Migrate from self-hosted to Add-ons Store?

Add-ons
#1

We have a Firefox extension that our customers use with our enterprise web application. Originally we had self-hosted the .xpi file on our own website, but with recent security changes to Firefox, we have decided to take the path of least resistance and host our extension on the add-ons store. However, this raises the question of “how do our users know that they should get the next update from the store, and not the old, hosted location on our website?”

I don’t see a clear, seamless path to make this work, but hopefully I’m wrong.

Thanks for your assistance…

#2

You need to push one more version to your users from your website that does not contain an updateURL in the install manifest. If there isn’t one, Firefox will automatically look on AMO for an update.

#3

Our previous version of the extension (v1) was not signed, and we weren’t planning on signing the last release that is hosted from our web server (v2)… if we remove the updateLink from our update .rdf, should everything still work given that the add-ons store copy (v3) will be signed?

I did some quick testing, and updated from v2 to v3 doesn’t seem to notice that the extension is now in the store.

#4

If the new version (v3) passed review on AMO, and the previous version (v2) doesn’t have an updateURL, then v2 should be updated to v3 automatically.

#5

Thanks for your reply… what you describe is exactly what I would expect to happen, but we have a number of tests setup and we’re not seeing it. Users on v2 are never seeing the v3 update from AMO.

Here is what our update .rdf looks like on the server where our extension is hosted (it was auto generated from the cfx tools during last build):
`

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
  • 2 {ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384} 26.0 30.0
    • `
    Migration from self-distributed add-on to the one listed on AMO
    #6

    The update.rdf is irrelevant. As soon as you remove the updateURL from the install.rdf, Firefox will check AMO for updates of the add-on.

    Have you submitted your add-on to AMO yet? I can’t find it in our records. Please provide the link to its listing or developer hub page.

    #7

    Hey, thanks so much for your help! I finally got it working… turns out I forgot that the cfx tool “embeds” the install.rdf file in the .xpi package.

    We re-build the extension and everything upgraded fine.

    FWIW, here is a link to our listing: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/batterii-web-clipper/