819696 - API to add items to the Site Identity panel

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Add-on SDK Graveyard :: General, defect)

Description

[Florian Bender]

I really like what Chrome is doing in the new versions with its Site Identity panel. There are quite a few addons that manage site-specific settings (e. g. cookie managers). It would be nice to have an API to add settings (and other content like any info text) to the Site Identity panel without tinkering with the current content (e. g. cert info). 

If Firefox adopts Chrome's "Site Info and Preferences Panel", the API should be as much future-compliant as possible. If have no idea how the current SDK API is designed (but I'd be willing to actually write an addon and learn about the SDK if this feature will be integrated) but here is my proposal (from 5000 ft):

```
SiteIdentity.addInfoText(String textToDisplay[, JSObject params]); // params can e. g. include an icon

SiteIdentity.addPreference(String preferenceId, String preferenceTitle, Array options, Function onchangeCallback[, JSObject params]); // the default type is a select element for the options of the preference

SiteIdentity.addPanel(JSObject thePanelObject[, String panelTitle]); // this should add a standard SDK panel (without chrome) to the Site Identity panel
```

It's rather a codified "what I'd like to have" than an actual API proposal. I hope you get what I mean. 

The distinction between these types allows for a seamless integration with an updated Site Identity panel, e. g. adapting Chrome's solution, preferences will move to a common pref tab, any Panel instance with a title will get its own tab and otherwise move to a common "info" tab. Of course, other ways to display all this data can be used. 

Concerning the prefs: If Fx adapts this integrated panel, the pref API should not go away: It may seem redundant but there is still a use case if an extension wants to add a site-specific pref but only handle it within the addon itself (e. g. whitelist the site in Adblock).

Comment 1

[Florian Bender]

Bug 588685 covers some work on redesigning the site identity panel, so fixing this bug probably needs some agreement on what is done in the other bug.

Comment 2

[Dave Townsend [:mossop]]

For the time being this isn't something we want to take in Firefox as it seems likely that this will change in the future.