No favorite button in new AMO design?

Any chance this would work with Firefox v44.x - I can download and tweak the version number if you think it may work. (Not ready to update to v45.x yet)

I changed the compat metadata to support 44. I haven’t tested it myself, but I think it should work, so give it a try.

Thank you. Should it work as before? I noticed it does not detect if addon is already in an existing collection. Having two or more https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/… pages all looking at different addons then “tick” one page and other pages get “tick” too. Are you seeing that in v45 as well?

It should work the same as before. As far as I know, the only change done was to hide the nodes in the page, and all the add-on does is make them visible again.

2 Likes

This seems to be a cache refresh issue. When you click on Add to Collection, the list appears to pull the info from the previously updated list, that is, if you add/remove an add-on from a collection, then go to look at another add-on and click on Add to Collection, the list presented is from the previous time used.

This appears to be a bug in the Add to Collection routine and existed even before this add-on was created.

The work-around is to click on any check mark to “add” the add-on to a collection, then uncheck it. This will force a refresh of the list.

What is your motivation to create collections?
Let me count the ways! There are so many reasons…some already mentioned above:
(the following is ONLY a sample)

  1. tracking and organization - keep track of useful add-ons
  2. categorize add-ons by usage, features
  3. note taking - add extra notes about features, compatibility, comparison with other similar add-ons
  4. research - keep track of similar add-ons - when one starts to fail or is no longer being developed, allows tracking of GOOD alternatives I have already found, researched, tested, etc. out of the HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of add-ons.
  5. AMO search capabilities are TERRIBLE and NOT accurate. Finding something you once saw is VERY difficult. Collections provide a way to track add-ons of interest for present or future use/testing.
    NOTE: even if search capabilities are improved, searching is only the first step…keeping track of something you like is a different work-flow. They go hand-in-hand.
  6. create sets for specific tasks
  7. create sets for easy set up of new computers for myself or other users
  8. share preferred sets with other users, friends, family, etc.
  9. discoverability - seeing other people’s collections helps highlight other add-ons of interest and leverage other people’s research work. This has helped me find add-ons I would NOT have otherwise found
  10. fast access to all work previously done

Who uses the collections you create?

  • see above - mostly me (since I manage many computers), but shared with other users, friends, family

And what are you creating collections for?
mostly add-ons/extensions

Why are you using collections?

  • see above

Areas where Collections could be improved (I think these are some of the obstacles to them not being used as much, or as efficiently)

  • RESTORE the “Add To Collection” links for ALL users. Provides FAST access and FAST and EASY management of collections (I not think 2 links on the AMO page is a big deal, given that there is SO MUCH MORE OTHER INFO anyway – Move them if you must but PLEASE DON’T REMOVE them). .
  • do not limit list of collections to 20/page - makes finding a collection easier (I have 120+)
  • do not limit the list of add-ons within a collection to 20/page - makes searching in larger collections easier
  • add search capability in collections to list/filter collections of interest, e.g. other collections using specific add-on
  • add sorts to be consistent in all views, by name, popularity, last added - list of My collections, list of add-ons in collections (just like within a collection)
  • add link to original add-on in the list of add-ons in a collection. If add-on removed from AMO, remove LINK but NOT add-on name (as is currently done)
  • add a way to promote collections, like add-ons are promoted

So again…I think there is an UNDER-ESTIMATION of the impact of the use of collections. Even if the numbers appear to be low, the number of people that are impacted is significantly higher, because one person may be using collections to assist MANY others. This is one of the reasons that makes FIREFOX and its AMO and collections such a HEAD above the rest.

P.S. I miss the Add-On Collector and Massive Extender add-ons of old that were discontinued by Mozilla that added more functionality to organize, sort, search collections and add-ons, All of this OFFLINE. Provided easy installation features to get new set-ups up and running quickly.

3 Likes

BTW, I think it looks just fine and IT DOES get the job done VERY NICELY!
(except for the refresh issue mentioned above that needs addressing).

I can just agree to the others, why making something complicated when it can be done so easily???

3 Likes

Any further development on this? WHy not simply add the 2 links back? Is it really such a big deal?

There seem to be MUCH bigger fish to fry than picking on this nit.

3 Likes

Any more info on this? It seems like such a simply thing to restore with little impact.
Please do not interpret few visible users as meaning access to these links has little impact. Remember that many users of these links can impact MANY other users because the few often support many others.

1 Like
  • what a remarkable passage :-/ (ironically, but no offence) folowing this logic maybe it is enouth to post only the name of addon?

I understand, that it is difficult to agree what is core function of informing because we need to agree on what’s:

  1. core information is?
  2. how to perform function of informing?

It’s difficult to agree also because of different tastes / preferences / background of different users. Sometimes researches / polls helps, sometimes - not.

As for me, I have 343 Add-ons in this Collection (in Favorites) so I need a way to organise them for different purposes. In the addons pages (search results and single addon) there are to much bells&whistels and to much white space but for me difficult to grasp info about:

  • size of addon (yea, we still live in world of limited resopurces)
  • category and keywords
  • is already installed or not

I’d suggest reconsider Your team’s approach of understanding what information is and how to manage it.

3 Likes

You are right. It is difficult to agree what is core.
What helps it to understand what actions people want to perform and why.
That is why I asked people in this communication about their use of collections:
https://discourse.mozilla-community.org/t/no-favorite-button-in-new-amo-design/8015/24?u=maritz
Would you mind sharing your reason of why, and how you use them?

And I agree, there is definitely information missing. The most prominent being if the add-on is already installed or not. (We started that work with the new install button used on the Discovery Page in about:addons)

I already answered. Collection is like Favorites / Bookmarks but in one place related to FF . It used to be more suitable to have everything related to app in that app environment.

But I don’t understand who and how decided to remove feature and only after to start asking. We are working in innovations field and never act like that. Every improvement first better to evaluate, only after - implement.

2 Likes

And what is being done with all the feedback provided? It has been almost 5 months since this issue was raised.

Again, it seems the main motivation is to reduce amount of info on the add-on page…BUT you have left a lot of wasteful info /clutter on the page and removed 2 simple unobtrusive yet HUGELY functional links…which much of the other info is not…I do not see the logic.

And I even offered an alternative that meets both your view and the needs of users like me…simply place the links under the MORE… menu, or something like that, if it is REALLY necessary to not display those links…but IMHO there is much more that can clean up the page than removing those 2 links.

2 Likes

You are absolutely right!

Probably we are dinosaurs and don’t understand modern design trends known under different buzzwords (material design? among them)… But… We’d like to know name of heroes :wink:

Even more - long long time ago (old-men’s nostalgy for good times?) , as much as I can recall, “Version Info” about add-on {Released ...; Size...; Works with...} was in one place on the top. But then some “advanced briliant minded designer” decided to put it down forsing me every time to scroll all the page down, futhermore - to click to expand - for access only for one thing - to see size.

Futhermore. Other peaces of information[{Rates}; {Write review button}; {Report abuse}; {Related categories}; {Tags}] are separated and lost in the middle of the right-side column height.

Why such things happens? Designers are clueless about IA (information architecture) or we (few unsatisfied geeks) are information perverts :wink:

If that’s was made under community wishes - I’d like to see statistics.

1 Like

UGH!!! We are back to square one! WIth recent changes to the mozilla.org site, the add-on that jorge thoughtfully provided no longer works. SO AGAIN we are unable to manage our collections effectively! PLEASE either restore the original functionality to the addons.mozilla.org site to Add To Collection OR somehow allow this add-on to work.

I do not need the add-on all the time BUT when I do, it makes a WORLD OF DIFFERENCE as I support MANY other users.

PLEASE somebody at Mozilla listen!

2 Likes

I agree
An option to activate “Add to the collection” from “my profile” could be another good solution for both.
I don’t understand after 10 months of praying on our knees, plead and beg for a simple solution that gives users the opportunity to use a function already implemented, only 2 discrete or hidden links. I can not believe it. :disappointed:

2 Likes

Any progress on this? I cannot manage my several hundred add-ons now…This is SO frustrating…

The ability to have AND MANAGE all these add-ons WAS one big differentiator from Chrome and others. If this does not change soon, I will have to seriously consider moving and bring my many followers and the many I help along.

I’m not crazy about the idea…it is a faster browser AND it has several built-in features that are handy…easy open tab management, language detection/translation/spelling, form filler, meaningful window switching keyboard shortcut, etc. I have been using it for some time now as a result of the lack of the above but still prefer Firefox because I’m still holding out for the above. But without this, is it time to jump ship?

Please address this soon!

1 Like

Checking in…have not heard anything on this… :-\

Add on collection is very useful.
I once use an add on and delete it after I don’t need it.
Years later, when i need it again, I am so lucky to find out that I added it to my collection, because I totally forgot its name.
Just give me this feature, in a easier way, please and thanks!!