First tutorial in Firefox Add-on SDK "Getting Started" guide fails

[Mark Ballard]

The Mozilla "Getting Started" guide to Firefox Add-ons:

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Add-ons/SDK/Tutorials/Getting_started

It doesn't work.

It is the page you go to if you are a nobby user making your first
brave steps to modify your Linux environment so you can work more
productively. You have been plucking up your courage and waiting for a
space in your busy diary. This is a big deal. It's daunting. But this
was the Linux promise: power users given unimaginable power. The geeky
brags you heard about Linux being better than Windows have echoed in
your mind down the years. And Mozilla makes it look *so possible* for
nobby users to get stuck in. Its tutorial is even written in something
close to plain English. Yes, you still believe in Linux! Even after
all these years of incessant bugs - you still believe! It is still
possible! You go for it!

And your SDK prompt vomits up a horrible looking error, like the devil
himself had possessed your machine and was taunting you for being such
a feeble user with such vain hopes that you might just skip daintily
through the Mozilla programming guide. Ha ha! You wretched little
worm! Hear me now! Hear my words of gibber and you tell me then where
are your dreams of man-machine harmony!

$ cfx run
Using binary at '/usr/bin/firefox'.

(process:10645): GLib-CRITICAL **: g_slice_set_config: assertion
'sys_page_size == 0' failed
Using profile at '/tmp/tmp1DQcLw.mozrunner'.

(process:10650): GLib-CRITICAL **: g_slice_set_config: assertion
'sys_page_size == 0' failed
[10650] WARNING: Attempt to add property GnomeProgram::sm-connect
after class was initialised: 'glib warning', file
/build/buildd/firefox-31.0+build1/toolkit/xre/nsSigHandlers.cpp, line
127

(firefox:10650): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: Attempt to add property
GnomeProgram::sm-connect after class was initialised
[10650] WARNING: Attempt to add property
GnomeProgram::show-crash-dialog after class was initialised: 'glib
warning', file /build/buildd/firefox-31.0+build1/toolkit/xre/nsSigHandlers.cpp,
line 127

(firefox:10650): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: Attempt to add property
GnomeProgram::show-crash-dialog after class was initialised
[10650] WARNING: Attempt to add property GnomeProgram::display after
class was initialised: 'glib warning', file
/build/buildd/firefox-31.0+build1/toolkit/xre/nsSigHandlers.cpp, line
127

(firefox:10650): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: Attempt to add property
GnomeProgram::display after class was initialised
[10650] WARNING: Attempt to add property GnomeProgram::default-icon
after class was initialised: 'glib warning', file
/build/buildd/firefox-31.0+build1/toolkit/xre/nsSigHandlers.cpp, line
127

(firefox:10650): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: Attempt to add property
GnomeProgram::default-icon after class was initialised
console.error: file_page:
DEPRECATED: The widget module is deprecated. Please consider using
the sdk/ui module instead.
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "resource://gre/modules/commonjs/sdk/addon/runner.js", line
113, in startup/<
run(options);
File "resource://gre/modules/commonjs/sdk/addon/runner.js", line 149, in run
let program = main(options.loader, options.main);
File "resource://gre/modules/commonjs/toolkit/loader.js", line 647, in main
return loader.load(loader, module).exports;
File "resource://gre/modules/commonjs/sdk/loader/cuddlefish.js",
line 129, in CuddlefishLoader/options<.load
result = load(loader, module);
File "resource://gre/modules/commonjs/toolkit/loader.js", line 299, in load
evaluate(sandbox, module.uri);
File "resource://gre/modules/commonjs/toolkit/loader.js", line 262,
in evaluate
: loadSubScript(uri, sandbox, encoding);
File "resource://jid1-slbvnwmdfgpala-at-jetpack/file_page/lib/main.js",
line 1, in null
var widgets = require("sdk/widget");
File "resource://gre/modules/commonjs/toolkit/loader.js", line 621, in require
freeze(load(loader, module));
File "resource://gre/modules/commonjs/sdk/loader/cuddlefish.js",
line 129, in CuddlefishLoader/options<.load
result = load(loader, module);
File "resource://gre/modules/commonjs/toolkit/loader.js", line 299, in load
evaluate(sandbox, module.uri);
File "resource://gre/modules/commonjs/toolkit/loader.js", line 262,
in evaluate
: loadSubScript(uri, sandbox, encoding);
File "resource://gre/modules/commonjs/sdk/widget.js", line 59, in null
"The widget module is deprecated. " +
File "resource://gre/modules/commonjs/sdk/util/deprecate.js", line
18, in deprecateUsage
let stack = get().slice(2);
System JS : ERROR chrome://browser/content/browser.js:14479 -
TypeError: value is not a non-null object
System JS : ERROR chrome://browser/content/content-sessionStore.js:230
- TypeError: docShell.QueryInterface(...).sessionHistory is null
JavaScript error: chrome://browser/content/urlbarBindings.xml, line
674: aUrl is undefined
JavaScript error: chrome://browser/content/urlbarBindings.xml, line
674: aUrl is undefined
^CTraceback (most recent call last):
File "/media/mark/139ee454-8a6e-47db-83eb-2eaaa684022e/Work
annat/Work/Data/pgs./Firefox Add-ons/Firefox
SDK/addon-sdk-1.17/bin/cfx", line 33, in <module>
cuddlefish.run()
File "/media/mark/139ee454-8a6e-47db-83eb-2eaaa684022e/Work
annat/Work/Data/pgs./Firefox Add-ons/Firefox
SDK/addon-sdk-1.17/python-lib/cuddlefish/__init__.py", line 933, in
run
pkgdir=options.pkgdir)
File "/media/mark/139ee454-8a6e-47db-83eb-2eaaa684022e/Work
annat/Work/Data/pgs./Firefox Add-ons/Firefox
SDK/addon-sdk-1.17/python-lib/cuddlefish/runner.py", line 724, in
run_app
time.sleep(0.05)
KeyboardInterrupt


p.s.

I filed this as a bug as well:
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1057336

[Georg Fritzsche]

Hi Mark,

this list is about NPAPI plugins, the list for addons can be found here:
https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-extensions

Georg

> _______________________________________________
> dev-tech-plugins mailing list
> dev-tech...@lists.mozilla.org
> https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-tech-plugins

[Mark Ballard]

Your composure would be tranquillizing, Geog, were it not for the fact
that I was directed to this list by the very "Add-on" pages offering
succour to feeble users:

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Add-ons

But of course it's the wrong list! But of course it is! Of course! Ha
HA ha! Of course!

[Chris Peterson]

On 8/22/14 10:46 AM, Mark Ballard wrote:
> Your composure would be tranquillizing, Geog, were it not for the fact
> that I was directed to this list by the very "Add-on" pages offering
> succour to feeble users:
>
> https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/Add-ons

The "Mailing list" link in that page's footer points to
"https://lists.mozilla.org/listinfo/dev-extensions". I don't see any
reference to dev-tech-plugins.