The "Add-ons" page Search bar for the "Available Add-ons" tab doesn't work Topic is solved

[Pallid Planetoid]

The browser extension "Search" bar for "Get Add-ons" doesn't work for me (PMv28.11.0):

Get this result for PM extensions that do exist:

Note: the "My Add-on" tab does appear to work -- it is just the "Available Add-ons" tab that doesn't.

... Please confirm - thanks.

I have to go to the Pale Moon Extensions Website page where the Search does work:

Pale Moon Extension website - search works

[vannilla]

I think the search field in the addon manager is meant to search installed addons.

[Pallid Planetoid]

I think the search field in the addon manager is meant to search installed addons.

As illustrated in the 2nd screen-shot in the first set of screen-shots: There is a tab for "My Add-ons" -- which does appear to work and there's a tab for "Available Add-ons" which results in "Could not find any matching add-ons" -- which I presume should list "Available" add-ons that may not be the users add-ons.

[vannilla]

I'm now in a position I can test it, and indeed the "avaliable add-ons" menu does not display anything, regardless if I have the extension installed or not.

[opus_27]

Searching for Available Add-ons also fails on 28.10.0 (64-bit); don't know how far back this goes.

[Pallid Planetoid]

I'm now in a position I can test it, and indeed the "avaliable add-ons" menu does not display anything, regardless if I have the extension installed or not.

And this result occurs when a known PM add-on is entered in the "Search" bar (to presumably search for) -- so the expectation is that the known PM add-on should be listed as an "Available" PM extension (instead of the message: "Could not find any available add-ons".)

Searching for Available Add-ons also fails on 28.10.0 (64-bit); don't know how far back this goes.

Interesting -- thanks for the feedback.

[billmcct]

Seems to be working in 28.9 portable.

[Pallid Planetoid]

Seems to be working in 28.9 portable.

So I tested my 28.7.2 portable and as before "Cookie Masters" failed to render using that extension name in the "Search" bar.

So I'm thinking -- why would an earlier version (28.7) fail to work when your later version (28.9) appears to work?

Could the problem be based on what is searched?... (like perhaps extensions with more than one word in their name is what fails came to my mind).

Sure enough I found that "CLEO", "FEBE", ABPrime, CipherFox all worked in my portable. That said, I found discrepancies -- for example "FEBE" resulted in both "FEBE" and "CLEO" (see screen-shot below) getting listed (hmm is the amount of letters, in this case 4, impacting the search results too? -- that would be weird).

But I digress.... So... maybe more than one word in the extension name is part of the problem in the first place with the current version of the installed Pale Moon.

Sure enough "CLEO", "ABPrime", "CipherFox" all work for the installed PMv28.11.0 -- there is a problem with "FEBE" however as this search results in only "CLEO" (there's that 4 letter thing again).

Clearly the Search function appears "buggy" in the first place (i.e. "FEBE" only lists "CLEO", see screen-shot below) while "CLEO" works) and extensions that have names with more than one word are apparently problematic.

Bottom Line: A search for "Cookie Masters" (a two worded extension name) fails to work but other extensions work, that is if they do not have more than one word in their names such as another one I tried "Pentadactyl" as another example which does work (since its name is comprised of one word).

So there you have it...

Portable:

Resident:

Example of "buggy" results (above - not due to multiple word extension names).

[New Tobin Paradigm]

JustOff or anyone else that includes an email address causes an XML error in search results because it isn't valid xml. Which means I suppose I will have to filter that massive horseshit out that I begged him to change.

Give me a little time so that those with small minds that can't look for an obvious error in the Error Console will have it fixed as if it was magic and not computer science.

For example:

Code: Select all

Timestamp: 7/19/2020 1:05:00 AM
Error: XML Parsing Error: not well-formed
Location: https://addons.palemoon.org/?component=integration&type=internal&request=search&q=youtube&locale=en-US&os=WINNT&version=28.10.0
Line Number 12, Column 40:
Source File: https://addons.palemoon.org/?component=integration&type=internal&request=search&q=youtube&locale=en-US&os=WINNT&version=28.10.0
Line: 12, Column: 40
Source Code:
        <name>Off JustOff <Off.Just.Off@gmail.com></name>

[New Tobin Paradigm]

RESOLVED FIXED https://github.com/Pale-Moon-Addons-Team/phoebus/commit/60a071c6db9a2dfee18150670557eb4b7f0b579f

Next time there is something wrong with the Add-ons Manager especially with integration.. Check the Error Console and if it isn't obvious? Flip extensions.logging.enabled and then look.

BTW, I knew about how to solve this from the OP on but wanted to wait to see if you empty brainpans worked out a proper error. Very disappointed, btw.

[JustOff]

Off-topic:
As far as I understand, the moderator who silently deleted my comment about the offensive commit message considers it acceptable? Well, this is obviously unfair, but I will not fight the windmills. I just want to thank those who sent me words of support via PM and email, and especially for refraining from feeding this fire.

PS: And no, I'm not going to waste my time reacting to Tobin's insane accusations and hate speech below.

[New Tobin Paradigm]

[Andrew Herbert]

Off-topic:
Implementing a compatibility layer for WebExtensions (except the XUL overlays part) isn't a bad idea, since not everyone wants to make powerful extensions.

[Pallid Planetoid]

RESOLVED FIXED https://github.com/Pale-Moon-Addons-Team/phoebus/commit/60a071c6db9a2dfee18150670557eb4b7f0b579f

Thanks for fixing the search to the extent that you have. (and thanks in advance for taking the time to read my comments below).

That said, I'm presuming that you would agree that the Browser Extension Search function should not only list all of the appropriate extensions available to Pale Moon specific to the search text entered in the Search bar but also the Browser Extension Search results should essentially match the equivalent Search results that is produced via the Pale Moon Extension Website Search function.

As to these expectations mentioned above -- their are outlier search result exceptions that still occur some of which were previously referenced.

Here's two examples:
1) The search text "Cookie" or for that matter "Cookie Masters" continues to not list the "Cookie Masters" extension in the Browser Extension Search (but does get listed in the Website Extension Search [linked above]).
2) A "privacy" search in the Pale Moon browser results in 5 extensions getting listed however the Pale Moon Website Extension Search results for "privacy" has 8 listed (that includes the additional "Greedy Cache, Decentraleyes and uBlock Origin (legacy) [external]). Because of the unique way that UBO is handled perhaps there's a reason for it not getting listed in the browser extension search - but I would presume the other two would be expected to be listed in the browser extension Search the same as the website extension search).

There are a number of other examples of similar kinds of results that I won't take the time to mention.

Bottom line: If the two search results (browser versus website) are expected to essentially produce the same results then perhaps some changes in the way the searches are performed should be looked into.

And if the answer is that the two search functions (Browser Extension Search versus PM Extension Website) is not expected to produce the same results -- I would respectfully be curious as to why this would or should be the case?

[New Tobin Paradigm]

They do match.. However, externals are not physically existing xpi-based add-ons so they can't be represented in the Add-ons Manager Search to install. But aside from that, the results are identical. The other bit is add-ons that are installed will be omitted from the displayed search results unless you switch over to "My Add-ons".

tl;dr it functions identically to how it has always functioned since Firefox 4. ALSO, the search is NOT limited to just extensions. It is any xpi-based add-on on the site for the application.

https://addons.palemoon.org/search/?terms=cookie

https://addons.palemoon.org/?component=integration&type=internal&request=search&locale=en-US&os=WINNT&version=28.11.0&q=cookie

[Pallid Planetoid]

They do match.. However, externals are not physically existing xpi-based add-ons so they can't be represented in the Add-ons Manager Search to install. But aside from that, the results are identical. The other bit is add-ons that are installed will be omitted from the displayed search results unless you switch over to "My Add-ons".

First - correct me if I'm wrong, but the Cookie Masters extension does not appear to me to be "external":

But more importantly beyond that -- why (in PMv28.11.0) using the same exact search text ("cookie") in both cases result in your Pale Moon Add-ons Manager list including the "Cookie Masters" extension --- yet the same "search" text for my Pale Moon Add-ons Manager list is missing that same "Cookie Masters" extension?

Example screen-shots:
1) My Browser Add-ons Manager list for the "search" of "cookie" (w/out the "Cookie Masters" extension getting listed):

2) Your Browser Add-ons Manager list (that you posted above) for the same "search" of "cookie" does list this extension (that is missing in my search):

[New Tobin Paradigm]

Do you already have that add-on installed?

[Pallid Planetoid]

OK -- I've got it now. So only extensions not installed will display as "Available". Which makes perfect sense! Thanks for the clarification (which should not have been necessary. )

I've marked topic as resolved based on your post referencing that fact (accomplished all w/in one page ).

[Pallid Planetoid]

Oh btw, as an afterthought it does occur to me that this manner in which the Browser Add-ons Manager "Search" works as contrasted to the different way in which the PM Extensions Website "Search" works absolutely makes sense as well -- hence the variation would ideally be the expectation. Considering that the Website is not internal to the browser so would obviously still list all PM extensions (installed or not) as contrasted to the way the "Search" works in the Add-ons Manager that is internal to the browser by including the added functionality that results in not listing any such extensions already installed (that can as such be readily be determined). All fits together quite nicely.

[moonbat]

Off-topic:

Off-topic:
Implementing a compatibility layer for WebExtensions (except the XUL overlays part) isn't a bad idea, since not everyone wants to make powerful extensions.

There is already Greasemonkey for creating user scripts that modify the content of specific webpages. It isn't about powerful, more about bloat when it comes to providing multiple SDKs to accomplish the same thing. Overlay/XUL provides a clean separation of UI from functionality - your user interface is defined using XUL, and javascript is for implementing the programming logic. With everything else, it is a giant mess of dynamically creating the UI through DOM manipulation (which makes it that much harder to comprehend, maintain or fork), and these extra APIs - Addon SDK, Jetpack and now Web Extensions have been implemented as hacks over the existing architecture.

It is also why you often see the complaint of toolbar buttons disappearing or custom toolbars vanishing altogether - it is always the SDK extensions that cause such problems. Furthermore - a XUL extension can be easily adapted to work across all UXP browsers, not just Pale Moon.