316
edits
Changes
Transferred from https://wiki.mozilla.org/index.php?title=Thunderbird/Add-ons_Guide_62 which will be deleted
<big>'''Add-ons Guide for Thunderbird 62 and beyond'''</big>
(First Draft)
The picture beyond Thunderbird version 60 is rather uncertain, given the continued high rate of change in Firefox platform code. We will work with add-on authors in the coming months to determine a viable post-60 add-on strategy. Here are some general thoughts.
Work has been undertaken to keep supporting legacy add-ons "somewhat" in Thunderbird 62 and beyond. We implemented an overlay loader that will load XUL overlays for add-ons but may cause graphical glitches or malfunctions. We're tracking this in {{bug|1476259}}.
For legacy add-ons to work, they need to replace install.rdf file with a WebExtensions style manifest.json file, which includes the key "legacy" set to true. See Lightning as an example here:<br />
https://hg.mozilla.org/comm-central/rev/e81f4b59a00a7d3e18d50fd3851ecbd47762a186#l2.5.<br />
Note: The @variables@ are build variables, add-ons need to use fixed strings.<br />
Note: This only holds for XUL Overlay legacy extensions. Bootstrapped legacy extensions continue to work without a manifest.json file and will in fact break if you add that file.
That said, the general idea for TB 68 ESR will be to make add-ons restartless, although the replacement for restartless add-ons in TB 68 isn't yet clear, or to WebExtensions, where we still have to define the interface.
Further reading on restartless add-ons:
* https://mail.mozilla.org/pipermail/firefox-dev/2018-June/006503.html
* https://mail.mozilla.org/pipermail/firefox-dev/2018-June/006507.html
* https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1413432#c7
<br><p>
__TOC__
== Removed in mozilla63 ==
* XUL element listbox together with listboxitem and listcell. -- Replacement: richlistbox.
(First Draft)
The picture beyond Thunderbird version 60 is rather uncertain, given the continued high rate of change in Firefox platform code. We will work with add-on authors in the coming months to determine a viable post-60 add-on strategy. Here are some general thoughts.
Work has been undertaken to keep supporting legacy add-ons "somewhat" in Thunderbird 62 and beyond. We implemented an overlay loader that will load XUL overlays for add-ons but may cause graphical glitches or malfunctions. We're tracking this in {{bug|1476259}}.
For legacy add-ons to work, they need to replace install.rdf file with a WebExtensions style manifest.json file, which includes the key "legacy" set to true. See Lightning as an example here:<br />
https://hg.mozilla.org/comm-central/rev/e81f4b59a00a7d3e18d50fd3851ecbd47762a186#l2.5.<br />
Note: The @variables@ are build variables, add-ons need to use fixed strings.<br />
Note: This only holds for XUL Overlay legacy extensions. Bootstrapped legacy extensions continue to work without a manifest.json file and will in fact break if you add that file.
That said, the general idea for TB 68 ESR will be to make add-ons restartless, although the replacement for restartless add-ons in TB 68 isn't yet clear, or to WebExtensions, where we still have to define the interface.
Further reading on restartless add-ons:
* https://mail.mozilla.org/pipermail/firefox-dev/2018-June/006503.html
* https://mail.mozilla.org/pipermail/firefox-dev/2018-June/006507.html
* https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1413432#c7
<br><p>
__TOC__
== Removed in mozilla63 ==
* XUL element listbox together with listboxitem and listcell. -- Replacement: richlistbox.
