command line example from mozilla site doesn't work

miles zarathustra

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Nov 1, 2006, 8:57:19 PM11/1/06

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I am trying to get the simplest case I can think of to work, without luck.
Following up on the instructions on:

http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Chrome:_Command_Line

I have copied the entire example (verbatim) into a file called
myAppHandler.js, which I put into my firefox/components directory (actually
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\components).

Theoretically, this is one of the places that will cause mozilla to
"register" it. (right? At the URL above I read the phrase "register in a
category," with no further explanation of what a "category" is or how to go
about this.)

Now I start up mozilla from scratch, then load "showStuff.html" (shown
below) and, voila, the component is nowhere to be found. I believe it did
not get registered.

Can anyone explain what is going on, and how I can convince this to work?

I'll be glad to modify the page with the correct instructions (and explain
that this is an XPComm app) if I can get it to work.

Thanks,

-= miles =-

(Here is my file used to enumerate registered components; simply save it as
showStuff.html (or whatever you want to call it) and open it.)

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<title>show stuff</title>
</head>
<script language="javascript">

function showClassesByID() {
for (el in Components.classesByID) {
cmp = Components.classesByID[el];
document.write('<hr>'+ el +'<br>');
showEnumeration(cmp);
}
}

//showInterfaces();
//showClassesByID();
showClasses();
//showEnumeration(window);
}
</script>
<body onload="showStuff();" ></body></html>

Nickolay Ponomarev

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Nov 2, 2006, 5:23:22 AM11/2/06

to miles zarathustra, dev-ext...@lists.mozilla.org

On 11/2/06, miles zarathustra <nob...@nomail.com> wrote:
> I am trying to get the simplest case I can think of to work, without luck.
> Following up on the instructions on:
>
> http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Chrome:_Command_Line
>
> I have copied the entire example (verbatim) into a file called
> myAppHandler.js, which I put into my firefox/components directory (actually
> C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\components).
>
> Theoretically, this is one of the places that will cause mozilla to
> "register" it. (right?

Right. In order to cause auto-registration process, you'll also need
to delete compreg.dat in your profile.

> At the URL above I read the phrase "register in a
> category," with no further explanation of what a "category" is or how to go
> about this.)
>

The call to nsICategory::addCategoryEntry in the example does it; but
it's not related to the problem at hand.

> Now I start up mozilla from scratch, then load "showStuff.html" (shown
> below) and, voila, the component is nowhere to be found. I believe it did
> not get registered.
>

Correct. Try deleting compreg.dat and looking in the JavaScript
console (after setting the development prefs) as I suggested.

> I'll be glad to modify the page with the correct instructions (and explain
> that this is an XPComm app) if I can get it to work.
>

Thanks for that.

> (Here is my file used to enumerate registered components; simply save it as
> showStuff.html (or whatever you want to call it) and open it.)
>

I recommend using the JS shell from the Extension Developer's
Extension instead. Lets you run JS with chrome privileges in the
context of any window easily.

Nickolay

miles zarathustra

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Nov 2, 2006, 2:00:16 PM11/2/06

to

Nickolay Ponomarev wrote:

> Right. In order to cause auto-registration process, you'll also need
> to delete compreg.dat in your profile.

I thought I had done that and it still didn't work, but things are getting
confusing around here because now I have both FF 1.5 and 2.0 on the same
machine, both with two profiles, so probably I just wasn't starting up the
way I thought I was.

Anyhow, now it does seem to be registered.

Below is a more useful version of showIt.html I hope someone finds it
helpful...

I'll check out the Extension Devlopers' Extension.

-= miles =-

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html><head><title>show stuff</title></head>
<script language="javascript">

function showObject(obj) {
var w=window.open();

for (el in obj) {
cmp = obj[el];

w.document.write('<hr>'+ el +'<br>');
showEnumeration(cmp, w);
}
w.document.close();
}

function showClassesByID() {
// calling the enable function here isn't sufficient to grant access.

netscape.security.PrivilegeManager.enablePrivilege("UniversalXPConnect");

netscape.security.PrivilegeManager.enablePrivilege("UniversalBrowserAccess");

showObject(Components.classesByID);
}
function showClasses() {

netscape.security.PrivilegeManager.enablePrivilege("UniversalXPConnect");

netscape.security.PrivilegeManager.enablePrivilege("UniversalBrowserAccess");

showObject(Components.classes);
}
function showInterfaces() { showObject(Components.interfacesByID); }

function showEnumeration(obj, w) {
var c;
if (!w) { w = window.open(); c=true; }

for (el in obj) {
cmp = obj[el];

w.document.write(el+' : '+cmp+'<br>');
}
if (c) w.document.close();
}

function enable() {

// one or both of these may pop a dialog box
// need to do this to access Components.classesByID
netscape.security.PrivilegeManager.enablePrivilege("UniversalXPConnect");

netscape.security.PrivilegeManager.enablePrivilege("UniversalBrowserAccess");
}

</script>
<body>
<input type=button onclick="showClassesByID();" value="show classes by
ID."> 
<input type=button onclick="showInterfaces();" value="show
interfaces."> 
<input type=button onclick="showClasses();" value="show classes."> 
<input type=button onclick="showEnumeration(window);" value="show window
enumeration."> 
</body></html>

miles zarathustra

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Nov 2, 2006, 3:04:01 PM11/2/06

to

For better or worse, I've edited the page:

http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Chrome:_Command_Line