Missleading advise and results while uploading XPI for Thunderbird

[Kukulkano]

Describe the problem and steps to reproduce it:

I tried to upload a new Add-on for Thunderbird. The results are confusing and the detail page is showing wrong information.

What happened?

On the main screen, I get this error: Your add-on failed validation with 1 error. Min-/Max-Version wurde nicht gefunden. Enthält „strict_min_version“ oder „strict_max_version“ womöglich eine nicht unterstützte Version?

I have set both versions (contains WebExperiments API):

"strict_min_version": "91.7",
"strict_max_version": "99.0"

To identify the cause, I opened the details it offers. There, surprise, I get: Add-on hat die Überprüfung bestanden. (English: Add-on has passed the test)

Also, it complains several times about API that firefox does not implement like this: compose.getComposeDetails is not supported Warnung: This API has not been implemented by Firefox.

But Thunderbird does and the API is existing (and working).

Also, it complains about wrong or missing permissions. Would be great to learn what permissions are missing. Because it works in my Thunderbird with no complains in the log?

What did you expect to happen?

• If strict_max_version or strict_min_version are not accepted, I would like to see possible values. Eg, also the Thunderbird beta version which I can use for testing.
• If permissions are missing, I would like to know which of them are missing.
• If Thunderbird is selected as target, I would expect it to know the Thunderbird related WebExtension APIs.

Anything else we should know?

First page Details page

[Sancus]

Valid versions are here: https://addons.thunderbird.net/en-US/thunderbird/pages/appversions/

91.7 is not one of them. And it would be 91.7.0, there is no 91.7. Is there a specific reason you need to use that as a minimum version? I would use 91.* unless there's something specific from that version that must be there to work.

The API and permission issues are a duplicate of #73.

[Kukulkano]

Thanks for the link to valid versions. Will check that and also try the * variant.

Please also note that the main screen told me that validation failed and the details screen told me that validation was successful...

[Kukulkano]

I would use 91.* unless there's something specific from that version that must be there to work.

If I do this, it tells me the following error while loading such AddOn into Thunderbird: 1647869219175 addons.xpi WARN Invalid XPI: Error: The use of '*' in strict_min_version is invalid(resource://gre/modules/addons/XPIInstall.jsm:484:11) JS Stack trace: [email protected]:484:11

Thus, I have to specify an exact version as minimum version.

I also think it would be helpful if you link the page with possiblöe versions in the error message.

[Sancus]

Thus, I have to specify an exact version as minimum version.

My mistake then, use 91.0 I guess.

I also think it would be helpful if you link the page with possiblöe versions in the error message. Yes, I agree a link to the version info would be helpful. Please also note that the main screen told me that validation failed and the details screen told me that validation was successful...

I'll have to check, not sure if this is a bug or just a UI quirk. There isn't a lot of time to work on this site right now, we're basically lucky to even have it at all. The situation may improve later this year.

[vanowm]

In my case the validation failed due to strict_max_version, but full report page showed strict_max_version not as error, but as information. There is no link, or any kind of information provided for the list of valid versions.

[jobisoft]

We added a link to the list of valid versions to our list of important resources: https://developer.thunderbird.net/add-ons/resources

[mschoettle]

I noticed something along those lines as well: If strict_max_version is missing there is an error saying that it is required (and * is not accepted even though it is mentioned here: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Add-ons/WebExtensions/manifest.json/browser_specific_settings#strict_max_version). However, the full validation report has a notice that strict_max_version is not required:

"strict_max_version" not required.

Warning: "strict_max_version" shouldn't be used unless the add-on is expected not to work with future versions of Firefox.

[jobisoft]

The add-on server code is from Firefox and they do not allow Experiments. We do but need to limit them to a certain version. The notice from Firefox that the limit is not needed is coming from the linter, which does not know much about Thunderbird. We are working on that part.