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I have a very old (1992) browser plugin for a mac that works in several different browsers. However, since Firefox restricted its plugins to XPI files in Firefox 3.6, the plugin no longer works.

I haven't been able to find a useful document describing what I need to do to my plugin to make it an XPI, or at least loadable by firefox, can anyone point me at such a document? or just explain to me what I need to do? I'm using Xcode.

Georg Fritzsche
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Brian Postow
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2 Answers2

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Brain; the problem is most likely that in Firefox 3.6 they removed support for XPCOM interfaces on npapi plugins. you need to use npruntime instead.

http://colonelpanic.net/2010/01/firefox-3-6-has-removed-support-for-xpcom-plugins/

You could also consider using FireBreath to rewrite it with, as that abstracts a lot of the details.

taxilian
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So if this is an NPAPI plugin, you can just create a simple XPI (it's a ZIP file):

your-plugin.xpi/
  install.rdf
  plugins/
    your-plugin.dylib

This follows from the https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Bundles page I linked earlier.

You can create the install.rdf by reading and following the install.rdf reference page on MDC or just generate a stub extension using something like Extension Wizard (here's a "more official" version on addons.mozilla.org, but I haven't used that) and take the install.rdf from it.

You should probably limit the extension to Mac in your install.rdf (for that you'll have to read the install.rdf reference).

[original answer was:] What technology does the plugin use? XPI is a packaging mechanism; the answer to your question depends on whether the technology you use is still supported in Firefox 3.6.

I didn't think there were cross-browser plugin technologies, that worked in 1992 and are still in use now, so it's hard to guess what kind of plugin you're talking about.

Nickolay
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  • It's an NPAPI plugin. It may not originally have been NPAPI, I wasn't at the company back then... – Brian Postow Feb 02 '10 at 14:57
  • @Brian Postow: ok, updated my answer. Out of interested, how was it installed before? By dropping the plugin it to Firefox's plugins folder? – Nickolay Feb 02 '10 at 16:36
  • we dropped the plugin into the /Library/Internet Plug-Ins folder. – Brian Postow Feb 02 '10 at 17:07
  • the plugin isn't currently a .dylib... it's a .plugin. Is there a diffrence? – Brian Postow Feb 02 '10 at 19:25
  • Ok, so I made the XPI and installed it, but it STILL has no effect... I'm guessing that that wasn't the problem... – Brian Postow Feb 02 '10 at 22:01
  • @Brian Postow: Judging from plugins I have installed, it can be a .plugin as well, I copied the dylib thing from the MDC docs. Re: /Library/Internet Plug-Ins - dropping a plugin there is supposed to work, I think. I definitely have some plugins there that do get recognized by Firefox. Perhaps you have a different problem? – Nickolay Feb 03 '10 at 00:16
  • Yes, a plugin can go there, the extension wizard worked fine, so, I'm assuming it's some other problem... but itworks in 3.5.7, just not 3.6... hrm... – Brian Postow Feb 03 '10 at 16:30