660255 - Allow running js code from distribution packages

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 667963

(Firefox :: Distributions, defect)

Description

[Ed Lee :Mardak]

It might be useful to be able to point at a js file from distribution.ini or maybe a "firstrun.js" file that can be executed early on in startup.

This particular case, I wanted to be able to clear a pref to trigger an alternate behavior in the extension manager, but the js file could potentially do anything, so structure-wise it might look just like a bootstrapped add-on.

Comment 1

[Dave Townsend [:mossop]]

Not sure we'd do anything that could run early enough to affect the extension manager as you'd like, but for other things it could be useful.

Comment 2

[Ed Lee :Mardak]

I can mark this WORKS FOR ME! >:D :D ;)

Mossop, you're right that extension manager runs too early... but that's ok!

I can modify distribution.ini to look like...

[LocalizablePreferences]
_=Cu.import("resource://gre/modules/Services.jsm"); if (!Services.prefs.prefHasUserValue("[e-mail]")) { Services.prefs.clearUserPref("extensions.lastAppVersion"); Cc['@mozilla.org/toolkit/app-startup;1'].getService(Ci.nsIAppStartup).quit(Ci.nsIAppStartup.eAttemptQuit | Ci.nsIAppStartup.eRestart); } throw {};

http://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/source/browser/components/distribution.js#356

Comment 3

[Dave Townsend [:mossop]]

I congratulate you on your discovery. I think we really shouldn't be evaling stuff from an ini file and would much rather switch to something like you propose in the first place

Comment 4

[Justin Dolske [:Dolske]]

nsIINIParser! :)

Comment 5

[Mike Kaply [:mkaply]]

I've removed the ability to eval from distribution.ini in bug 1251729.

It looks like you wanted to do the same thing as Microsoft - clear the lastAppVersion pref so that the extension is force installed.

Do you remember why you wanted this?

Comment 6

[Ed Lee :Mardak]

I believe it was something along the lines of the distribution add-on would be installed on new profiles, but it *wouldn't* install on profiles updating from older versions. So I needed a way to trick the extension manager to install the distribution add-on, and this was done with the eval trick clearing the lastAppVersion pref.

Comment 7

[Mike Kaply [:mkaply]]

See bug 667963

I'm going to come up with a solution in that bug.

I've removed the ability for JS running in distribution.ini.