DevTools/Features/Workspaces
Status
| Scratchpad | |
| Stage | Complete |
| Status | Complete |
| Release target | Firefox 6 |
| Health | OK |
| Status note | SDR: C SIR: N |
Team
| Product manager | Kevin Dangoor |
| Directly Responsible Individual | Kevin Dangoor |
| Lead engineer | Mihai Sucan (msucan), Rob Campbell |
| Security lead | Curtis Koenig |
| Privacy lead | ` |
| Localization lead | ` |
| Accessibility lead | ` |
| QA lead | Alex Lakatos (AlexLakatos) |
| UX lead | ` |
| Product marketing lead | ` |
| Operations lead | ` |
| Additional members | ` |
Open issues/risks
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Stage 1: Definition
1. Feature overview
After input from the localizers, this feature has been renamed "Scratchpad".
The Workspace concept began with Smalltalk environments and has been ported to a Firefox add-on. We believe that Workspaces provide a more pleasant way to experiment with code than the current tools which mimic a command line environment.
The prototype will allow us to get experience with this different work style and also give other people a chance to comment on it.
The basic idea behind creating a Workspace is that the Workspace gives you a convenient mechanism for running and rerunning snippets of code. If you're writing a new function, for example, you can keep redefining that function until you have one that works correctly. Then, you can just copy and paste it into your editor to become a part of your application.
Another example use would be to have a collection of utility functions that you use in debugging your application. Those functions aren't really a part of the application, and you don't want to deliver them to your users. You can keep them in a file that you load into the workspace whenever you're working on that particular app.
Most often, the files you save from a workspace are not complete script files and the snippets of code in a workspace may not run in all contexts (they may depend on variables that are defined on the page for which the workspace was created).
2. Users & use cases
Handy snippets: When working on an application, it's not uncommon to have a collection of common bits of code that you run against the page to test things. The Workspaces feature lets you load and save JavaScript files, which is a convenient way to keep track of these snippets.
Working on new code: You can use Workspaces to work on a new function. Write a little code, execute it and repeat. Once it works, you can copy/paste that code into your main program files.
Basic Use Cases
- Run JavaScript against your web content
- Run JavaScript against your chrome content
- Develop a new feature of your already online webapp without having to close it down for maintenance.
- Test a fix for your addon without having to repackage and re-install it.
- Inspect the outcome of a code snippet without having to actually run it against the page.
- Better comment your code using Display, without running the code against your content.
3. Dependencies
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4. Requirements
- Convert the add-on into a browser feature with tests
- Add a pref to remove the content/chrome switch from view
Aurora backout strategy: there is a pref to turn off the feature (devtools.workspace.enabled)
Non-goals
For this initial step, we're leaving off some obvious features:
- a better editor (Ace)
- external editor integration of any sort
- autocompletion
Stage 2: Design
5. Functional specification
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6. User experience design
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Stage 3: Planning
7. Implementation plan
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8. Reviews
Security review
Date Discussion occurred: 2011.04.14 Security Concerns:
- Feature could be used run arbitrary code
Responses to concerns:
- Interaction is one way and code only runs in a sandbox
- Sandbox inherits from content window
- Chrome settings preferences are off by default
- No collaboration built-in, scripts have to be shared out of band
- Scripts can not autorun
- No built-in interaction with web console
Outstanding issue / Next steps:
- None at this time
Privacy review
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Localization review
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Accessibility
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Quality Assurance review
Operations review
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Stage 4: Development
9. Implementation
Stage 5: Release
10. Landing criteria
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Feature details
| Priority | P1 |
| Rank | 999 |
| Theme / Goal | ` |
| Roadmap | Developer Tools |
| Secondary roadmap | ` |
| Feature list | Desktop |
| Project | ` |
| Engineering team | DevTools |
Team status notes
| status | notes | |
| Products | ` | ` |
| Engineering | ` | ` |
| Security | sec-review-complete | ` |
| Privacy | priv-review-unnecessary | ` |
| Localization | ` | ` |
| Accessibility | ` | ` |
| Quality assurance | Ready to land in Firefox 6 | ` |
| User experience | ` | ` |
| Product marketing | ` | ` |
| Operations | ` | ` |
