Restart Firefox Programmaticly

stfn · August 21, 2018, 2:25am

I’d like my addon to be able to restart Firefox. Is there an API for this? I thought I might be able to do something similar to what the Developer Toolbar (GCLI) does with its restart command but that feature is being entirely removed from Firefox.

Any other options?

NilkasG · August 21, 2018, 11:17am

I am facing the exact same problem and wrote everything I know in this comment:

github.com/NiklasGollenstede/re-style

New restart method

opened 11:22AM - 20 Aug 18 UTC

closed 11:53PM - 20 Aug 18 UTC

Madis0

It seems like the Shift+F2 bar [will go away soon](https://www.reddit.com/r/fire…fox/comments/8mxfkf/shift_f2_stops_working_on_nightly/), it is gone already for me in 62 beta and 63 nightly. Easiest way to restart now would be going to `about:profiles` and clicking `Restart normally...` I was also thinking, maybe reStyle can automate some of it, with the help of NativeExt? Opening the page automatically/with a button would be a good start. --- Alternatively, as suggested in the link, user could press `Ctrl`+`Shift`+`J` and then `Ctrl`+`Alt`+`R`, but that is a lot of buttons to press and leaves a potentially confusing log-spamming window open.

The gist is:

about:profiles and click Restart normally... or
Ctrl + Shift + J and then Ctrl + Alt + R

With considerable effort the 2nd option could be automated (by a native application) fairly well (I think).

stfn · August 21, 2018, 10:16pm

Thanks for the link! Glad I’m not the only one thinking about this. The key command automation sounds possible but that combination actually doesn’t do anything for me. Ctrl + Shift + J opens up the Browser Console but Ctrl + Alt + R has no effect for me. I’m on Ubuntu, is that an OS specific command?

NilkasG · August 24, 2018, 2:55pm

ghacks hints at it and seems to be right: it only works from FF62 onward.
I tried it it in the release (61) and trunk (63) versions on Linux and only the latter works.
Beta (62) on Windows works as well.

baden2005 · January 17, 2019, 2:45pm

It works in Windows 10 PRO BUT I have to login again within social networks pages or web pages previously logged in