Browser Add-on Activity

Note1: students work in groups of 3. The instructions indicate which parts of this activity should be performed by all team-members and which should be performed by one team member.

Note2: students do not need to be familiar with Javascript in order to complete this activity

Prerequisites:

The Mozilla Developers Network has a tutorial on Browser Extensions that you will be using during this activity.

Part 0: Setup your live-log

You should keep a Ed live-log during this activity.

See a sample live log and make sure you create a similar live log to keep track of your group's progress. (The only difference is that the sample has time-stamps on comments that are too close together to be realistic.)

Part 1: Creating and installing your very first Firefox extension

When you are all done, let the facilitator know by updating your live log.

Part 2: Creating and installing a more sophisticated extension

When you are all done, let the facilitator know by updating your live log.

Part 3: Repository exploration

When you were working on the previous part, you should have encountered references to the MDN WebExtension repository. Go to that repository and locate the following files: LICENSE, README.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, and CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md. Answer the questions below as a team. Your answers should be placed under heading Part 3 in a file called team_NUMBER.md (where NUMBER is replaced by your team number) in the repository called add-on-activity in the course organization. Answer the questions below under the heading Part 3.

  1. What does this repo use the README.md file? What kind of information is included there?
  2. What does this repo use the LICENSE file? Does it need to be in a repository?
  3. What is the purpose of the CONTRIBUTING.md file?
  4. Describe one type of contribution to this repository that does not require writing any code.
  5. What is the purpose of the CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md document?
  6. Describe three types of behaviors that violate the Mozilla Community Participation Guidelines.
  7. If a person working with the content of this repository runs into problems or has questions, what can they do?

When your group is done, let the facilitator know by updating your live log.

Part 4: Explore existing extensions

Go to Firefox Add-ons page. As a team, decide on your favorite extension. List the name and the link to that extension in your team's file in the add-on-activity repository under the heading Part 4. Then answer the following questions about your chosen extension.

  1. What is the homepage for the extension?
  2. What is the license under which the extension is distributed?
  3. Can you find a code repository for this extension?
  4. Is the extension that you picked an open source project?
  5. Can you find information about how many different users contribute to this project? If so, specify how many.
  6. If the extension is an open source extension, is it open to contributions? If so, how did the mantainers communicate that fact?

When your group is done, let the facilitator know by updating your live log.

Part 5: Create your own

As a team, create an idea for an extension. It can be a very simple one, or a more complicated one (this idea can evolve/change after today, so do not worry about having everything finalized).

When your group is done, let the facilitator know by updating your live log.