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Mendeley plugin installed via registry setting pointing to plugin file has stopped working

  • 3 respostas
  • 1 has this problem
  • 11 views
  • Last reply by cor-el

alder-woolf
alder-woolf
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I make the Mendeley Firefox plugin available to managed windows 10 workstations by downloading the plugin file to this location on a workstation:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Mendeley Desktop\Firefox Importer\mendeley_web_importer-3.2.65-fx.xpi

and then add a registry setting to the machine as follows:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Mozilla\Firefox\Extensions] "@mendeleyimporter"="C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Mendeley Desktop\\Firefox Importer\\mendeley_web_importer-3.2.65-fx.xpi"

This method worked for previous versions of Firefox and Mendeley Importer, but for the latest versions of both the plugin no longer appears in Firefox.

No error messages are generated.

Is this method still supported by Firefox?

Thanks Mike

I make the Mendeley Firefox plugin available to managed windows 10 workstations by downloading the plugin file to this location on a workstation: C:\Program Files (x86)\Mendeley Desktop\Firefox Importer\mendeley_web_importer-3.2.65-fx.xpi and then add a registry setting to the machine as follows: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Mozilla\Firefox\Extensions] "@mendeleyimporter"="C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Mendeley Desktop\\Firefox Importer\\mendeley_web_importer-3.2.65-fx.xpi" This method worked for previous versions of Firefox and Mendeley Importer, but for the latest versions of both the plugin no longer appears in Firefox. No error messages are generated. Is this method still supported by Firefox? Thanks Mike

All Replies (3)

TyDraniu
TyDraniu
  • Top 25 Contributor
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I don't think so. Since Firefox 74, it is no longer possible to have an extension be automatically installed as part of another application install. See the Add-ons Blog for more information.

TyDraniu modificouno o

alder-woolf
alder-woolf Question owner
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Many thanks for the reply.

As the former registry setting method no longer works as a method to automate installation of the Mendeley Firefox plugin - extension sideloading - what alternatives will work on large numbers of Windows 10 machines in our enterprise?

We currently have Firefox v 95.0.2 (64-bit).

I have tried the method of creating an "extension" directory for Firefox:

C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\extensions

and using the xpi file, create a folder named after the GUID of the plugin, and copy unzipped contents of the xpi file to the folder.e.g.:

C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\extensions\{5c0b10e0-c8b5-4014-8a6f-8f0196da7563}

This did not work.

I understand I could use a policies.json file to install a plugin, the json file located in the folder

C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\distribution

I successfully tested this with an example from the web that sets the start page to a specific URL.

The mendeley firefox addon file is held in the location:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Mendeley Desktop\Firefox Importer\mendeley_web_importer-3.2.65-fx.xpi

I cant find any good practical examples of installing a plugin with a policies.json files, so can anyone let ne know what this should look like?

cor-el
cor-el
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
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You can use GPO or a policies.json file to pre-install extensions. See "Extensions":

I will move the thread to Firefox for Enterprise support.

cor-el modificouno o