multi-account-containers
multi-account-containers copied to clipboard
mozilla
Add support for permanent private mode
I've been using the Containers feature for a few weeks in Firefox 52 (using the userContext options in about:config). It worked fine until Firefox auto-updated to version 53 -- now File -> New Container Tab is greyed out and a long-click on the new tab button no longer gives me the container options.
This has happened in Windows 8, Ubuntu 16.10 and macOS 10.12.4 so it appears to be a generic issue rather than platform-specific. The functionality was definitely working in 52.0.2 on all platforms and stopped working in 53.0 so appears to be a regression bug.
The relevant about:config settings are:
privacy.userContext.enabled: User set totrueprivacy.userContext.longPressBehavior: Kept as default of0(this option didn't exist when I originally enabled containers)privacy.userContext.ui.enabled: User set totrueprivacy.usercontext.about_newtab_segregation.enabled: User set totrue
I've just installed test-pilot and restarted Firefox. The menu item is still disabled and long-clicking the new tab icon doesn't work.
@pwaring could you paste the value of: "browser.privatebrowsing.autostart" and also the extensions you have in about:support?
Thanks
@pwaring the long press should be replaced with a hover menu on the + icon instead in the test pilot.
browser.privatebrowsing.autostart is set to true (I haven't set this directly but I assume it's a consequence of having Firefox start in private browsing mode by default).
privacy.userContext.ui.enabled is now false (I didn't change it, I assume test-pilot did).
If I hover over the + icon I get a tooltip saying 'Open a new tab (Ctrl + T)'.
The list from about:support is:
Application Update Service Helper 2.0 true [email protected]
Containers Experiment 2.2.0 true @testpilot-containers
Multi-process staged rollout 1.14 true [email protected]
Pocket 1.0.5 true [email protected]
Test Pilot 1.1.2-dev-f3fe9bf true @testpilot-addon
Web Compat 1.0 true [email protected]
That's from the Windows Firefox, the Linux one also has NoScript.
browser.privatebrowsing.autostartis set to true (I haven't set this directly but I assume it's a consequence of having Firefox start in private browsing mode by default).
This is the problem, currently we don't support that. We should have put a warning in about this. However it's actually so infrequently used you are the first to report it.
The following setup gets you 90% there instead (this is what I use):
What I don't understand though is why it stopped working in 53 - I had the same settings in 52.02 so containers did work with private browsing on by default. Can you not revert whatever change broke the functionality?
@pwaring what was your setup in 52, were you using the test pilot experiment or the preference setup?
I made the assignment feature depend on private mode being off, however no other changes were made to depend on this setting so it shouldn't have made a difference. Did you change the setting and not restart your browser perhaps?
The preference only version of containers hasn't ever worked for this mode (I have a patch to put in core firefox still waiting to land).
I was using the preference in 52 - I only installed the test pilot experiment because @bakulf asked me to. In fact checking my Twitter history it looks like you were the person who told me how to use preferences. :)
I shutdown my PC every night and I've been using this functionality since 5th April so it's not a case of changing settings and forgetting to restart.
The preference only version of containers hasn't ever worked for this mode (I have a patch to put in core firefox still waiting to land).
That doesn't tally with my experience. All my Firefox instances use private browsing by default and containers were working in all of them until 53 landed.
In fact checking my Twitter history it looks like you were the person who told me how to use preferences. :)
Heh yeah I thought I recognised you :bowtie:
That doesn't tally with my experience. All my Firefox instances use private browsing by default and containers were working in all of them until 53 landed.
Yeah this comment was specific to this experiment only... I didn't think it was our extension causing this as there isn't much code checking it.
As for 53, I can only think we had bugs that showed some of these menu items in private mode when they shouldn't have been shown. The reason this bug exists is due to us hiding containers features when users are in normal private mode. However this means users like yourself have a hidden menu.
@bakulf and @kjozwiak do you know of any instances in 53 Firefox where we fixed a private menu that shouldn't have been shown?
@pwaring I can look into getting my core patch landed to enable containers again in alwaysPrivateMode which would likely give you these menus back in 55. Unfortunately small regressions like this especially for not core functionality of Firefox wouldn't be able to be backed out.
I don't know if something has changed but I can now get a container by clicking the Containers icon on the menu in 53.03. It's not quite as convenient as the new tab button and it insists on telling me about containers every time I restart Firefox, but I can at least get at the functionality.
@pwaring so you think this can be closed? We have #490 too if you could try that STR that would be great.
I would prefer that the functionality was restored to what it was in 52.0, since clicking on the new tab icon was more convenient and user-friendly than having to click through 3 pop-ups on the container menu.
@pwaring this is still the experience in Firefox itself with the containers preference privacy.userContext.enabled set to true in about:config
I'm not sure what you mean by that. If I try using 53.0.2 with the various settings in about:config then I can't create a new container tab unless I install the test pilot add-on, and then only by going through three reminders each time I restart my browser.
Without the test pilot you can add/remove containers in about:preferences under privacy.
On Fri, 26 May 2017, 11:38 Paul Waring, [email protected] wrote:
I'm not sure what you mean by that. If I try using 53.0.2 with the various settings in about:config then I can't create a new container tab unless I install the test pilot add-on, and then only by going through three reminders each time I restart my browser.
— You are receiving this because you commented. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub https://github.com/mozilla/testpilot-containers/issues/469#issuecomment-304249695, or mute the thread https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AAUsLOSU0H2-c0rWp2jB-5qpxhqarf-pks5r9qujgaJpZM4NLO3v .
Yes, I can change the list of containers. What I can't do without the Test Pilot add-on is open a new tab in a given container. There is no long-click option on the New Tab icon and the New Container Tab option in the File menu is greyed out.
There is no long-click option on the New Tab icon and the New Container Tab option in the File menu is greyed out.
Are you in a Private Browsing window by any chance?
Just adding that @pwaring is not the only one wanting this feature to work correctly in Permanent Private Browsing Mode.
The comments in #548 suggest that this was a change in Firefox and the time difference is release channels perhaps? I suspect it was a 53 change that did this and outside what we can control in the experiment.
Update: I can no longer open new container tabs at all (with the add-on), as of 54.x (I think - I'm on 54.0.1). If I click the container link and then choose a container, nothing happens.
I can still add/edit existing containers but without the ability to use them this feature is unusable.
This still seems to be broken in Quantum (57.0) - the New Container Tab is still greyed out.
I also vote for this feature. Is there any other way to vote? Can't see anywhere documented what's the best way to vote for feature.
I can't see any way to vote either - obviously as the original reporter I would like this to be fixed. :)
@wiktorn @pwaring I think you're expected to click :+1: on the original post in order to "vote" for it.
It looks like this depends on this bug: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1320757
This issue specifically talks about permanent private browsing mode, but I see no reason why this shouldn't be permissible for regular private browsing mode too. Most use cases for permanent should also apply to non-permanent.
Non-permanent private browsing example: A user has 3 websites (A, B, and C) that they visit, but does not want any of them sharing a session, so they'd like to use containers. They open Website A in a normal non-private window because they want to save history. They press Ctrl+p and open Websites B and C in a private browsing window because they don't want them saving history. Currently there's no way for B and C to use private browsing while not sharing the same session.
I think there are two different use cases for private browsing and containers, albeit with a bit of overlap. For example, the biggest selling point of containers to me is not to do with privacy or isolating sites such as Facebook, but the ability to have simultaneous sessions with the same website - I think containers are the only way to achieve that within the same browser.