Here's a Tip! Transferring Fav Extensions into a new Profile

[Telstar]

Hi there,

How to load ALL your favorite Extensions into a new Profile with ONE install.

The following method I just worked up (I bet it's NOT new to some) is a solution to one of the most tedious things about making a new Profile....loading your favorite Extensions one by one....(those that you know you want to use from one Profile to another).

Just thought I'd pass this along since I just made three new Profiles using it.

Firstly,
Into your (to be constructed) new Profile you need to install this
Extension....Mass Installer 0.1.6....after you open Create a New
Profile in your Profile Manager.

You need a Web Host like....Ripway Web Hosting...(it's FREE 30MB).

Here's a step-by-step:

1) Create a new .txt file, name it "My Extensions" or something like that and save it to your Desktop (you'll be clicking on the Icon frequently to add info).

2) (this is the hard part but, you'll only have to do it one time OR as you modify the list)....

>go to each of your Extensions' install point (e.g. The Extension Mirror, etc).
Right-click on where it says "install", and on the right-click menu click on
"Copy Link Location", open the new "My Extensions" file on your
Desktop and paste the location.
You see that it pasted the "http:// location.xpi" for that Extension.

Repeat for each Extension you want to load into your next Profile.
(There's a way to use...Info Lister...but it didn't work for me on my attempts...I need to get more familiar with how to use it for this application).

3) Now, once the list is completed and you are ready to make a new Profile using these same Extensions...go to your Web Host....upload the "My Extensions" file and copy the URL.

4) When you open your new Profile, before you do much else, you must have Mass Installer already installed.

5) Then, opening your new Profile, you should see a prompt for Mass Installer asking "Install all Extensions listed at this URL:" or, go to Extensions and click on Mass Installer Options.

6) Paste the URL from your Web Host.

7) That's it! Your Extensions will install automatically.
(unless there is an incompatibility issue with an Extension, which
you will be warned via a message window).
Restart Firefox like you normally do after installing an Extension.

I'm open for suggestions on how to improve on this method and especially how to correctly use InfoLister as an aid in creating the list of installation (.XPI) URL's

Telstar

[the-edmeister]

Excellent write up. Won't be needed for too much longer tho, the upcoming 1.1 version allows you to 'install' extensions by drag&drop directly into the \Profiles\extensions\ folder (with Firefox closed). Save the extension to a local disk, then drag & drop, open Firefox and they're installed.

[old FatJohn]

Thanks for sharing Telstar and great 1-2-3 approach! Bookmarking this.

[Guest]

I have a faster way for using Mass Installer to install extensions and themes (it works for those as well). First, you have to make backup copies of the .xpi files of all the extensions, and backups of the .jar files of the themes. You list the paths to those files in the text file like this:
file:///D:/Spares/Firefox/AllowRightClick-0.1.1Nov.xpi
file:///D:/Spares/Firefox/Chamaleon_0.4.xpi
file:///D:/Spares/Firefox/chromecleaner.xpi
file:///D:/Spares/Firefox/walnut_ff_10.jar
file:///D:/Spares/Firefox/porbit_102.jar

[BenT222]

The install.log file in the Firefox directory seems to list the originating URLs for the various extensions installed. Good place to snag 'em, perhaps.

I wonder why they don't just let you copy them to a new profile upon creation. Instead it's all very complicated seeming.

[Telstar]

Hello again,

If someone can explain if...InfoLister...can extract and list the .xpi for the list of Extensions it creates it would just be a matter of....

1) InfoLister creates the list of http://extension.xpi files. (:30 sec)
2) Copy and paste the list to a .txt file (:30 sec)
3) Browse/Upload the .txt file to Web Host. (2 minutes)
4) Copy and paste the .URL into Mass Installer (:30 sec)
5) Restart Firefox and set your options for each Extension (your pace)

This way the Extensions could be handled en masse, instead of one at
a time which is what takes the bulk of the time in accomplishing this task.

The entire operation could take less than five minutes.

I'm thinking that the InfoLister extension can do this (but, I could be
wrong), I just don't know what code to enter in the Extensions
generated content box for .xpi files.

Yes, this would work for Theme .jar files but being that many users
have as many as 20, 30 extensions, I just concentrated on that.

Hey, thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions.

Telstar

[craigevil]

Not sure if it will work or not, but the Infolister extension will create a html page with links to the extensions if you type about:info then you can bookmark the page.

Maybe the Mass Installer can read it. Never had to try it.


OOOOO just realized Infolister creates an html file in your chrome directory with your extensions:
file:///home/craig/.mozilla/firefox/evc3to3e.default/chrome/infolister.html

That page should work with the Mass Installer.

[Telstar]

So far, and I'm just learning how to use InfoLister, I am able to get a list of:
(Just using ONE Extension here - Adblock- as an example):

Name (using code - %name%):
Adblock

Homepage URL (using code - %homepageURL%):
Adblockhttp://adblock.mozdev.org

Version (using code - %version%):
Adblockhttp://adblock.mozdev.org0.5.2.039

Description (using code - %description%):
Adblockhttp://adblock.mozdev.org0.5.2.039Filters ads from web-pages

What is required is for InfoLister to extract this:
http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/extensions/adblock/adblock-0.5.2.039-fx.xpi

Which is what is needed to initiate the download procedure once installed into the EM.

For example, by entering this code - %extensionXPI% or
%homepageXPI% or something similar, InfoLister would give me the (.XPI) list exactly as required by EM.

But, it doesn't look as if it has this capability right now.

Telstar

[Telstar]

The install.log file in the Firefox directory seems to list the originating URLs for the various extensions installed. Good place to snag 'em, perhaps.

I looked into this and BenT222 is correct.

I had a little trouble locating install.log for Firefox in the Firefox folder (but that's just me I'm sure) so I did a System Search for install.log and the one for C:Program Files\Mozilla Firefox does indeed contain the .xpi files for installed Extensions.

So, one could copy those .xpi's from there and paste into the new .txt file.

I wonder why they don't just let you copy them to a new profile upon creation. Instead it's all very complicated seeming.

The post by the-edmeister covered that one....

Excellent write up. Won't be needed for too much longer tho, the upcoming 1.1 version allows you to 'install' extensions by drag&drop directly into the \Profiles\extensions\ folder (with Firefox closed). Save the extension to a local disk, then drag & drop, open Firefox and they're installed.

So, looks like the future for Firefox includes a revolutionary method for
quick installation of Extensions.

Question (this is a Notepad editing one):
Ok, let's say I use BenT222's suggestion and I locate Firefox's
install.log and open it with Notepad.

Is there a way to edit Notepad to ONLY show the .xpi files in a list?
Thereby creating the ability of being able to copy and paste the
entire list? This then would do what I've been hoping InfoLister could do.

Thanks,

Telstar

[craigevil]

If you have Infolister installed try typing about:info

It gives you a page with the url of each extension in a list, on the actual page each extension is a link to the download xpi.

Last updated: Fri, 15 Apr 2005 20:53:32 GMT
User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.7.6) Gecko/20050404 Firefox/1.0.2 (Debian package 1.0.2-2kanotix1)
Extensions (enabled: 17, disabled: 0)

* Adblock 0.5.2.039
* Deutsch (DE) Language Pack 1.0.2
* AniDisable 1.0
* ChromEdit 0.1.1.1
* Copy URL + 1.2.2
* Disable Targets For Downloads 0.9
* Feedview 0.9.7
* Flashblock 1.2.9
* InfoLister 0.8.2
* Sage 1.3.1
* Tabbrowser Preferences 1.2.3
* Tweak Network 1.0
* WebmailCompose 0.6
* Toolbar Enhancements 0.16.2
* Show Failed URL 0.1.4
* FlashGot 0.5.8
* User Agent Switcher 0.6.1

Themes (1)

* Firefox (default) 2.0 [selected]

Plugins (7)

* Shockwave Flash
* MozPlugger 1.7.1
* VLC multimedia plugin
* Adobe Reader 7.0
* Helix DNA Plugin: RealPlayer G2 Plug-In Compatible
* Java(TM) Plug-in 1.4.2_06-b03
* QuickTime Plug-in 6.0, Windows Media Player Plugin are supported by mplayerplug-in

[Telstar]

If you have Infolister installed try typing about:info
It gives you a page with the url of each extension in a list, on the actual page each extension is a link to the download xpi.

When you have InfoLister installed and you type in about:info, what is
displayed in the new Tab is whatever you have configured InfoLister in
the InfoLister>Options>Customized output window to give you.

Notice that when you hover your cursor say, over the Extension config
window, you are only given these choices:
%name%
version
disabled
internalName
homepage
description
creator

A page with the URL of each extension with a "link" to the .xpi still means you need to go to that location in order to locate the .xpi.
The .xpi is the only one that will start the download of extensions in
Extension Manager, the url won't do it. It only takes you to the location
of where the install (which in affect is the .xpi) is to be found.

What I'm trying to do is create a simplified method with as few steps as necessary in order to create a list of .xpi's that can be uploaded into a single .URL file (from your Web Host) and then can be put into Mass Installer which will then install ALL those Extensions.

So, one of two ways (as I see it):
1) Learn to configure InfoLister in such a way as the list you get in, for example about:info, will only be the http://extension.xpi file.

or

2) Using the install.log method as suggested by BenT222 and open it with a Program (such as Notepad, Wordpad, Excel) that you can edit the file to only show the list of your Extensions' .xpi files.

I'm looking into Wordpad and Excel to see if I can do it there.

Telstar

[old zeniko]

Some insights from the Mass Installer thread:
* there exists a modified version of InfoLister which is able to collect the direct links to the needed .xpi files (it's only slightly outdated, and InfoLister v0.9 might officially include this functionality).
* if you've already downloaded all your extensions, instead of creating a file with lots of file:/// links, simply drag all the extensions over the Extensions manager (there's no need at all for Mass Installer in that case - unless your using a Mac).
* alternatively, you can also use Mass Installer's Find dialog to install local .xpi files directly (display all files, select all .xpi files, click on Open and then on OK).
* instead of listing the extensions' URLs inside of a text file, you can also list them anywhere online (even in this forum) and then just copy and paste them into Mass Installer (just make sure that all the URLs are actually on one single line and that they are separated by either a space or a vertical bar).
* if you prefer not to download all extensions first, Mass Installer won't be obsolete in Firefox 1.1 and later.