Blair’s Brain And Other Unfocused Things

Status update: Extension Manager UI Redesign

Extension Manager UI Redesign

Status

• Install/uninstall/update working really nicely. This took longer than expected, due to:
  • Some issues with the new API - Mossop has added various new functions, properties, and events
  • Some bugs with the API that tests didn't find - these are being fixed by Mossop, with additional tests added
  • Various things I haven't considered or anticipated (such as providers installing addons without using an AddonInstall object)
  • I had some preconceptions about the flow of events and state of installs/upgrades which turned out not to be entirely accurate
• Various CSS and layout tweaks (such as making buttons look pretty) - CSS3 is my friend
• Various bugs I found along the way
• Filed a bajilion bugs on the UI and API - things that need fixed, features that need implemented

Loose ends

• Waiting on some placeholder icons from Boriss

Next steps

• More bug fixes!
• Reviews
• Initial landing on mozilla-central
• Write a mocking provider, for automated testing (and additional dogfooding of the private API)

Target for next week

• Add support for addon installs that don't use an AddonInstall object and its events (bug 553515)
• Make enable/disable prompt for restart (bug 553631)
• Fix display when no update is found (bug 553870)
• Consolidate "Restart Now" buttons to just one entry (bug 553460)
• Any other P1 and P2 bugs I can get to
• Start writing mocking provider
• Initial reviews

Reflections

• Planning and testing are necessary but not adequate on their own. Dogfooding will invariably find issues that planning and testing could not.
• Spare time suffers from Parkinson's Law (and at times, both of them)

Related posts:

1. Status update: Extension Manager UI
2. Status update: Tab matches in Awesomebar, Extension Manager UI
3. Status update: Extension Manager UI, Tab matches
4. Status Update: AppTabs, Extension Manager UI
5. Status update: Extension Manager UI, Tab matches in Awesomebar