#366129 Doesn't support the x-remote interface with a secondary profile

Package:
iceweasel
Source:
firefox-esr
Submitter:
Daniel Jacobowitz
Date:
2014-12-28 23:27:05 UTC
Severity:
normal
Tags:
#366129#5
Date:
2006-05-05 12:52:59 UTC
From:
To:
This is related to the fix for bug #344849.

First:

    case "${arg}" in
        .... -P | -CreateProfile)
            prev=${arg}
            continue
        ;;
    esac

Then:

    if [ "${prev}" ]; then
        case "${prev}" in
            -P|-CreateProfile)
                case "${arg}" in
                default)    APPLICATION_ID=firefox ;;
                *)          APPLICATION_ID=firefox--"${arg}" ;;
                esac
                set "$@" "${prev}" "${arg}"
                ;;

Then:

    elif [ "${arg}" ]; then
        case "$arg" in
            -P | -CreateProfile | -no-remote)
                MOZ_NO_REMOTE=1
                export MOZ_NO_REMOTE

That's never going to trigger.  When the argument was received it was stored
in prev, and later it was processed from prev.  It will never reach the
elif.


Fixing that won't fix the underlying bug, though, since the MOZ_NO_REMOTE
workaround does not appear to work.  I just tried it; maybe I'm
misunderstanding.  I've got a single firefox running using the default
profile and application ID during all these tests.

% firefox -P hacking -a other

-> Starts a new firefox process, does not return until that is closed.
-> I close it.  Good so far.

% firefox -a other

-> Error dialog.  I've gathered that this is expected, but the
-> error message doesn't explain what's going on and neither does
-> the man page.  I close the dialog.

% firefox -P hacking -a firefox

-> Firefox opens a new window in the default profile, ignoring -P.
-> NOTE: This seems wrong.
-> I close it.

% firefox -P hacking -a firefox -no-remote

-> Firefox opens a new window in the alternate profile.  I now have
-> two running with the same agent ID, presumably firefox does not
-> check at startup with MOZ_NO_REMOTE.  A little strange.  I close it.

% firefox -P hacking -a other

-> Firefox opens a new binary in the alternate profile automatically.
-> Good.  I move it to the background (do not close it).

% firefox -P hacking -a other

-> Error dialog.  It has failed to communicate with either of the
-> running firefox sessions.  I can't tell if this is expected
-> or not.

% firefox -P hacking -a other -no-remote

-> Error dialog again.  Huh?  Same one, could not communicate
-> with the remote process, not something sensible like "profile in use".
-> Changing the application ID has no effect.

So, I can now run up to a single firefox window per profile for alternate
profiles, which is better than nothing, but not by a lot.

#366129#10
Date:
2006-07-11 05:43:04 UTC
From:
To:
Hi Daniel,

* Daniel Jacobowitz (dan@debian.org) wrote:

Ok, well that problem should be fixed in the latest upload.

Hmm, could you try repeating these experiments with --verbose and
sending the results?

#366129#15
Date:
2006-07-19 19:02:07 UTC
From:
To:
Yes, looks good now.

Sure.
FIREFOX_DSP=
APPLICATION_ID=other
CMDLINE_DISPLAY=
DISPLAY=:0.0
OPTIONS=-P hacking -a other
DEBUG=0
DEBUGGER=
MOZ_DISABLE_PANGO=
MOZ_NO_REMOTE=1
Running: /usr/lib/firefox/firefox-bin -P hacking -a other

Same results.
FIREFOX_DSP=
APPLICATION_ID=other
CMDLINE_DISPLAY=
DISPLAY=:0.0
OPTIONS=-a other
DEBUG=0
DEBUGGER=
MOZ_DISABLE_PANGO=
MOZ_NO_REMOTE=
Running: /usr/lib/firefox/firefox-bin -a other

Same results.  The dialog box still says: "Firefox is already running,
but it is not responding.  To open a new window, you must first close
the existing Firefox process, or restart your system."
FIREFOX_DSP=
APPLICATION_ID=firefox
CMDLINE_DISPLAY=
DISPLAY=:0.0
OPTIONS=-P hacking -a firefox
DEBUG=0
DEBUGGER=
MOZ_DISABLE_PANGO=
MOZ_NO_REMOTE=1
Running: /usr/lib/firefox/firefox-bin -P hacking -a firefox

I get a new window in the 'hacking' profile.  -P is not ignored.  This
is confusing to me; I would have expected that the already
running firefox (which has options -P default -a firefox) would have
objected to this.  But we've disabled remote operation so I guess we
never asked it :-)

Behaves exactly as -P hacking -a firefox now.
FIREFOX_DSP=
APPLICATION_ID=other
CMDLINE_DISPLAY=
DISPLAY=:0.0
OPTIONS=-P hacking -a other
DEBUG=0
DEBUGGER=
MOZ_DISABLE_PANGO=
MOZ_NO_REMOTE=1
Running: /usr/lib/firefox/firefox-bin -P hacking -a other

Sam results.
FIREFOX_DSP=
APPLICATION_ID=other
CMDLINE_DISPLAY=
DISPLAY=:0.0
OPTIONS=-P hacking -a other
DEBUG=0
DEBUGGER=
MOZ_DISABLE_PANGO=
MOZ_NO_REMOTE=1
Running: /usr/lib/firefox/firefox-bin -P hacking -a other

Same error dialog.

Same as without -no-remote, of course.

By default firefox uses the profile from profiles.ini.  I used to have
some trouble with it changing the default unexpectedly, so my GNOME
toolbar button for firefox says "firefox -P default".  Now that the
implicit -no-remote behavior has been fixed, this generates the same
dialog box as several of the cases above.  Try it:

firefox &
sleep 2 # So it pops up a window
firefox -P default

-> error dialog

All I want is to be able to have two running firefox sessions, in
different profiles, and two buttons on my toolbar to pop up a new
windows, one for each profile.  Using just -a doesn't work either:

firefox &
firefox -P hacking -a other &
firefox -a firefox # Works!
firefox -P hacking -a other # Error box
firefox -a other # Error box

#366129#20
Date:
2007-10-01 12:17:26 UTC
From:
To:
Dear Firefox/Iceweasel user,

Thanks for your interest in Firefox/Iceweasel and the bug report you have contributed.

Your bug report [0] was done for a version which isn't a part of debian anymore. Debian 4.0 (Etch) was released with version 2.0.0.3.

Please reproduce your bug on an updated version of Iceweasel and confirm it
still exists, or close it as irrelevant for recent versions.

If you don't know or are not sure how to update or close your bug report,
please contact me directly, and I'll help you.

IMPORTANT: In any case, please provide version info, as we use it to determine
the relevance of the bug.

As this bug is quite old, I intend to close it if you don't update your bug
report in the next 6 weeks.

This is the time line for the old bugs cleanup:
1. October 1st - first notice.
2. October 15th - Second notice.
3. October 29th - Third notice.
4. November 12th - Closing the bug.

Please help the Firefox/Iceweasel maintainer to help you (:

[0] http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=366129

#366129#23
Date:
2007-10-01 12:17:26 UTC
From:
To:
Dear Firefox/Iceweasel user,

Thanks for your interest in Firefox/Iceweasel and the bug report you have contributed.

Your bug report [0] was done for a version which isn't a part of debian anymore. Debian 4.0 (Etch) was released with version 2.0.0.3.

Please reproduce your bug on an updated version of Iceweasel and confirm it
still exists, or close it as irrelevant for recent versions.

If you don't know or are not sure how to update or close your bug report,
please contact me directly, and I'll help you.

IMPORTANT: In any case, please provide version info, as we use it to determine
the relevance of the bug.

As this bug is quite old, I intend to close it if you don't update your bug
report in the next 6 weeks.

This is the time line for the old bugs cleanup:
1. October 1st - first notice.
2. October 15th - Second notice.
3. October 29th - Third notice.
4. November 12th - Closing the bug.

Please help the Firefox/Iceweasel maintainer to help you (:

[0] http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=366129

#366129#30
Date:
2007-10-12 13:51:42 UTC
From:
To:
found 366129 2.0.0.7-2
thanks

Behavior has not changed since the last time I updated the report, in July
2006.

#366129#39
Date:
2009-12-21 12:23:18 UTC
From:
To:
Version: 3.0.1-1

I'm pretty confident this was fixed before the version currently in
Lenny. The version in squeeze or unstable may have a different
behaviour, though, as we reverted to the upstream behaviour, in which
case you need both -P and --no-remote.

Cheers,

Mike

#366129#46
Date:
2009-12-21 14:02:05 UTC
From:
To:
retitle 366129 Doesn't support the x-remote interface with a secondary profile
thanks

Ah, this is a different bug from what I thought, then.

Mike

#366129#53
Date:
2009-12-21 13:52:00 UTC
From:
To:
found 366129 3.5.5-1
thanks

Using either 3.5.5-1 or unmodified upstream firefox 3.5.5, I get
exactly the same behavior as I did in the original report in 2006; for
instance there is no way to open a new window in an alternate profile.
I don't know about the version in lenny.

To be clear, I'm not sure which of the other behaviors are bugs, but I'm
sure that the second "-P hacking -a other" or the "-P hacking -a other
-no-remote" case is a bug; there is no way to click on a shortcut and
have it open a second window in a second copy of firefox.

I'm fine with wontfix now; I was using the second isolated profile so
I didn't have to mess around with flash in my actual web browser.  But
both nspluginwrapper and the Adobe plugin are in such poor shape now
that I use Chrome for flash instead.

#366129#62
Date:
2010-02-22 20:46:15 UTC
From:
To:
--- Please enter the report below this line. ---
Hi!

with the Iceweasel 3.5, I can't start more one profile.
The command:
$ iceweasel -ProfileManager
open a new windows of iceweasel if it was ever run.

I need to start more one different profile in the same time.
(I can come back to old version 3.0 of Iceweasel to wait :) )

Thank you.
G

Debian Release: squeeze/sid
  500 unstable        ftp.gajim.org
  500 unstable        ftp.fr.debian.org
  500 testing         security.debian.org
  500 testing         debian.ens-cachan.fr
    1 experimental    ftp.fr.debian.org
--- Package information. ---
Depends                          (Version) | Installed
==========================================-+-==============
fontconfig                                 | 2.8.0-2
psmisc                                     | 22.10-1
procps                                     | 1:3.2.8-7
debianutils                      (>= 1.16) | 3.2.2
libc6                        (>= 2.3.6-6~) | 2.10.2-3
libgcc1                       (>= 1:4.1.1) | 1:4.4.2-9
libglib2.0-0                   (>= 2.12.0) | 2.22.4-1
libgtk2.0-0                     (>= 2.8.0) | 2.18.6-1
libnspr4-0d                  (>= 1.8.0.10) | 4.8.3-1
libstdc++6                      (>= 4.1.1) | 4.4.2-9
xulrunner-1.9.1                            | 1.9.1.6-1
libasound2                     (>> 1.0.18) | 1.0.21a-1
libatk1.0-0                    (>= 1.20.0) | 1.28.0-1
libbz2-1.0                                 | 1.0.5-4
libc6                        (>= 2.3.6-6~) | 2.10.2-3
libcairo2                       (>= 1.8.8) | 1.8.8-2
libdbus-1-3                     (>= 1.0.2) | 1.2.20-2
libfontconfig1                  (>= 2.4.0) | 2.8.0-2
libfreetype6                    (>= 2.2.1) | 2.3.11-1
libgcc1                       (>= 1:4.1.1) | 1:4.4.2-9
libglib2.0-0                   (>= 2.16.0) | 2.22.4-1
libgtk2.0-0                    (>= 2.18.0) | 2.18.6-1
libhunspell-1.2-0               (>= 1.2.8) | 1.2.8-6
libjpeg62                                  | 6b-15
libmozjs2d                    (>= 1.9.1.4) | 1.9.1.6-1
libnspr4-0d                   (>> 4.7.1-1) | 4.8.3-1
libnss3-1d                     (>= 3.12.3) | 3.12.5-2
libpango1.0-0                  (>= 1.14.0) | 1.26.2-1
libpng12-0                   (>= 1.2.13-4) | 1.2.42-1
libreadline6                               | 6.1-1
libsqlite3-0                   (>= 3.6.21) | 3.6.22-1
libstartup-notification0         (>= 0.10) | 0.10-1
libstdc++6                      (>= 4.1.1) | 4.4.2-9
libx11-6                            (>= 0) | 2:1.3.3-1
libxrender1                                | 1:0.9.5-1
libxt6                                     | 1:1.0.7-1
zlib1g                        (>= 1:1.1.4) | 1:1.2.3.4.dfsg-3


Package's Recommends field is empty.

Suggests                           (Version) | Installed
============================================-+-===========
ttf-lyx                                      | 1.6.5-1
 OR latex-xft-fonts                          | 1.6.5-1
xfonts-mathml                                | 4
ttf-mathematica4.1                           |
xprint                                       |
mozplugger                                   |
libgssapi-krb5-2                             | 1.8+dfsg~alpha1-7
xulrunner-1.9.1-gnome-support                | 1.9.1.1-1
--- Output from package bug script ---
#366129#67
Date:
2010-02-23 07:06:05 UTC
From:
To:
Check out the manual page:

       -ProfileManager
                     Start with profile manager. May require -no-remote,
                     see below.

Note this has nothing to do with the original bug report.

Cheers,

Mike

#366129#72
Date:
2013-05-09 16:20:47 UTC
From:
To:
Dear Maintainer,

I have tried to fix this upstream, but they have rejected my patch for
(to me) incomprehensible reasons.  Nonetheless, there is a patch available
at https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=643418 and I would ask that
it be considered for inclusion in iceweasel even if not in firefox proper.

Thanks much!
--nwf;

#366129#77
Date:
2014-12-28 23:15:25 UTC
From:
To:
This issue seems to persist in Iceweasel 31.  I run the following steps in
order:

 0. Open Iceweasel with profile Foo.  Keep it open.
 1. iceweasel -P Bar http://example.com
    -> Opens example.com in Foo window, bad!
 2. iceweasel -P Bar -new-instance http://example.com
    -> Opens example.com in new Bar window, ok.  Keep it open.
 3. iceweasel -P Bar http://example.com
    -> Opens example.com in Foo window, bad!
 4. iceweasel -P Bar (-new-instace|-no-remote) http://example.com
    -> "Iceweasel is already running, but not responding." error.

I think this behaviour is a manifestation of this same bug.
Since https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=643418 and
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=486172 do not seem to make
progress in fixing this, I support Nathaniel in applying his patch so that new
windows/tabs can actually be opened in different running profiles.

Thanks!