666370 - HTML page for add-on/persona install for use within the Snippets service.

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(Websites Graveyard :: getpersonas.com, defect)

Description

[Chris More [:cmore]]

Per bug 653784, a goal of the Snippet service is to present something more than static text and a link to about:home visitors. We would like the ability to present a strategically chosen FF add-on to present to specific locales and channels of users visiting about:home.

Traditionally, Snippets were served from the snippets.mozilla.org website and cached within localStorage. Due to security within FF, add-on installs can only be done through the AMO website. About:home does not have security privileges to do this thus our only option is to use an iFrame within the Snippet itself. The Snippet will be cached and it will contain an iFrame with a source on the addons.mozilla.org website. The HTML for the add-on install will not contain the normal AMO template. It will just need to be the minimal amount of HTML/Javascript to present an add-on and give the user the ability to install upon click. 

This HTML file will need to be highly cached and after talking to Corey Shields, it looks like it is currently set to 6 hours. We need to know if it is possible to hose an HTML file on the AMO website to be served up in an iframe within the Snippets service. We are still working on the design and code of the Snippet at this point.

Let me know if this is technically feasible and anything else that we should consider when developing the HTML page.

Thanks,
Chris

Comment 1

[Wil Clouser [:clouserw]]

This is technically feasible.

Another option may be to use the external install service, depending on how the about:home stuff works.  Notes at http://viewvc.svn.mozilla.org/vc/addons/trunk/site/app/webroot/services/install.php?view=markup#l40

Comment 2

[David Chan [:dchan]]

If I am understanding the bug, the goal is to host a page on AMO (static page?). On this page there would be a promoted addon which may change from time to time. The Snippets service which is currently used by about:home, would then include the AMO page. An end user could then install the add-on from about:home using the iframe.

I'll talk to some people on my team about the permissions about:home has. I don't believe it has many privileges despite being an about:* page.

Comment 3

[Chris More [:cmore]]

David: Yes, you are correct in how we want to technically accomplish this. 

I've talked to the FF folks and you are correct that about:home does not have this ability and they do not wish to add about:home to any whitelist. Currently, about:addons has an exception, but that is because that page has security wrapped around it. About:home is wide open and the FF folks said the only way to get around this exception is to use an iframe that points to AMO.

Comment 4

[Chris More [:cmore]]

Wil/David:

We have the code to be added to a static HTML page on AMO or getpersonas.com.

It can be found here:

https://github.com/mozilla/about-home-persona-switcher/blob/master/about-home-persona-switcher.html

It would be exactly the same as what was done for the page below that was used on mozilla.org:

http://www.getpersonas.com/en-US/external/mozilla/

The code on github has all of the HTML+JavaScript+CSS embedded directly within the file and we are going to include this as an iframe in a about:home snippet.

Let me know what I need to do to get a static page on either of those websites. All I need is the URL to the page.

Thanks,
Chris

Comment 5

[Wil Clouser [:clouserw]]

AMO is absorbing getpersonas in Q3, so you'll need to change the URL "soon."  We can put it on getpersonas in the mean time though.

Is this an English only project?

Comment 6

[Laura Forrest]

(In reply to comment #5)
> AMO is absorbing getpersonas in Q3, so you'll need to change the URL "soon."
> We can put it on getpersonas in the mean time though.

Good to know - we'll also want to transfer previews from other properties over (moz.com, etc.) but that's for another bug. We'd like to run this snippet early in Q3. Let us know when the URL changes. 
 
> Is this an English only project?

It is for now, but if it proves effective we'd roll out to other top locales shortly thereafter.

Comment 7

[Wil Clouser [:clouserw]]

Brandon, can you put this on http://www.getpersonas.com/en-US/external/about-home-persona-switcher ?

Comment 8

[Chris More [:cmore]]

Can we put this on AMO now or is it easier to get it on gerpersonas.com and then migrate it later?

Comment 9

[Wil Clouser [:clouserw]]

AMO isn't ready yet.  It is going to use a more generic service which will let people create these more easily.  see bug 636589

Comment 10

[Chris More [:cmore]]

Wil: ahh ok. thanks

Brandon: Let me know when that URL is available so we can test on stage. There occasionally may be updates to the code on github and I would put in an additional bug to get it updated. Any ETA on when it will be available?

Comment 11

[Wil Clouser [:clouserw]]

Looks like this would be more consistent:

http://www.getpersonas.com/en-US/external/mozilla/about-home-persona-switcher

if you want to shorten the name, I wouldn't hate it. :)

Comment 12

[Chris More [:cmore]]

Wil: That would be perfect to use that URL.

Comment 13

[Chris More [:cmore]]

Is there an update on when this HTML page will be uploaded to: http://www.getpersonas.com/en-US/external/mozilla/about-home-persona-switcher

Code can be found here:

https://github.com/mozilla/about-home-persona-switcher/blob/master/about-home-persona-switcher.html

Comment 14

[Chris More [:cmore]]

Can someone let me know what is taking almost 3 weeks to upload a static page to getpersonas.com?

Comment 15

[Brandon Savage [:brandon]]

(In reply to comment #14)
> Can someone let me know what is taking almost 3 weeks to upload a static
> page to getpersonas.com?

This should be part of the next push with a couple of other Personas bugs. I'm expecting that to go out either Thursday or next Tuesday.

Comment 16

[Brandon Savage [:brandon]]

Committed in r92415.

Comment 17

[Chris More [:cmore]]

Bradon: We will have few more of these that will be coming per bug 670682. The "Whippet" project is very high profile for Mozilla. The pages for the persona preview will hopefully be approved in the next few days and then we will finalize the the HTML and copy. When this happens, we will literally need a day or two turn around time to make the July 15th deadline. This particular bug isn't tied to a deadline, but bug 670682 is. Let me know if you or someone else will be available later this week for the two other pushes to getpersonas.com.

Comment 18

[Brandon Savage [:brandon]]

(In reply to comment #17)
> Bradon: We will have few more of these that will be coming per bug 670682.
> The "Whippet" project is very high profile for Mozilla. The pages for the
> persona preview will hopefully be approved in the next few days and then we
> will finalize the the HTML and copy. When this happens, we will literally
> need a day or two turn around time to make the July 15th deadline. This
> particular bug isn't tied to a deadline, but bug 670682 is. Let me know if
> you or someone else will be available later this week for the two other
> pushes to getpersonas.com.

I won't be available on Friday, but if you have the approvals prior to Thursday I'll make it a point to get them into the repository and through QA as soon as possible. Wil usually makes the final call as to when releases go out, but I think Thursday is something we can do. Obviously a major component will be getting approvals through.

I do not have access to the bug you linked in this issue.

Comment 19

[Vishal Kamdar [:vish_moz]]

Verified, FIXED.

Comment 20

[Chris More [:cmore]]

Shouldn't this bug remain open until the push to production has occurred and the URL is verified to be accessible?

Comment 21

[Vishal Kamdar [:vish_moz]]

(In reply to comment #20)
> Shouldn't this bug remain open until the push to production has occurred and
> the URL is verified to be accessible?

After verifying a bug on Staging we mark it 'Verified, Fixed'.

Comment 22

[Brandon Savage [:brandon]]

Our process has been to resolve the bug, and have it verified by QA on stage prior to push. It will be reverified on push, and reopened if there are any issues.

Comment 23

[Chris More [:cmore]]

Cool. Thanks for the process info.

Comment 24

[Brandon Savage [:brandon]]

This has been pushed live and verified. The URL is http://www.getpersonas.com/en-US/external/mozilla/about-home-persona-switcher.html (note the ".html" extension, which is required).