browserAction undefined if browser_action missing in manifest.json

djbrown commented 7 months ago

MDN URL

What specific section or headline is this issue about?

What information was incorrect, unhelpful, or incomplete?

Missing information about the browser_action key itself, only that all properties are optional. If I miss this key in manifest.json then browser.browserAction is undefined in background.js:

What did you expect to see?

It should be stated, that the browserAction API is only available of the browser_api key/object is declared in the manifest.json.

Do you have any supporting links, references, or citations?

AFAIK Firefox didn't throw that error a year ago
Manifest keys/browser_action
API/browserAction
mildly relevant: #30025

Do you have anything more you want to share?

might also be a problem with other APIs

MDN metadata

Page report details

* Folder: `en-us/mozilla/add-ons/webextensions/user_interface/toolbar_button` * MDN URL: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Add-ons/WebExtensions/user_interface/Toolbar_button * GitHub URL: https://github.com/mdn/content/blob/main/files/en-us/mozilla/add-ons/webextensions/user_interface/toolbar_button/index.md * Last commit: https://github.com/mdn/content/commit/8e7726da0782dcf7d1ca273177df60e3ff0893df * Document last modified: 2023-11-17T15:34:57.000Z

Rob--W commented 6 months ago

AFAIK Firefox didn't throw that error a year ago

The browser_action key has always been a requirement for the browserAction API.

It would be a good idea to double-check that the manifest key requirement is well-documented in the articles of all extension APIs. I went through the list of manifest keys at https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Add-ons/WebExtensions/manifest.json#list_of_manifest.json_keys and from my recollection, these are the keys with an API:

action key / action API
browser_action key / browserAction API
commands key / commands API
(declarative_net_request key NOT required for declarativeNetRequest API)
devtools_page key / devtools API (devtools APIs are only available to devtools pages, this seems already documented in the articles)
omnibox key / omnibox API
page_action key / pageAction API
sidebar_action key / sidebarAction API
(storage key NOT required for storage API)
(theme key NOT required for theme API, in fact theme key is mutually exclusive with being an extension)
(user_scripts key is required for userScripts API, but not for the new one, covered by https://github.com/mdn/content/pull/31813)
(permissions key has the same name as thepermissions API, but the latter is available without manifest keys, even though it is connected to the host_permissions (MV3), optional_permissions, optional_host_permissions (MV3) keys)

rebloor commented 6 months ago

I have checked that list and aside from the toolbar and address bar button the requirement, or otherwise, for the manifest key to be specified before the API can be used are clearly documented. It appears that the requirements for these buttons were correctly and fully specified in the UI descriptions. I have now submitted a PR to clarify this in the APIand manifest key descriptions.

djbrown commented 6 months ago

Ah yes I see User Interface > Toolbar Button clearly states it. +1 for #32703 though

mdn / content