GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 348209
Deskbar can't access Firefox 2 opensearch search engines
Last modified: 2006-12-29 14:00:52 UTC
I just updated Firefox to 2.0b1 on Gentoo. This update did not move my profile, but may well have changed file formats. Now, Deskbar is no longer able to access the browser history, bookmarks or search engines. I'm sure you're not going to be able to do anything about this before the code freeze, but as word spreads about the 2.0 beta release many people will be trying it out. When you're ready, please let me know what, if anything, I can do to help you get this working again.
With 2.15.90, deskbar-applet can now access my bookmarks and history, but still doesn't see the search engines.
Unfortunately, there's no useful console output for this issue: Running installed deskbar, using [/usr/lib/python2.4/site-packages/deskbar:$PYTHONPATH] Data Dir: /usr/share/deskbar-applet Handlers Dir: ['/home/jdaluz/.gnome2/deskbar-applet/handlers', '/usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers'] Binding Global shortcut <Alt>F3 to focus the deskbar ** (deskbar-applet:9625): WARNING **: Binding '<Alt>F3' failed! Starting Deskbar instance: <gnome.applet.Applet object (PanelApplet) at 0x2b2350a545f0> None Set entry width: 20 Layout changed to 1 Set entry width: 20 Layout changed to 1 Changing UI to: Entriac Loading module 'SSH' from file /home/jdaluz/.gnome2/deskbar-applet/handlers/ssh.py. Loading module 'Gmail Search' from file /home/jdaluz/.gnome2/deskbar-applet/handlers/gmail-deskbar-hack.py. Loading module 'Mail (Address Book)' from file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/evolution.py. Loading module 'Google Search' from file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/google-live.py. Loading module 'Files and Folders Search' from file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/programs.py. Loading module 'Dictionary' from file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/programs.py. Error:load_icon:Icon Load Error:Icon 'gdict' not present in theme (or Icon 'gdict' not present in theme) Loading module 'Developer Documentation' from file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/programs.py. Error:load_icon:Icon Load Error:Icon 'devhelp' not present in theme (or Icon 'devhelp' not present in theme) Loading module 'Programs' from file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/programs.py. Loading module 'Beagle' from file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/beagle-static.py. Loading module 'Files, Folders and Places' from file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/files.py. Loading module 'Beagle Live' from file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/beagle-live.py. *** *** The file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/epiphany.py (EpiphanyBookmarksHandler) decided to not load itself: Epiphany is not your preferred browser, not using it. *** Loading module 'History' from file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/history.py. Loading module 'Yahoo! Search' from file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/yahoo.py. Loading module 'Web Searches' from file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/mozilla.py. Loading module 'Web History' from file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/mozilla.py. Loading module 'Web Bookmarks' from file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/mozilla.py. *** *** The file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/galago.py (GalagoHandler) decided to not load itself: Waiting for python bindings of galago. Should allow to send IM by typing name. *** *** *** The file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/galeon.py (GaleonBookmarksHandler) decided to not load itself: Galeon is not your preferred browser, not using it. *** Loading module 'Computer Actions' from file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/gdmactions.py. Loading module 'del.icio.us Bookmarks' from file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/desklicious.py. Loading module 'Web' from file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/web_address.py. Loading module 'Window Switcher' from file /usr/lib64/deskbar-applet/handlers/iswitch-window.py. Initializing History Initializing Web Initializing Web History Initializing Web Bookmarks Initializing Web Searches Initializing Beagle Initializing Programs (deskbar-applet:9625): Gnome-WARNING **: gnome-program.c:1015: Directory properties not set correctly. Cannot locate application specific files. (deskbar-applet:9625): Gnome-WARNING **: gnome-program.c:1015: Directory properties not set correctly. Cannot locate application specific files. (deskbar-applet:9625): Gnome-WARNING **: gnome-program.c:1015: Directory properties not set correctly. Cannot locate application specific files. Initializing Window Switcher Initializing Files, Folders and Places Initializing Gmail Search Initializing Computer Actions
I was able to get some useful output running windowed instance of deskbar in gdb: (deskbar-applet:30717): Bonobo-WARNING **: Never got frame, control died - abnormal exit condition Error:load_icon:Icon Load Error:Failed to open file '/home/jdaluz/.mozilla/firefox/l7ubw5aa.Joe/searchplugins/IMDB.png': No such file or directory (or Icon '/home/jdaluz/.mozilla/firefox/l7ubw5aa.Joe/searchplugins/IMDB.png' not present in theme) Error:load_icon:Icon Load Error:Failed to open file '/usr/lib/mozilla-firefox/searchplugins/google.gif': No such file or directory (or Icon '/usr/lib/mozilla-firefox/searchplugins/google.gif' not present in theme) Error:load_icon:Icon Load Error:Failed to open file '/home/jdaluz/.mozilla/firefox/l7ubw5aa.Joe/searchplugins/wikipedia.png': No such file or directory (or Icon '/home/jdaluz/.mozilla/firefox/l7ubw5aa.Joe/searchplugins/wikipedia.png' not present in theme) Match selected: <deskbar.BrowserMatch.BrowserMatch instance at 0x2aaaaad21440> Segmentation fault There are in fact no more separate image files, instead the image is embedded in an Image tag within the search plugin xml files: <Image width="16" height="16">data:image/x-icon;base64,[some base64 image data]</Image>
(In reply to comment #3) >within the search plugin xml files Duh. It's not a .src file anymore, and the XML syntax is nothing like sherlock.
Here's the mozilla bug with the info on the opensearch 1.1 standard that's used for the new search engines: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=308674 I don't know if you need this, but here's the API documentation for the new search service: http://wiki.mozilla.org/Search_Service:API
If someone using firefox wants to fix this, feel free.. I don't have time to fix that for a beta verison of firefox, and firefox isn't even in the gnome desktop
(In reply to comment #6) > I don't have time to fix that for a beta verison of firefox, and firefox isn't > even in the gnome desktop > Welcome back! This report was to give you advanced notice of a problem you will have to deal with in a couple of months when 2.0 is released. I didn't expect immediate action! But better you should know about it now than *after* the new release comes out and people start complaining because their searches don't work any more.
I didn't want to sound angry, and it's nice to you to notify me of this ! But as it stands i'm reluctant to fixing this myself since i don't see any interest for GNOME in fixing that. In theory the handler should be provided by mozilla's firefox package if they want to integrate with gnome's deskbar (which they surely don't)
It's okay, I didn't take it the wrong way! Coming back to a huge pile of work after vacation makes me cranky too. ;-) I would argue with "i don't see any interest for GNOME in fixing that" though. I know you like epiphany, but the primary browser for most Gnome users is firefox, not epiphany. Ubuntu, currently the most popular Gnome-based desktop distro, makes firefox the default. I seem to recall SuSE and RedHat doing the same on their Gnome desktops. Many people change the default of other distros to firefox. The fact that epiphany is "the Gnome web browser" doesn't change this. If you don't address this, the perception for most deskbar users will be "deskbar is broken". Beagle ships it's own firefox extension for indexing, Liferea ships the feedbag extension for integrating with firefox. They don't expect mozilla.org to do so. And Music Applet supports Banshee and Muine, not just Rhythmbox because it's the "Gnome music player". From my standpoint, "interest for GNOME" is the interest of gnome users. Luis Villa's "Gnome is People" applies to the users too! Finally, on a technical note, that opensearch standard is meant to be cross-browser and cross-platform. By supporting that, you support any browser that adopts it -- maybe including epiphany 2.18? Opera? I don't think it will be wasted time!
I think deskbar should also support this new search engine description format, it's not only a firefox beta issue, it's a new and emerging standard: http://www.opensearch.org/Home And there's already a python library to interface with opensearch servers: http://www.textualize.com/opensearch
Yeah Richard. It is actually on the scratchpad already. See the deskbar.opensearch target on http://live.gnome.org/DeskbarApplet/Ideas. The lib you link to is fine (I have been playing around with it, and it is a breeze to work with). However it is under the Artistic license, and I don't know how that fares with gpl... Any bloods around here able to tell me that? I'll mail the author(s) of the lib and see how they look on a relincensing.
Hrm... Browsing around the source of the opensearch python lib I see they have inlined a copy of Mark Pilgrims Universal Feed Parser (http://feedparser.org). It is under some custom unnamed license, which kinda rules Gnome inclusion out (correct me if I'm wrong). The "custom license" can be seen here: http://www.textualize.com/trac/browser/opensearch/trunk/opensearch/osfeedparser.py
I contacted both Mark on the author of the OpenSearch lib to ask for a GPL licensed copy. Now we wait... :-)
GREAT news everyone! Mark replied that his license was actually MIT (even freeer than BSD). Ed of the opensearch lib replied that he was willing to release under GPL - and infact already did: http://www.python.org/pypi/opensearch/0.4 Now for some opensearch sweetness!
I found out that FF2 does infact only use OpenSearch descriptors for installing the search engines. The stored search engines are saved in some custom format... I'll still work on OpenSearch integration (and perhaps an Epiphany plugin for saving OpenSearch providers in Deskbar), but this will not magically give us the search engine functionality back in deskbar as I had hoped... When that is said the search engine format used in FF2 is actually quite simple. Anyone with a little spirit and a bit of hacking skills should be able to come up with something that worked... Anyone?
Created attachment 78522 [details] [review] Add support for Firefox 2.0 search engines I just commited this patch to HEAD. I think it should apply against 2.14 also, I haven't tested it though. It adds support for Firefox 2.0 search engines, it doesn't update the list when you add new ones from withing firefox though. You have to restart deskbar to detect new engines. This is a minor thing though as users rarely change their search engines. If the need arises it will be easy to watch the needed dirs for changes, Test and enjoy :-) PS: I'm still working (slowly) on the live OpenSearch handler.
Created attachment 78533 [details] [review] Updated patch against 2.16 I commited some small fixes against HEAD. The updated patch against the gnome-2-16 branch is attached. I'll notify you if it commited to 2.16.
I just spoke with Raphaël. We decided not to commit the patch on the 2.16 branch.
The patch works fine for me, except that favicons for the search engines are missing. I fail to understand why you refuse to commit the patch to the 2.16 branch. It works just fine. It is hard to see, how it should break anything.