[Ext]Extension Options Menu/Themes Menu/Addon Update Checker

[paulderdash]

The wierdest thing: somehow Extension Options Menu is interfering with Roboform and Lastpass Toolbar buttons in Firefox (40.0.3) in Sandboxie so is probably a Sandboxie issue, as I don't think the problem with EOM exists otherwise. Roboform or Lastpass logins via the toolbar do not work unless I disable EOM - why I have no idea. Just letting you know.

[alexo]

The popup and menu of Addon Update Checker do not give me the option to install all the available updates without restarting.
I often want to install the updates immediately (so I won't forget) but postpone the restart until a later time (if I'm using web-based instant messaging for example).

Can the option of "install only" be presented even when the updates require a restart, as well as "install and restart"?

Thank you!

[Chris000001]

The wierdest thing: somehow Extension Options Menu is interfering with Roboform and Lastpass Toolbar buttons in Firefox (40.0.3) in Sandboxie so is probably a Sandboxie issue, as I don't think the problem with EOM exists otherwise. Roboform or Lastpass logins via the toolbar do not work unless I disable EOM - why I have no idea. Just letting you know.

I started looking into getting Sandboxie and using it for testing, but it looked like a pain in the ass so I gave up.

The popup and menu of Addon Update Checker do not give me the option to install all the available updates without restarting.
I often want to install the updates immediately (so I won't forget) but postpone the restart until a later time (if I'm using web-based instant messaging for example).

Can the option of "install only" be presented even when the updates require a restart, as well as "install and restart"?

Thank you!

No, that's too many menu items. You can uncheck "Restart after installation if needed" and it will change the menu item to "Install updates". If a restart is not needed, the icon(s) will change back to grey after you click "Install updates". If you need t restart to complete the installation they will be red and you can use the "Restart" menu item to restart Firefox (it should reload all of your tabs using the built-in session manager if you are still working.)

[EvaparotangCote]

tl;dr:
Would you consider making it 'Restartless'? at least the Add-on Update Checker add-on? I'd like that

full version:
@Chris000001
Add-on Update Checker
Interesting add-on you have there.
Often I find myself using nightly versions of extensions, fx because I'm also using Nightly version of Firefox or because the nightly versions of extensions have new features/work better.
Take fx Tree Style Tab. It's nightly version can be found here or here.
The Fx built-in extension updating mechanism isn't always helpful in this kind of use-case.
On about:addons I've turned off the 'Update Add-ons Automatically' GUI preference.
Anyway, having done this Fx will still check for 'new extension updates', just not install them automatically.
Often I find that when Fx says there's a new extension update, it's false/misleading.
Currently Fx is telling me there's an update to both Tree Style Tab and Stylish.
Take the case of Stylish. On AMO the latest version is from "February 27, 2015". On Github there's newer code up until "Sep 25, 2015". So I've incorporated the newest commits from Github into the latest AMO one (couldn't figure out how to build/compile it, how it's supposed to, so just copied Github files over on top of latest AMO one).
So in that case Fx - after having installed that latest version of Github Stylish - tells me there's an update, but it's a half year older. Even more Fx tells me the update it has found is from today "Thursday, October 1, 2015" (screenshots). Actually it's not, it's from "February 27, 2015", so why Fx says "Thursday, October 1, 2015" seems almost useless at best - I think characterizing it as confusing/misleading fits the situation better.
Similar happens with Tree Style Tab and others often.
This is confusing/distracting and something I'd like to avoid (got any ideas?).
It would be nice if Fx somehow could know that actually my versions are newer than the ones on AMO.
Also I've found there's an about:config preference called extensions.update.enabled = disables extension update checks.
That does take away the distraction. But now I won't get reminded if there's new updates to extensions that aren't false positives (sometimes Fx is correct).
So the best would obviously be if Fx's extension update checker had no false positives.
Second best as a commenter in the article points out, would be if the 'extensions.update.enabled' could be set on an individual extension basis (like apparently the 'Update Add-ons Automatically' GUI preference can).
Then I discovered your extension Add-on Update Checker which seems to have a 'Items not to check - comma delimited' option. This would be as good as the second best option I guess, inputting Tree Style Tabs and Stylish into there.
So I'm definately tempted by your add-on, but it's not 'Restartless'...
Currently I have 8 add-ons installed. Only 3 of them are not 'Restartless'. I try to keep as few of those as possible. The 3 are: Tree Style Tab, Stylish and HTTPS Everywhere.
I'm wondering if you would consider migrating your add-on to be 'Restartless'?
Research: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05.
I did a topic search "restartless" and can see that back in "April 23rd, 2014" you wrote:

(...) restartless extension that uses javascript to create menu items. Mine uses xul overlays. I don't have any plans on changing that.

So it seems one can use the 'Add-on SDK' to make 'Restartless' extensions. Apparently they can't make use of XUL? So XUL, that's presumably what my 3 installed non-'Restartless' extensions make use of - maybe. Overview in regards to ability to have similar functionality without having add-ons installed that's not 'Restartless'/possibility of making them 'Restartless'/:

• Tree Style Tab? This newish (?) contender that's 'Restartless' comes close it seems: Tab Tree.
• Stylish? At one point there was this contender that's 'Restartless' and comes close: User Style Manager. However development of this one seems to have stalled for at least a year (edit: one more possible caution). There's also Pentadactyl (source) and userChrome/Content.css.
• HTTPS Everywhere? Well this extension seems to be based on NoScript (sources: 01, 02). NoScript is another of the big Fx add-ons. It's not 'Restartless'.

Firefox is now moving to 'WebExtensions', which is also 'Restartless' I suppose (?). Apparently the creator of NoScript is quite positive about this. Resources: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09.
Have you got any thoughts about WebExtensions - especially in regards to your add-ons?
I checked out page one, clicked all the links to your add-ons and checked out your AMO profile. It seems that none of your add-ons are 'Restartless'.
For now I'm just gonna use the ''extensions.update.enabled' preference. I would probably use your add-on though if you made it 'Restartless'. If you did I also think you may would get more users. You would also be listed on this overview: AMO 'Restartless' add-ons (newest). A little bit un-scientific: newest AMO add-ons - not just 'Restartless', but all = 'Restartless' seems to be dominated. So does somewhat the 'AMO Top-Rated' - majority seems to be 'Restartless'.

[Chris000001]

I won't be rewriting these extensions to make them restartless. When restartless was first released I looked into it and started working on it. It was a giant pain to add icons to restartless add-ons. You basically had to find find out how close your icon was to something else that couldn't be moved and on startup show your icon there. It was very hacky. It hasn't gotten much better, although I could copy working code if I really wanted to. The real problem is ALL extensions will break in the next year or so. I'm not going to rewrite now and have it break again so soon. I actually doubt I'll keep these add-ons working once they're broken. Mozilla developers have been doing an unbelievably terrible job of documenting changes for the last few years and I'm sure it won't get better. Since they are going to totally change how all add-ons will have to be written and it won't be documented worth a shit, I'll probably give up.

[WildcatRay]

It is a shame what is going to happen to Firefox. Obviously, no one involved with the project wants to maintain the original intent and goals of Firefox.

Thanks, Chris. Your work on your extensions has been quite welcome and they will be missed when Firefox as we have known it goes away.

[Chris000001]

I hope I'm wrong and it'll be easy to convert my add-ons to the new type (webextensions.) So far they only allow you to make changes to web pages with no user interface unless you go to the add-on option page. We'll see...

[makondo]

FWIW, Chris, you know i'm a big fan and will be forever grateful for all this years of easy ride with your ext. (i'm using menu button and it saves me clicks, time and irritation numerous times day after day for years). Whatever will happen to Fx, we'll see. I suspect there will be new people taking over new way of writing exts. and it will go on.
But, as i said, no matter what happens, thank you for the ride!

[WildcatRay]

Chris,

In Nightly, right-clicking the EOM icon does not open the addon manager and I can't the an available addon up to install from the AUC icon menu. (There may be other issues I have not yet come across.)

These may be symptoms of what is discussed here.

[Chris000001]

Thanks. I already saw that and that is the problem. I need to change a "let" to a "var". I'll post it in the next few days.

[WildcatRay]

Thanks. I just noticed the issues this evening or I'd have posted sooner.

[Chris000001]

Thanks for letting me know. I should have posted something when I first tested and found the problem. I have posted a fixed build. It'll probably take a few hours/days for AMO to sign off, but it's there https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/addon-update-checker/versions/2.14

Fixed EOM - https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/extension-options-menu/versions/2.15. It should be reviewed soon too.

[makondo]

Thanks, Chris!

[WildcatRay]

Thanks, Chris.

[Chris000001]

New AUC, EOM, and TM. They should be reviewed soon. Replaced occurrences of depreciated 'Application.restart()' with 'Cc["@mozilla.org/toolkit/app-startup;1"].getService(Ci.nsIAppStartup).quit(Ci.nsIAppStartup.eAttemptQuit | Ci.nsIAppStartup.eRestart)'.