Address bar button not working on android nightly

mac · November 3, 2023, 9:55am

I’m working off the documentation here: https://extensionworkshop.com/documentation/develop/differences-between-desktop-and-android-extensions/

Specifically, in the section " Effect on your add-on UI":

“However, you can expose your extension as an option under the Add-ons item in the browser menu or as an address bar button.”

I tried implementing an address bar button using MV2 and pageAction; when I call browser.pageAction.show(), all it does is add a list item on the Add-ons menu.

How can I get it to load an address bar button (like readability)?

when I call .show(), “zk” is added to the Add-ons menu:

I just looked through the source:

github.com

mozilla-mobile/firefox-android/blob/main/fenix/app/src/main/java/org/mozilla/fenix/components/toolbar/BrowserToolbarController.kt

/* This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
 * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
 * file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. */

package org.mozilla.fenix.components.toolbar

import androidx.navigation.NavController
import mozilla.components.browser.state.action.ContentAction
import mozilla.components.browser.state.selector.findCustomTabOrSelectedTab
import mozilla.components.browser.state.selector.getNormalOrPrivateTabs
import mozilla.components.browser.state.selector.selectedTab
import mozilla.components.browser.state.state.SessionState
import mozilla.components.browser.state.store.BrowserStore
import mozilla.components.concept.engine.EngineView
import mozilla.components.feature.tabs.TabsUseCases
import mozilla.components.service.glean.private.NoExtras
import mozilla.components.support.ktx.kotlin.isUrl
import mozilla.components.ui.tabcounter.TabCounterMenu
import org.mozilla.fenix.GleanMetrics.Events
import org.mozilla.fenix.GleanMetrics.ReaderMode

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and it doesn’t look like the toolbar supports a button configured via a webextension, it only supports home button, readerview, translate, shopping, and erase.

Is this correct?

pmarks · November 4, 2023, 8:07pm

Years ago, Chrome deprecated pageAction in favor of browserAction, which was renamed to “action” in Manifest V3. It looks like Firefox for Android is following the same strategy.

On desktop, browserAction has a “Pin to Toolbar” option, but this doesn’t appear to exist on Android.

I have the same problem with IPvFoo: the icon is always visible on desktop, but buried under 2 taps on Android. It’d be nice to at least have an option to Pin the add-ons menu itself.

mac · November 6, 2023, 2:06pm

the addblock extension for firefox android enables the url button – so it works somehow. ill reverse the add-on when I have time…

pmarks · November 6, 2023, 8:59pm

That would be interesting to try, but I can’t find an extension named “addblock”

Edward_Sullivan · November 8, 2023, 3:12pm

Hey Folks,

It is not possible to add buttons to the address bar. Extensions can only add entries to the Add-ons menu on Firefox for Android.

I will get that document updated – “or as an address bar button” needs to be removed. That was the case in Firefox for Android <= 68, but not in recent Firefox for Android versions.

Apologies for the confusion.

Ed

mac · November 8, 2023, 3:20pm

Darn! I was accidentally testing with the reference browser which supports it (and it looks good!)

Do you know why it was removed ?

Edward_Sullivan · November 8, 2023, 8:22pm

Sorry, that I do not know.

mac · November 8, 2023, 8:37pm

Can I overload the built-in shopping button (which shows up inside the omnibox just like the readability button/translate button etc) ?