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about:config changes not sticking

Posted: 2017-04-19, 09:47
by NancyJ
I had previously disabled the Inspect Element feature as I was using FireBug (this is possible back when I was using Firefox). I've had to disable firebug as it was causing problems - eg. some totally valid javascript not working but no giving errors. So I want to re-enable the built-in inspector, I went to about:config and made the change to turn it back on (it changed from user-set to default). That works for a while but then the inspector disappears again (this isn't after a browser restart either) and I have to go through the process again.

Re: about:config changes not sticking

Posted: 2017-04-19, 13:57
by coffeebreak
Maybe disabling Firebug wasn't enough.
Try uninstalling Firebug completely. And R-click/reset all of its leftover preferences in about:config (to make them disappear).

Re: about:config changes not sticking

Posted: 2017-04-19, 14:05
by Fedor2
Test it with clean profile.

Re: about:config changes not sticking

Posted: 2017-04-19, 14:08
by NancyJ
I don't think the inspector was disabled by FireBug, pretty sure I did that myself but I'll try uninstalling

Re: about:config changes not sticking

Posted: 2017-04-20, 13:04
by NancyJ
Uninstalling Firebug hasn't helped :(

Re: about:config changes not sticking

Posted: 2017-04-20, 13:43
by coffeebreak
Something in your profile, extensions/settings, must be interfering. As Fedor2 said above, test with a clean profile.

And from curiousity, when you say it works for a while, then disappears again, how long is "a while"... minutes, hours...?

Re: about:config changes not sticking

Posted: 2017-04-20, 14:13
by NancyJ
A clean profile will already have the setting as I want it though, so I'm not sure what that would prove? I'm trying to change it from a user-set value back to the default

I haven't timed it exactly but its in the region of hours not minutes.

Re: about:config changes not sticking

Posted: 2017-04-20, 14:57
by coffeebreak
NancyJ wrote:A clean profile will already have the setting as I want it though, so I'm not sure what that would prove?

It will be a clean starting point for troubleshooting -- to test by adding settings/extensions back one-by-one to determine the cause of your problem. It's time consuming, but it is a way to find a fix for the problem.

Re: about:config changes not sticking

Posted: 2017-04-20, 15:42
by GMforker
Ad

Code: Select all

devtools.inspector.enabled
You can find it in the source code here (only):
http://xref.palemoon.org/palemoon-trunk ... enu.js#220

AFAIK: I don't see anything that could turn off this setting (directly in the browser).

Re: about:config changes not sticking

Posted: 2017-04-20, 16:28
by Pallid Planetoid
Could this be related to your problem in conjunction with Pale Moon:
About this Add-on wrote:This extension needs DOM Inspector to be installed!
Since version 0.0.5, it does not require DOM Inspector, if you have
not installed DOM Inspector it will attempt to use Firebug or
Firefox's own Inspector to position an element.

Re: about:config changes not sticking

Posted: 2017-04-20, 17:26
by coffeebreak
Pale Moon Rising wrote:Could this be related to your problem...

The problem doesn't involve the Element Inspector extension, but rather the 'Inspect Element' function that's accessed through an entry in the main context menu. It's controlled by the preference that GMforker posted above
( devtools.inspector.enabled ).

The complaint, as I understand it, is that somehow this preference gets repeatedly flipped to false after OP sets it to true (the default) after a few hours of usage.

Edit: And I'm assuming here (OP, correct this if it's wrong) that the complaint concerns just the presence/disappearance of the menu entry -- and the value of its corresponding preference, but does not involve any features disappearing from the Developers Toolbox.
GMforker wrote:AFAIK: I don't see anything that could turn off this setting (directly in the browser).

Are there indirect ways? What might be able to cause this?

Re: about:config changes not sticking

Posted: 2017-04-20, 20:43
by NancyJ
And I'm assuming here (OP, correct this if it's wrong) that the complaint concerns just the presence/disappearance of the menu entry -- and the value of its corresponding preference, but does not involve any features disappearing from the Developers Toolbox.
That's literally it. Its just that flag in the settings keeps getting flicked back to false and I no longer have the Inspect Element menu item on right click. Its stayed on for about 12 hours now, I'll check again in the morning

Re: about:config changes not sticking

Posted: 2017-04-21, 07:20
by NancyJ
Come back to it this morning (computer and browser were open all night) and its gone again

Re: about:config changes not sticking

Posted: 2017-04-21, 07:52
by Pallid Planetoid
NancyJ wrote:Come back to it this morning (computer and browser were open all night) and its gone again
Before you retire for the evening tonight you might try starting Pale Moon in "safe-mode" and leave it that way overnight as you did before with computer and browser open and see if the same thing happens again by the next day. (Go to "Help" > "Restart with Add-ons Disabled..." and start browser in safe-mode and leave it overnight, exiting Pale Moon leaves safe-mode the next morning after you check to see if it's gone again and when you start Pale Moon again it will not be in safe-mode). After trying this see if you get the same results as you got this morning doing this.

Re: about:config changes not sticking

Posted: 2017-04-21, 10:08
by NancyJ
Did some checking and it also gets reset every time I restart the browser

Re: about:config changes not sticking

Posted: 2017-04-21, 10:19
by NancyJ
Seem to have narrowed down the problem to Luddite UI. I've disabled it and the options seems to be sticking now. Not sure I even needed it, must have been a leftover from my old FF install

Re: about:config changes not sticking

Posted: 2017-04-21, 12:40
by coffeebreak
NancyJ wrote:Seem to have narrowed down the problem to Luddite UI. I've disabled it and the options seems to be sticking now.

Glad you figured it out! :)

Re: about:config changes not sticking

Posted: 2017-04-21, 14:25
by Pallid Planetoid
FYI: This add-on was removed from AMO by its author some time ago.

The most recent review which is a long time ago (so an obsolete extension) on the Luddite UI add-on is the following:
Review on October 25, 2012 wrote:great UI fixer addon!
but just 1 thing to say:
be carefully when installing on a customized firefox, it can mess up ur settings.
so try it out on a clean install.
This is why checking Pale Moon in safe-mode (add-ons disabled) would have lead to the realization that an add-on was your problem a long time ago. ;)
Off-topic:
:idea: If you have a lot of add-ons you might consider going over all of your add-ons (since apparently you have potentially other orphaned carryover stuff from FF) and see what else you may want to remove as well (that you possibly never use).