Firefox & Thunderbird: Extensions to the Profile folder

[Djé]

The original idea is from benners:

We both found that it is better to allow each user to use the extensions (s)he wants and ONLY them, because extensions are made for improving the USER's usage of the software.

So we found ways to install extensions to the user's Profile folder (in %appdata%) and not in the Program's folder.

The solution eventually found by benners is better than my 1st suggestion because it does not need to wait for the delay imposed on extension installation.

Here is my version of his script. It also works for both Firefox & Thunderbird.

But it does not deal with the application installation at all (I just use the -ms switch on the installer).

Instead, it has other features:

- It can restore a previously backed-up profile, or create a new one, or prompt the user to choose a profile to restore.

Profiles are created/restored to the user's 'application data' directory.

- It can install extensions to the user's profile.

- Just feed it with their file names, or with a text file list or with a folder name (install everything in it).

- Please note that the application must be installed AND a profile must exist prior to the use of this feature.

- An option is still provided to install the extensions to the application directory, for those which the administrator feel are mandatory.

- It automatically recognize and install Thunderbird dictionaries to the proper location (Thunderbird program dir\components\myspell).

For this last trick to work, you will need to make sure that you don't use this stupid reg tweak about .zip files which deletes the CompressedFolder classe:

; Speed up Copying/Moving of .ZIP Files

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{E88DCCE0-B7B3-11d1-A9F0-00AA0060FA31}]

[-HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CompressedFolder]

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.zip\CompressedFolder]

Only keep the LAST line if you absolutely wish to

Speed up Copying/Moving of .ZIP Files

How to make the best use of it:

*Multi-user environment*:

- Have a post installer (like WIHU, XPLODE or WPI) run when a new user logs in for the 1st time (use a RunOnce key in the Default User's NTUSER.DAT hive for example).

- This post installer could display a list of Profile options (create a new profile or restore a backup, etc.) as well as a list of available extensions or group of extensions that the user could choose from.

- Each choice make run this script with the appropriate options to perfore the corresponding task.

*Individual users*:

-Just have one command in your unattended setup using this script to restore your profile, and one command using it to reinstall all your extensions at once.

USAGE:

Just run the script without argument to display the help message.

It will tell you about what arguments does what.

...Or just read it in the script!

***Recent Beta AutoIt version required to run/compile it****

[Edit]minor changes to the help message.

MozillaProfile.au3

Edited May 31, 2006 by Djé

[Djé]

Oh, and BTW:

* This should work for themes as well.

* Custom list of extensions are easily maintainable with a couple of clicks using the 'InfoLister' (in both Fx & Tb) and the 'DownThemAll!' (in Fx) extensions:

- Use the attached custom template in InfoLister in both applications.

- In Thunderbird, have InfoLister save the output automatically on startup to an html file of your choice.

In Firefox:

1- Open 'about:info' (bookmark it to avoid retyping this long url ). This will display a list of your Firefox extensions .xpi links.

- Or open your saved html file from Thunderbird (bookmark it?). This will display a list of your Thunderbird extensions .xpi links.

2- DownThemAll! to wherever you want (let's say a 'myExtensions' subfolder next to the script).

Then use:

MozillaProfile.exe Fx myExtensions

or (for Thunderbird)

MozillaProfile.exe Tb myExtensions

InfoListerTemplateXPIdownThemAll.htm