replace the step 4 and 5.

Comment 1

[Daniel Buchner [:dbuc]]

We already offer this functionality. If you change some of your add-on code and hit the save button with the add-on already installed for testing, it fetches a new updated version and reloads it for you.

Comment 2

[arky [:arky]]

Thanks Daniel for quick response. 

It is not very clear in UI that saving the code would reload the addon. Also the icon for save button is commonly associated with record buttons.

Comment 3

[Piotr Zalewa [:zalun]]

Thanks, I filed the Change Save icon" bug
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=659288

Comment 4

[arky [:arky]]

Thanks Piotr

Comment 5

[Wes Kocher (:KWierso) (Not reading bugmail; email directly if needed)]

I'm going through Bugzilla, clearing out some of the older ones that might've been abandoned.

Do we still want to add a "reload" button to BAMO's controls?  I personally use the Save button like dbuc mentions in comment 1, but I can see how that isn't an obvious action to others. Once it reloads the add-on for the first time, it should be clear to the user that "Save" implies "reload currently loaded add-on". (Maybe Builder could overlay a little arrow animation pointing from "Save" to "Test" buttons if the add-on is currently loaded to make it really clear?)

I'll check back on this bug in about a week to close it if I hear no objections.

Comment 6

[arky [:arky]]

I think we need to do some UX testing of BAMO's controls. Unlike developers, the new novice users have a hardtime understanding the workflow.

Comment 7

[Daniel Buchner [:dbuc]]

When the test button is depressed, we could modify the save icon to have a little refresh arrow circle on the right corner of the image. Quick fix marking for 0.9.11 - I will provide the new modified disk icon.

Comment 8

[Piotr Zalewa [:zalun]]

Personally I think separate "reload" button would be best as it doesn't save before testing, which most of the time is not necessary before testing (at least that was the idea of testing without saving).

I mark this bug as wontfix as it waited for that for a long enough period