DevTools/Features/Workspaces: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:27, 11 July 2011

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Status

Scratchpad
Stage	Landed
Status	`
Release target	Firefox 6
Health	OK
Status note	SDR: C SIR: N

Team

Product manager	Kevin Dangoor
Directly Responsible Individual	Kevin Dangoor
Lead engineer	Mihai Sucan (msucan), Rob Campbell
Security lead	Curtis Koenig
Privacy lead	`
Localization lead	`
Accessibility lead	`
QA lead	Alex Lakatos (AlexLakatos)
UX lead	`
Product marketing lead	`
Operations lead	`
Additional members	`

Open issues/risks

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Stage 1: Definition

1. Feature overview

After input from the localizers, this feature has been renamed "Scratchpad".

The Workspace concept began with Smalltalk environments and has been ported to a Firefox add-on. We believe that Workspaces provide a more pleasant way to experiment with code than the current tools which mimic a command line environment.

The prototype will allow us to get experience with this different work style and also give other people a chance to comment on it.

The basic idea behind creating a Workspace is that the Workspace gives you a convenient mechanism for running and rerunning snippets of code. If you're writing a new function, for example, you can keep redefining that function until you have one that works correctly. Then, you can just copy and paste it into your editor to become a part of your application.

Another example use would be to have a collection of utility functions that you use in debugging your application. Those functions aren't really a part of the application, and you don't want to deliver them to your users. You can keep them in a file that you load into the workspace whenever you're working on that particular app.

Most often, the files you save from a workspace are not complete script files and the snippets of code in a workspace may not run in all contexts (they may depend on variables that are defined on the page for which the workspace was created).

2. Users & use cases

Handy snippets: When working on an application, it's not uncommon to have a collection of common bits of code that you run against the page to test things. The Workspaces feature lets you load and save JavaScript files, which is a convenient way to keep track of these snippets.

Working on new code: You can use Workspaces to work on a new function. Write a little code, execute it and repeat. Once it works, you can copy/paste that code into your main program files.

Basic Use Cases

Run JavaScript against your web content
Run JavaScript against your chrome content
Develop a new feature of your already online webapp without having to close it down for maintenance.
Test a fix for your addon without having to repackage and re-install it.
Inspect the outcome of a code snippet without having to actually run it against the page.
Better comment your code using Display, without running the code against your content.

3. Dependencies

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4. Requirements

Convert the add-on into a browser feature with tests
Add a pref to remove the content/chrome switch from view

Aurora backout strategy: there is a pref to turn off the feature (devtools.workspace.enabled)

Non-goals

For this initial step, we're leaving off some obvious features:

a better editor (Ace)
external editor integration of any sort
autocompletion

Stage 2: Design

5. Functional specification

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6. User experience design

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Stage 3: Planning

7. Implementation plan

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8. Reviews

Security review

Date Discussion occurred: 2011.04.14 Security Concerns:

Feature could be used run arbitrary code

Responses to concerns:

Interaction is one way and code only runs in a sandbox
Sandbox inherits from content window
Chrome settings preferences are off by default
No collaboration built-in, scripts have to be shared out of band
Scripts can not autorun
No built-in interaction with web console

Outstanding issue / Next steps:

None at this time

Privacy review

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Localization review

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Accessibility

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Quality Assurance review

Test Plan

Operations review

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Stage 4: Development

9. Implementation

Workspaces Status

Stage 5: Release

10. Landing criteria

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Feature details

Priority	P1
Rank	999
Theme / Goal	`
Roadmap	Developer Tools
Secondary roadmap	`
Feature list	Desktop
Project	`
Engineering team	DevTools

Team status notes

	status	notes
Products	tbd	`
Engineering	tbd	`
Security	sec-review-complete	`
Privacy	tbd	`
Localization	tbd	`
Accessibility	tbd	`
Quality assurance	tbd	`
User experience	tbd	`
Product marketing	`	`
Operations	`	`

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 Another example use would be to have a collection of utility functions that you use in debugging your application. Those functions aren't really a part of the application, and you don't want to deliver them to your users. You can keep them in a file that you load into the workspace whenever you're working on that particular app.
 Most often, the files you save from a workspace are not complete script files and the snippets of code in a workspace may not run in all contexts (they may depend on variables that are defined on the page for which the workspace was created).
 |Feature users and use cases='''Handy snippets''': When working on an application, it's not uncommon to have a collection of common bits of code that you run against the page to test things. The Workspaces feature lets you load and save JavaScript files, which is a convenient way to keep track of these snippets.
@@ Line 73: / Line 73: @@
 |Feature products status=tbd
 |Feature engineering status=tbd
-|Feature security status=tbd
+|Feature security status=sec-review-complete
 |Feature privacy status=tbd
 |Feature localization status=tbd