Compatibility Reports for v25 (Archive)

[riiis]

I installed palemoon-25.0.0b2.atom.win32. Everything pretty much looks and works fine, compared to Pale Moon 24-- except almost half my add-on toolbar buttons disappeared from the navigation toolbar and were no where else to be found. Other posts on this thread show this vanishing-toolbar-button problem may be widespread.

The problem appears to result from overlays and overrides in the chrome manifest files of the affected add-ons. For example, following is an excerpt from the chrome manifest of the add-on "Simple Locale Switcher". The add-on requires a different overlay for Firefox 29 and higher, than for Firefox versions <29:

overlay chrome://browser/content/browser.xul chrome://simplels/content/overlay.xul
application={ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384}
overlay chrome://browser/content/browser.xul chrome://simplels/content/overlay-customUI.xul
application={ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384} appversion>=29.0a1

With Pale Moon version 29, Firefox's GUID no longer works for Pale Moon. Accordingly, the overlays for Firefox's GUID, above, also don't work in Pale Moon. Thus, another overlay statement, specifically for Pale Moon, was added to the chrome manifest as follows:

overlay chrome://browser/content/browser.xul chrome://simplels/content/overlay.xul
application={8de7fcbb-c55c-4fbe-bfc5-fc555c87dbc4}

With this change, and other overlay statement additions, "Simple Locale Switcher" now works in Pale Moon v25 the same as "Simple Locale Switcher" works in Pale Moon v24.

This overlay problem is not really a bug in Pale Moon v25. After all, Pale Moon is a different application and GUID than Firefox, and the chrome manifest file is working like it's supposed to work. However, the problem does make a large number of Firefox addo-ons unusable in Pale Moon (unless and until add-on developers make changes to their add-ons' chrome manifest files). Thus, it would be nice if a workaround could be coded into Pale Moon v25 itself, if possible.

Edit: Simple Locale Switcher v 0.8.3 (compatible with PM 25) has been released.

[New Tobin Paradigm]

Off-topic:
Well as stated we will do all we can to get developers to update their addons.. and if worse comes to worse and they don't play ball we will fork and modify it our selves and offer a stable pseudo-static version that will always work with Pale Moon would could be picked up by someone else

[Moonchild]

This overlay problem is not really a bug in Pale Moon v25. After all, Pale Moon is a different application and GUID than Firefox, and the chrome manifest file is working like it's supposed to work. However, the problem does make a large number of Firefox addo-ons unusable in Pale Moon (unless and until add-on developers make changes to their add-ons' chrome manifest files). Thus, it would be nice if a workaround could be coded into Pale Moon v25 itself, if possible.

I don't really think it's a "large number" that suffers from this issue and I have already made public posts about this that add-on developers could have looked at. One of the reasons this public beta was put out is to have a working base for add-on developers to test their changes against.

The reason I do not want to put a workaround into the browser itself for this is simple: it won't be conducive to add-on developers actually becoming aware of Pale Moon and that would lead to a rather counter-productive status quo with support for Pale Moon eventually dropping as the Firefox UI madness continues.
As you have already seen, the edits needed are absolutely minimal to make the add-ons compatible if they use GUID-linked overlays. Literally a 1-minute job. Add-on developers just need to be made aware that they need to do this if they want the growing Pale Moon community to use their add-ons (guesstimate of number of Pale Moon users is over half a million by now, and more every day).

[mikeysc]

Extension: DOM Inspector 2.0.14
AMO: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefo ... ctor-6622/

Problem: no UI (no menu entry under Web Dev)
Resolution: edit chrome.manifest and install.rdf
[replaced all occurrences of FF ID with PM ID in chrome.manifest and added PM target app section and deleted all others in install.rdf]

[win7-7]

Every add-on that I use has worked without any problems in functionality. Only Stylish appear two times in add-on manager like already mentioned, but works without any problem otherwise.

[mikeysc]

The developer responded to my request about Menu Wizard with a file to test. It isn't working as is. Looking at install.rdf he added the Pale Moon target block after other programs. The other extensions where I have tried to do this did not work for me either. I don't think any with multiple targets have worked by adding PM; they work only by changing FF ver. I can try moving PM target to the top but I can not expect a developer to always put PM first.
1) Is moving the PM target block to the top necessary and the correct thing to do?
2) Is there any other way (because developers can't be expected to put PM first)?

(Sorry, if I have missed this somewhere but info on this is scattered.)

[New Tobin Paradigm]

The developer responded to my request about Menu Wizard with a file to test. It isn't working as is. Looking at install.rdf he added the Pale Moon target block after other programs. The other extensions where I have tried to do this did not work for me either. I don't think any with multiple targets have worked by adding PM; they work only by changing FF ver. I can try moving PM target to the top but I can not expect a developer to always put PM first.
1) Is moving the PM target block to the top necessary and the correct thing to do?
2) Is there any other way (because developers can't be expected to put PM first)?

(Sorry, if I have missed this somewhere but info on this is scattered.)

The install.rdf isn't the problem but it should be added when the addon specifically supports Pale Moon.. The main issue is the XUL Overlays in chrome.manifest. This was described here AND in the announcement. Please direct them to that announcement.

[mikeysc]

Sorry, I figured it out while you were posting. IT ACTUALLY IS THE INSTALL.RDF. (shouting in a good way)
In this case, the dev had already edited chrome.manifest and added the same lines for PM that were present for FF.

The solution to this, and probably some of the others that I was at least initially not able to get to work is:
<em:minVersion>25.0.0b2</em:minVersion>
The "b2" seems to be the culprit in it failing the compatiblity check, adding that (with the extra .0) made it work.
Woohoo!

[buggy]

Extension: Stylish 1.4.3 (...) Seems to function as normal otherwise.

Even after having modified "chrome.manifest" and "install.rdf" i can't edit styles.

[riiis]

Sorry, I figured it out while you were posting. IT ACTUALLY IS THE INSTALL.RDF. (shouting in a good way)
In this case, the dev had already edited chrome.manifest and added the same lines for PM that were present for FF.

The solution to this, and probably some of the others that I was at least initially not able to get to work is:
<em:minVersion>25.0.0b2</em:minVersion>
The "b2" seems to be the culprit in it failing the compatiblity check, adding that (with the extra .0) made it work.
Woohoo!

You don't need to change "install.rdf" to add Pale Moon. The add-on will install just fine if Firefox 24 is included in the target applications. But, if you add Pale Moon, the target entry must be made correctly. However, adding Pale Moon to "install.rdf", though not necessary, is certainly preferred as the more thorough approach.

You also don't always need to add a specific reference to Pale Moon in the "chrome.manifest" file overlays. Your add-on's chrome.manifest file referenced Firefox's GUID specifically ("application={ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384}"), which specific reference effectively excluded all other applications, including Pale Moon, from the overlay. One fix is to enter additional overlay lines for Pale Moon (which you did). Another fix would be to remove the specific references to Firefox. Either way works.

[mikeysc]

You do need to change install.rdf for *some* extensions. Anyway, I tried it stock first and it reported as not compatible (as I posted earlier). The developer directly added PM25 support in this case - that is the best route. The only glitch with his mod was the beta version number. I fixed that on my copy. He doesn't need to fix it for release because the "b2" won't be there then. I think the important take away point here is that some of these other extensions have probably choked on install because of ".0b2". I know I worked around problems on some by just tweaking the FF ver # and not adding PM. But the developers will want to add to support multiple formats. Now I have to go back and look for ones I had trouble with.

Heads up for anyone copying Matt A Tobin's code for the target app on the first page, realize there needs to be a closing added to that block:
</em:targetApplication>

[11ryanc]

Adblock Edge is somewhat problematic, and Old Addon Manger is COMPLETELY broken https://github.com/Exalm/old-addon-manager

[New Tobin Paradigm]

Adblock Edge is somewhat problematic, and Old Addon Manger is COMPLETELY broken https://github.com/Exalm/old-addon-manager

A bitbucket issue has already been opened for ABE.. We will see if they do anything. Of Course Old Addon Manager is broken.. It uses Per APP XUL Overlayes

[mikeysc]

What can we do for extensions without a chrome.manifest file when the extension installs but has no user interface (and assume not functioning)? I did a search on one and the FF ID string only occurred in install.rdf so it seems to be something else.

Off-topic:
For anyone who may be interested, I setup a private IRC chat room with the primary focus, for now at least, of getting addons to work in PM. Other PM tweaks, and SeaMonkey as well, can be brought up but making extensions work will be the priority. Anything we learn will be posted here of course. You can send me a pm for the details.

[New Tobin Paradigm]

Those would be jetpack based addons I would guess.. Report them.

[mikeysc]

Extension: Nimbus Screen Capture - editable screenshots 4.0.2
AMO: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefo ... creenshot/

Problem: no UI (restartless, no chrome.manifest)

[New Tobin Paradigm]

Jetpack based addons are a tricky one to support due to the great lengths Mozilla took to prevent anything but Firefox from using them.

[11ryanc]

Adblock Edge is somewhat problematic, and Old Addon Manger is COMPLETELY broken https://github.com/Exalm/old-addon-manager

A bitbucket issue has already been opened for ABE.. We will see if they do anything. Of Course Old Addon Manager is broken.. It uses Per APP XUL Overlayes

Well hopefully we can have a port over for Adblock. As for Old Addon Manager, I'll contact the developer and see if he would be willing to edit the extension to work with PM 25x. Considering he makes this addon for SeaMonkey, and the fact he even made it at all he's probably dismayed with Mozilla's UI path. So hopefully he'll add support for PM. Rest of the Mozilla addons library, well there's thousands. Adoption will no doubt take time, but at least now Pale Moon will be fully independent. Maybe it'll raise awareness that it's not Firefox 24 clone.

[New Tobin Paradigm]

I already opened a ticket on their GitHub repo

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A reminder of how I am proceeding with this addon thing..

First I am contacting the developers and informing them of the changes to Pale Moon and requesting direct support

Second I will try for those who do not comply to offer them direct copypasta friendly solutions if possible

Third another attempt will be made

Forth (and this goes for abandoned ones as well) We will fork and serve our own pseudo-static version off the future addons site.

Fifth We will TRY once more to get them to support Pale Moon directly leveraging the forked version.

We are currently on the First step...

[11ryanc]

I already opened a ticket on their GitHub repo

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A reminder of how I am proceeding with this addon thing..

First I am contacting the developers and informing them of the changes to Pale Moon and requesting direct support

Second I will try for those who do not comply to offer them direct copypasta friendly solutions if possible

Third another attempt will be made

Forth (and this goes for abandoned ones as well) We will fork and serve our own pseudo-static version off the future addons site.

Fifth We will TRY once more to get them to support Pale Moon directly leveraging the forked version.

We are currently on the First step...

Understood. We'll see what happens from here. Thank Christ he's on Github and not "that other site"...
Hopefully all goes well.