AMO:Editors

Update: Home Page » Reviewers/Editors Guide

Introduction

AMO leverages reviewers/editors to look over pending extensions and themes for publication on the site. We have a large number of extensions and themes and need a good coverage of timezones, operating systems and Mozilla software to make sure we get them moderated in a timely fashion.

Covering the Bases

Please add yourself to the list of reviewers so that we can get a good coverage of timezones and applications.

Testing Add-ons

Using a test profile for testing addons is a good idea. So add two shortcuts which you will often need:

"path\to\application.exe" -no-remote -P

This starts the profile manager where a profile called "Test" should be created. You also can use this if you have wasted your test profile and want do delete it and add it new. -no-remote allows you to run it with other Firefox processes (in which you can have the approval queue open). This is only working for Firefox and Thunderbird 2.0 and higher. For older versions, you have to set an environment with MOZ_NO_REMOTE in a batch file like this:

SET MOZ_NO_REMOTE=1
drive letter which contains the application:
cd "drive letter which contains the application:\path\to\application\directory\"
start application.exe -P

The second shortcut starts the application with the profile "Test"

"path\to\application.exe" -no-remote -P "Test"

Set javascript.options.showInConsole in about:config to true so you can watch the error console for problems if something isn't working as expected.

It is recommended to hang out in #addons while testing for finding people who can confirm problems or test a part that you are not able to test.

Start by checking that the author has not submitted a later version and save yourself some time :-) If you find a later version(s) in the queue, deny the superseded versions by using the provided response from the drop-down menu. For detecting duplicates on a huge list easier, you can use Document Map extension which shows only the addon titles in the sidebar.

OK, now you can install the add-on. It is recommended to test it with newest stable version (if it is in version range). If there are many addons to test, you can test it with only one application (i.e. Firefox) if you want. Restart your application. If it doesn't come back, then you have a problem.

It's a good idea to check out the addons and author's homepage to see how things have been going with the add-on (changelogs, known issues, planned features, etc.) Also have a look to see if there are problems with it in the comments of the item overview page and if the add-on has a topic on MozillaZine, if anyone has started a topic asking for support or if anyone has filed bug reports regarding the add-on. If any of these pages mention bugs, investigate them in the current version - how severe are they?

If you are testing add-ons around the time of a new FF/TB/SM version release, pay special attention to the maxVersion specified by the extension author. New releases often come with changes to the way the program handles add-ons. A minVersion should look like 2.0, 2.0.0.* would be wrong and has to be denied. For the maxVersion, 2.0.0.* is a correct maxVersion, 2.0 should be approved if the newest version would be 2.0.0.0 with a hint to change it to 2.0.0.* (available in the drop down). If the newest version is higher than 2.0.0.0 but less than 2.0.1, you should deny and ask for changing the maxVersion because the users would get annoyed if they couldn't install it after they have seen that it is compatible with 2.0.

Things to watch out for: If the extension is designed for Mozilla or Seamonkey earlier than 1.1, check the root of the submitted XPI file for the presence of a (working) install.js file. If this doesn't exist then the extension is not compatible with Mozilla Suite or with (non-SuiteRunner versions of) SeaMonkey.

Testing Extensions

Once you've restarted, test what the extension is supposed to do. If it adds a new tool, it may be sitting in the Tools menu, under Tools -> Extensions -> Options, filling up your context menu, or under View -> Sidebars. Check for new buttons in the status bar or under in your navigation toolbar (needs often to customize the toolbar).

Check the Add-ons Manager to see if it has any options. If it does, test them out.

Use your application normally making sure there are no adverse side-effects caused by the extension.

Uninstall the extension and restart your application. Are you still able to surf the web, check email, etc?

Approval forms which only appear for extensions are:

• New chrome? - Does the extension add anything to the user interface? (Including Tools -> Extensions -> Options.)
• Works - Does the extension do its job as the author describes?

It is also a good idea to request preview images for extensions that add icons or make changes to the application's menus. This helps users to know what to expect and therefore improve their experiences using AMO.

Testing Themes

Start up with the new theme. Browse away for a while and make sure nothing temperamental happens. Then go through all menus to check that the theme is complete. Add a livebookmark to your bookmarks toolbar if you don't have one. Go to a secure site. Block a popup. Download an old version of an add-on and then check for updates through Tools -> Options -> Advanced -> Software Update. Check all the icons are there under View -> Toolbars -> Customise. Make sure all icons are present in Help.

Make sure the theme looks good. Text should be easy to read and buttons should be clear and concise. As well as just looking stylish, make sure it all looks stylish in the same way. The colours and shapes should be the same across the whole theme. Without consistency, it wouldn't be a theme!

Another important aspect of a theme is to make sure it "fits." This is relevant for menus and dialogs - check to make sure that all the UI elements fit within the default boundaries and do not appear "clipped". If anything's clipped and/or if resizing is required to see it completely, make a note of it and request the author to change it - clipped dialogs/menus are an annoyance to users and could lower the impression of quality that the theme makes on the user - in such cases, it's better to deny the theme and request the author to correct these.

Approval forms which only appear for themes are:

• Visual Errors? - Although misleading, this box is to be checked if the theme is free of errors :P
• Theme Complete - Basically, does it conform to all the guidelines specified above?

While testing a theme, don't forget to check that the author has included a suitable preview image - this is mandatory. If not, check that the other requirements are fulfilled, and add a comment to the effect that previews are required for all themes on AMO and then deny the approval request, asking them to resubmit their theme complete with a preview.

Approval, Denial and Comments

These fields/checkboxes appear for all add-ons:

• OSes - What operating systems did you test this on (Windows, Linux, OSX)
• Apps - What applications did you test this in? Firefox, Thunderbird, SeaMonkey? Also include a version number.
• Install? - Does the add-on install?
• Uninstall? - Does the add-on uninstall without trouble?
• App works? - Does the add-on remove functionality from your application? Is there anything it stops working?
• Clean profile? - If the add-on does not work, is it because of a conflict with another add-on or one of your settings? This should be ticked if the extension works.

• Comments to Author - This is the most important field of them all. Remember that your comments go to a *real person* so try to be friendly.

If you are approving the add-on, thank the author for the time and effort they have put in. Remember that they're enhancing the usefulness and the appeal of the products! Tell them which features you like the most, and mention anywhere you think they could improve.

If you are denying the add-on, be polite in pointing out any problems. Provide suggestions as to what they could do or should fix before re-submitting it and encourage them to re-submit it. It's also a good idea to tell the author what you liked about the extension/theme even though you've denied it.

If you think it is worth being translated (enough translators could be found and their is a interest for this from the users), add a hint for submitting it to BabelZilla, even if it has no local structure (no "locale" folder). The developer can ask for localization there if he/she fells not able/ has not time to do it.

NOTE: The backend processing for the text boxes in the approval form does not like anything enclosed in '<' and '>'. It assumes it to be HTML and strips the '<', '>' and the text in between before logging it and sending it to the author! So take care to use some other set of characters like '[ ]', '{ }' etc.

Have a look at these standard copy and paste responses.

Comments Manager

The Comments Manager contains a list of comments left by users on a particular extension or theme which have been reported as being somehow inappropriate by a user via the "Report Comment" link. As no reason can be given when a user reports a comment for review, you get to decide. Tread wisely :)

General Guidelines

When reviewing comments, here are a few general guidelines you should consider.

• Comments containing foul language should be deleted.
• Comments indicating that a file is an 'Invalid install package' are most likely mirror issues and not related to the extension.
• If you are unsure why the comment was reported, go to its actual web page and read the other comments near it.
• If you cannot find any grounds for deleting the comment, please clear it.

Reasons for deletion

Here are some canned reasons for deletion which you can cut and paste.

Be Nice

• No personal insults, please.
• Please do not insult extension authors.
• Please do not post foul language in comments.
• Please use English for all comments.
• Please do not leave nonsensical comments.
• Duplicated comment. Please post your comment only once.
• Extension authors should use the "Developer Comments" facility in the Developer's Control Panel to enter non-rating comments so as not to skew user ratings. - Please do not use this until bug 333335 is fixed.

Technical/Support Issues

• FTP mirror issues are not related to any particular extension.
• Please use the forums listed in the Support section of the Mozilla/Firefox website for technical and support issues, and bug reports. This is not a forum and should not be used to skew ratings.
• Please do not skew ratings for support questions or unrelated comments.
• Please do not rate an extension before using it enough, as you skew the average rating.
• Please do not skew ratings for issues that aren't related to the extension.

Compatibility Issues

• Deer Park ("1.0+") is different from Firefox 1.0.
• Please do not post compatibility related issues.
• Thunderbird extensions are not for Firefox.
• Mozilla Suite extensions are not for Firefox.
• SeaMonkey extensions are not for Firefox.

Poster Complaints

• Complaints about comment removal should be addressed to umo-reviewer at mozilla dot org - this is not the appropriate place.

Reviews Manager

This is used to add Editor's Reviews to add-ons. Try to be impartial in your review and talk about users in general rather than "I prefer" or "I use." Also, please add reviews only for extensions that you know well, and

Bugzilla and known bugs

For those who are new, Bugzilla is a system for reporting bugs in software. Mozilla uses Bugzilla to report and track bugs in its programs, but also for reporting and tracking other issues. For instance, if you want to change a part of AMO (eg. you want to make it compulsory for 3 reviewers to check every extension) then you can file an entry in bugzilla.

Bug 287977 means that if they submitted the same version number twice, they overwrote the old approval/denial.

404 Errors

It can take more than 30 minutes from the time you approve an extension until all of the mirrors have the file. The links on the website will 404 until then.