Requirements for WebExtensions addon

Add-ons Add-on Support
#1

I recently ported an existing extension to WebExtensions (from the http://crossrider.com framework).

I got it to run successfully and then submitted it to AMO so now it’s been signed but it’s now an unlisted addon.

I can install the downloaded signed xpi from my local drive but have had no joy trying to get it to load from a URL. I get this message: “firefox prevented this site from asking you to install software on your computer”

What do I have to do to get it to install from a url? (and have it update automatically when I post a new update)?

I keep reading stuff and then finding it relates to SDK developed addons. I read about needing an install.rdf, an updates.json file.

I think the install.rdf is a jpm or the predecessor created thing so not relevant.

I put this in my main manifest file for the addon:

“applications”: {
“gecko”: {
“update_url”: “https://troysecure.com/dlbcaddy/dlbcaddy.updates.json”
}
},

and created this dlbcaddy.updates.json file:
{
“addons”: {
“05aaac00-ad0f-4a40-8c37-1ce76d95aea8”: {
“updates”: [
{
“version”: “1.0.1”,
“update_link”: “https://troysecure.com/dlbcaddy/dlbcaddy-1.0.1-an+fx.xpi”
},
{
“version”: “1.0.2”,
“update_link”: “https://troysecure.com/dlbcaddy/dlbcaddy-1.0.2-an+fx.xpi”
}
]
}
}
}

Can anyone tell me definitively what I need to do so that
(a) people can install from a url and
(b) updates will happen automatically

TIA

Troy

#2

That’s what Firefox does for all add-ons installed from untrusted sites. The only site on the whitelist by default is addons.mozilla.org. It should be possible to click through that message and get the add-on installed, however.

Once the add-on is installed, if the update URL is set up correctly, updates should happen automatically without additional prompts.

#3

@troywray You could be making the same mistake I did. Here is an answer copied from another thread.

You need to create an HTML page and installation can only be triggered with user’s manual click. Opening the link of xpi file directly does not allow users to install the addon.

So I created a simple HTML page like this:

<html>
    <head></head>
    <body>
        <center>Install Requestly on Firefox</center>
        <a href="https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/71743966/requestly/firefox/requestly-4.1.9.xpi"> Click here on download </a>
    </body>
</html>

After hosting this page and clicking on download link actually installed the addon in Firefox v49. Actual Post is here: https://discourse.mozilla-community.org/t/how-to-self-host-a-web-extension/11449/2