Clearing storage folders

User Help for Mozilla Firefox
User avatar
Mo_D
Posts: 774
Joined: January 4th, 2006, 6:34 pm

Clearing storage folders

Post by Mo_D »

I was surprised to stumble upon these storage folders:
http://i.imgur.com/vxbjUat.png

I thought my privacy settings were set to delete these on close of Firefox. Screenshots of my privacy settings:

http://i.imgur.com/ITV7SX1.png

http://i.imgur.com/NO0qKRt.png

http://i.imgur.com/ixSI51a.png
(The redacted sites are not any of the sites listed in storage)

My understanding was that DOM storage was handled like cookies - clearing cookies would clear anything in storage.

I assume I can manually delete these 3 storage folders, right? But I’d like them to be deleted automatically on close of Firefox if that’s a possibility.

Will setting dom.storage.enabled to false break those sites/pages?
LewS
Posts: 190
Joined: January 28th, 2014, 2:18 pm

Re: Clearing storage folders

Post by LewS »

Maybe this addon:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefo ... ge/?src=ss

I would be interested to see if this works in your case, since it's kind of hard
to prove it does work, and on what.
User avatar
Mo_D
Posts: 774
Joined: January 4th, 2006, 6:34 pm

Re: Clearing storage folders

Post by Mo_D »

LewS wrote:Maybe this addon:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefo ... ge/?src=ss

I would be interested to see if this works in your case, since it's kind of hard
to prove it does work, and on what.
I'm trying to get away from adding any extensions. In fact, I'm trying to get rid of whatever I can live without.

That wouldn't work for my situation anyway, because it says it clears all. I assume it would clear cookies that I have set as exceptions - particular cookies I want to save.
LewS
Posts: 190
Joined: January 28th, 2014, 2:18 pm

Re: Clearing storage folders

Post by LewS »

It doesn't clear cookies, at least the traditional kind, just
DOM local storage. My exception cookies are not deleted.

I understand the need to avoid add-ons, given that
Apopalypse57 is fast approaching. I'm pretty much
committed to staying with 52esr, or SeaMonkey 2.49esr
if it manages to get done. After that . . .
User avatar
Mo_D
Posts: 774
Joined: January 4th, 2006, 6:34 pm

Re: Clearing storage folders

Post by Mo_D »

LewS wrote:It doesn't clear cookies, at least the traditional kind, just
DOM local storage. My exception cookies are not deleted.
So you're saying you have the add-on installed?
LewS
Posts: 190
Joined: January 28th, 2014, 2:18 pm

Re: Clearing storage folders

Post by LewS »

@Mo_D - Yes.
User avatar
Mo_D
Posts: 774
Joined: January 4th, 2006, 6:34 pm

Re: Clearing storage folders

Post by Mo_D »

I just installed it on my old profile, and it said it deleted 117 files, but the folders are still there, just like in the picture I posted earlier. There are also some sqlite files that are 49k with each folder. However the files themselves were always hidden. I didn't think to "get info" on them to see if their size changed. It seems they are all zero bytes, so maybe it did delete the files and it left the folders.
LewS
Posts: 190
Joined: January 28th, 2014, 2:18 pm

Re: Clearing storage folders

Post by LewS »

Too bad. I was hoping trying it on your files would clear up
my own ideas about what it actually clears. When I first installed
it there was no doubt it cleared something. It hasn't been updated
for a while and with all the changes will every release who can say.

I will try to contact the developer and point him to this thread;
will really be surprised if he is still interested.

EDIT 4/28/17 - Opened an issue on Github pointing to this topic.
There are open issues all thru last year, so I don't expect this to
get a response. Most of my questions have been answered in the
thread so all's well.
Last edited by LewS on April 28th, 2017, 12:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Mo_D
Posts: 774
Joined: January 4th, 2006, 6:34 pm

Re: Clearing storage folders

Post by Mo_D »

Let me try something else first...
User avatar
Grumpus
Posts: 13236
Joined: October 19th, 2007, 4:23 am
Location: ... Da' Swamp

Re: Clearing storage folders

Post by Grumpus »

With Linux there's either a byte count for something there or sometimes there is something there but it's zero'd in the file manager.
I looked at these folders and I find it odd the Mozillazine would have a folder and Youtube would have a folder.
Both appear to be empty but with some of the byte counts you note.
I went into the /home/cache/mozilla folder and noted a folder doomed. This folder is for no longer applicable icons, data whatever which is cleared from the cache and does not empty entirely until Firefox close. Upon dumping the items in the doomed folder the morgue items and other items in both the Youtube and Mozillazine disappeared.
Derfault - still shows the Mozillazine folder but much of the sub data is gone after the doomed folder items are dumped.
Permananet - still shows chrome IDB folder
Temporary - is empty.

Granted Linux isn't MS but maybe it will help a little. One thought was a form of indexing which MS is somewhat fixated with and can be a nuisance.
Doesn't matter what you say, it's wrong for a toaster to walk around the house and talk to you
User avatar
dfoulkes
Posts: 22525
Joined: June 28th, 2008, 10:31 pm
Location: Mesquite, Nevada

Re: Clearing storage folders

Post by dfoulkes »

Just curious here... you posted those 3 folders... under what 'master' folder did you find them... I did some looking around in Mozilla related areas and could not find them.
As you can see she's (The CAT) always alert and on the prowl for Meoware !!
User avatar
mightyglydd
Posts: 9813
Joined: November 4th, 2006, 7:07 pm
Location: Hollywood Ca.

Re: Clearing storage folders

Post by mightyglydd »

Grumpus wrote:With Linux......Granted Linux isn't MS
Er Mo's using a MAC. WTFrak does Linux have to do with anything :-k
Last edited by mightyglydd on April 27th, 2017, 10:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
#KeepFightingMichael and Alex.
User avatar
Mo_D
Posts: 774
Joined: January 4th, 2006, 6:34 pm

Re: Clearing storage folders

Post by Mo_D »

So I went and deleted that youtube folder, and emptied the trash, and as it was emptying the number of files flashed by. It was like 2000-something files.

So then I went to youtube and watched a video, and a new youtube folder was automatically created in storage. Within it is a cache folder, in it is a caches.sqlite file and a "morgue" folder, inside that, a folder titled "200" which appears to be empty and shows a size of zero kb. Then I clicked on the icon for the add-on you suggested, and it said storage was empty.

If you go to (user name)/Library/Caches/Firefox/Profiles, there are hidden files there. It appears empty, but on mine it shows a size of 90MB. It may be that the add-on is deleting something in there or from some other location.

Edited to strike that line. It shows "zero items", so maybe there are no hidden files, and the size is based on some kind of allocation.
Last edited by Mo_D on April 27th, 2017, 10:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Grumpus
Posts: 13236
Joined: October 19th, 2007, 4:23 am
Location: ... Da' Swamp

Re: Clearing storage folders

Post by Grumpus »

@dfoulkes - the folder are under your profile in the folder called storage.

@mightyglydd - just noting the difference and really nothing, just system ID. MS mention was an error but deserved..

@Mo_D - seems similar what I dumped in "doomed" was a large file count.
Last edited by Grumpus on April 27th, 2017, 11:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
Doesn't matter what you say, it's wrong for a toaster to walk around the house and talk to you
User avatar
Mo_D
Posts: 774
Joined: January 4th, 2006, 6:34 pm

Re: Clearing storage folders

Post by Mo_D »

dfoulkes wrote:Just curious here... you posted those 3 folders... under what 'master' folder did you find them... I did some looking around in Mozilla related areas and could not find them.
Sorry I didn't see your reply earlier. The 'Storage' folder is inside my 'Profile' folder. I'm on a Mac, I assume it's still the same on Windows though.
Locked