How do I install an unsigned addon on the Developer edition?
I want to install an unsigned addon that I made. I can load it temporarily via about:debugging, but I can't actually install it. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, I couldn't actually find any explicit instructions online, so I packed the files into a zip with a .xpi extension, and tried dragging it into the about:addons page. I get a "the addon could not be installed because it appears to be corrupt" error.
After reading this thread: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1134589, I went and installed the developer version of Firefox Quantum, but I'm having the same problem.
Chosen solution
I just solved my own problem.
It occurred to me that Firefox probably logs more details about the "addon was corrupt" error in the Browser console (Ctrl + J), so I opened that, and there it was:
1519080608004 addons.xpi WARN Invalid XPI: Error: Cannot find id for addon C:\Users\Jack\Documents\WebExtensions\NoHistory\NoHistory.xpi (resource://gre/modules/addons/XPIInstall.jsm:1603:17) JS Stack trace: loadManifest@XPIInstall.jsm:1603:17
So the problem was the lack of id in manifest.json . For anyone else with this problem, also remember that the id needs to be formatted like an e-mail address.
So in summary, the process is:
1. Grab all the files for your WebExtension and package them directly (not in a folder) in an uncompressed zip.
2. Replace the .zip extension with .xpi.
3. Drag the XPI into Firefox's about:addons page.
4. If an error appears, check the browser console (Ctrl + J). Maybe open the console first and then load the extension, just in case.
5. (EDIT) At least on Linux, I also had to go into about:config and change the xpinstall.signatures.required parameter to "false".
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This seems to indicate it is corrupted or doesn't meet the FF57+ requirements to install properly. You should ask Mozilla debug support what else is causing the corrupt install.
Where can I contact debug support?
Is this about a Legacy extension or about a WebExtension?
What is the folder structure in the XPI (ZIP) archive?
The install.rdf file and the chrome.manifest file needs to be in the root level. If you packed a directory and not the individual files then the root level might be a folder.
It's a WebExtension.
I've never actually heard of an install.rdf file. All I have other than scripts and images is manifest.json . I'm honestly working off of guesswork here because I couldn't find explicit instructions on how to do this - the closest I could find is this page, but it doesn't mention install.rdf .
The ZIP file contains the files directly, ie they're not in any subfolders within the ZIP.
Weirdly, I was able to package and install a different addon that I developed, using the same process.
Chosen Solution
I just solved my own problem.
It occurred to me that Firefox probably logs more details about the "addon was corrupt" error in the Browser console (Ctrl + J), so I opened that, and there it was:
1519080608004 addons.xpi WARN Invalid XPI: Error: Cannot find id for addon C:\Users\Jack\Documents\WebExtensions\NoHistory\NoHistory.xpi (resource://gre/modules/addons/XPIInstall.jsm:1603:17) JS Stack trace: loadManifest@XPIInstall.jsm:1603:17
So the problem was the lack of id in manifest.json . For anyone else with this problem, also remember that the id needs to be formatted like an e-mail address.
So in summary, the process is:
1. Grab all the files for your WebExtension and package them directly (not in a folder) in an uncompressed zip.
2. Replace the .zip extension with .xpi.
3. Drag the XPI into Firefox's about:addons page.
4. If an error appears, check the browser console (Ctrl + J). Maybe open the console first and then load the extension, just in case.
5. (EDIT) At least on Linux, I also had to go into about:config and change the xpinstall.signatures.required parameter to "false".
Modified by Gaiajack
A forum to ask for Extensions help is in https://discourse.mozilla.org/c/add-ons and a secondary place is on the independent mozillaZine forum http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewforum.php?f=19 if you have an account there.