How to check whether client browser has firebug plugin

[Amit Sharma]

Hello Friends,

I have requirement in my project that we should check whether the
client browser (Firefox) if it has
firebug plugin then we should show suitable message or ask the client
to disable firebug to use our site.

We have a Java web application.

Please let me know if this is possible and how?

Thanks you in Advance

Amit Sharma

[John J Barton]

Hopefully it is not possible now, though I suppose someone will find a
way.

[ScroogeMcPump]

On Jul 21, 7:08 am, Amit Sharma <amit.sh1...@gmail.com> wrote:

> I have requirement in my project that we should check whether the
> client browser (Firefox) if it has firebug plugin

Whoever wrote that requirement is painfully unaware of how extensions
for Firefox work. If I thought that the Internet sites I connect to
could detect whether or not I was using Firebug, I'd STOP using
Firebug immediately; same goes for any other extension. The
developers for Firefox and many Firefox extensions (including Firebug)
work long and hard to make sure that's NOT possible - and if it is,
most of them would consider that hole a serious bug and close it up
ASAP.

> We have a Java web application.

Another point: Java is not JavaScript. (See <http://
www.ericgiguere.com/articles/javascript-is-not-java.html>.)

If what you have is truly a Java applet, it's not going to mane much
difference to that applet if Firebug is present or absent or enabled
or disabled, because Firebug works with JavaScript, which is something
completely different.

[ScroogeMcPump]

If what you have is truly a Java applet, it's not going to maKe much

[Rako]

It would be a useful feature to make "debugging" by strangers
impossible.
They have no right to delve into your code. They may even do it, to
hack it, or to steal your work.
This is one aspect of the picture.

The other is, that when someone debugs his own code and somehow gets
onto your site, he may be irritated by the slowed down rendering, or
if there is some feature that leads to an error.
(Just a simple case: FB reports errors in Firefox modules. It is a
pain in the neck and a waste of the author's time.)
It is simple to use say a cookie, to disable (rather to enable) FB for
your site.
I use a similar method to en/disable error-alerts for my site.
Also, when testing inter-page routines, one may have to go through a
chain of pages. It is possible, that FB is undesirable for some
members of the chain. (e.g. timing-problems, timeouts, etc.) In these
cases I would like to be able to set an indicator that would disable
FB for that page.
This could be a variable with a special name like "var FireBugEnabler
= true/false;" if false, Firebug would ignore breakpoints for this
page.
The variable would cause no problems if FB was not installed or
disabled (or in other browsers). It would be recognised and used only
by FB.

So please implement something in FB to allow the author to disable FB
for that page or for his site.

> > Amit Sharma- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Denis V. Ignatenko]

> We have a Java web application.

Java applet is embeeded in HTML? May be it would be better to add some
javascript in html to inform users that they should disable firebug.
Something like this:

<script>
if(typeof(window.console) != "undefined"){alert("Firebug is cool but
not for our application! Please disable it.")}
</script>

[zenslug]

Actively preventing debugging isn't worth the effort to implement.
Those who want to see your code will. And they do have a right to
delve into your code. You are sending it to them so that they can
render it. It is fundamental to the success of the web.

[Freman]

I can see the point of an author wanting to ask firebug to disable
it's self for a site - gmail for example.

If they could send an extra header, use a meta tag, or set a variable
to disable firebug, they wouldn't have to warn everyone :)

A quick look at http://getfirebug.com/firebug/firebugx.js will show
you how to detect if a firebug like debugger (not necessarily firebug)
is installed and running