Extensions.checkCompatibility: Difference between revisions

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m (→‎Background: <version> note: "is no longer used" -> "has been removed")
(→‎Background: add an example for 3.6pre and link to bug 538234)
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'''Note:''' Starting with Gecko 1.9.2 applications (e.g., Firefox 3.6)  this preference has been removed; a new preference that includes the application version, '''extensions.checkcompatibility.<version>''' is used instead  ([https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=521905 bug 521905]).  "<version>" includes alpha and beta milestones but excludes minor version updates.  For example:
'''Note:''' Starting with Gecko 1.9.2 applications (e.g., Firefox 3.6)  this preference has been removed; a new preference that includes the application version, '''extensions.checkcompatibility.<version>''' is used instead  ([https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=521905 bug 521905]).  "<version>" includes alpha and beta milestones but excludes minor version updates.  For example:
*Firefox 3.6b2 ->  '''extensions.checkCompatibility.3.6b'''   Firefox 3.6 and Firefox 3.6.1  -> '''extensions.checkCompatibility.3.6'''
*Firefox 3.6b2 ->  '''extensions.checkCompatibility.3.6b'''
*Firefox 3.6pre -> '''extensions.checkCompatibility.3.6p''' (the cut-off "pre" is due to {{bug|538234}})
*Firefox 3.6 and Firefox 3.6.1  -> '''extensions.checkCompatibility.3.6'''
*Firefox 3.7a1 -> '''extensions.checkCompatibility.3.7a'''   
*Firefox 3.7a1 -> '''extensions.checkCompatibility.3.7a'''   
*SeaMonkey 2.1a1 -> '''extensions.checkCompatibility.2.1a'''
*SeaMonkey 2.1a1 -> '''extensions.checkCompatibility.2.1a'''

Revision as of 20:54, 6 January 2010

Background

This preference allows disabling of extension compatibility checking. This is useful if you are using alpha, beta or nightly (development) builds which Add-on authors do not yet support. However, enabling incompatible extensions may cause crashes or other malfunctions.

Note: Starting with Gecko 1.9.2 applications (e.g., Firefox 3.6) this preference has been removed; a new preference that includes the application version, extensions.checkcompatibility.<version> is used instead (bug 521905). "<version>" includes alpha and beta milestones but excludes minor version updates. For example:

  • Firefox 3.6b2 -> extensions.checkCompatibility.3.6b
  • Firefox 3.6pre -> extensions.checkCompatibility.3.6p (the cut-off "pre" is due to bug 538234)
  • Firefox 3.6 and Firefox 3.6.1 -> extensions.checkCompatibility.3.6
  • Firefox 3.7a1 -> extensions.checkCompatibility.3.7a
  • SeaMonkey 2.1a1 -> extensions.checkCompatibility.2.1a

Possible values and their effects

true

Check extension compatibility on install and update. (Default)

false

Do not check compatibility. Incompatible add-ons will be marked in the Add-ons Manager - its icon will have an exclamation mark over it and when the add-on is selected, the text Not compatible with <application and version> appears below the extension description. In addition, while the preference is set to false there will be an alert bar at the top of the Add-ons Manager saying that add-on compatibility checking is disabled and that you may have incompatible add-ons, with a button to re-enable it.

Caveats

  • This preference does not exist by default.
  • Installing an extension marked as incompatible with your application may cause your application to malfunction or crash.
  • Disabling extension compatibility checking may cause your application to malfunction or crash after a future upgrade.

If disabling extension compatibility checking makes your application crash on startup, you should try starting in Safe Mode and re-enabling compatibility checking.

UI

Mozilla Firefox 2.0 and above

This preference can be toggled to true by clicking the "Enable" button in the Add-ons Manager next to the “compatibility checking disabled” alert. (There is no way to set it back to false within the UI.) In other words, if you click on "Enable" you are not enabling extensions but enabling the compatibility checking and the flagged extensions will be disabled once more and not function. To Enable the disabled extensions you will have to start over by creating the configuration variable all over again.

SeaMonkey 2.0

Same as above.

First checked in

Mozilla Firefox (trunk)
2006-05-29 by Rob Strong
Mozilla Firefox (1.8 branch)
2006-06-05 by Rob Strong

Has an effect in

  • Firefox (all versions since 2.0b1) — Removed in 3.6b2 (see above)
  • Thunderbird (all versions since 2.0a1)
  • SeaMonkey (all versions since 2.0a1)

Related bugs

Related preferences