Firefox 4.0b11 removes sort bar

[arantius]

• http://groups.google.com/group/greasemonkey-users/browse_thread/thread/d80c9e500d8cb2a0
• https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=623207
• https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=634701

Mozilla is toying with us, making overlaying add-ons a constantly moving target. We need to fix the fact that the sorter bar is gone, so we can't add to it. Probably by adding our own?

[sizzlemctwizzle]

I think we should just sort by execution order automatically. We only added sorters because FF4 added it. If they've deciding to get rid of them I think we should follow suit.

[arantius]

I somewhat highly value alphabetical sort, when I want to find a particular script to edit/disable/uninstall/etc it. I (personally) find execution order almost completely worthless. I don't think I have ever used any two scripts where one causes the other to fail, and reordering them makes a difference.

(Or, in other words: both have value, to different people. Mozilla might be right that for extensions (whose execution order you cannot control, and there's not a lot else to sort on) the single sort order of alphabetical is best. We're a slightly different situation.)

[sizzlemctwizzle]

Okay I understand and agree that alphabetical order is quite useful. Btw, I believe the sorter bar is just hidden, not removed entirely. I saw it appear last night when I was messing around in the latest FF4 beta.

[Martii]

Execution order can be important for the following reasons off the top of my head:

• To reduce the running event listeners on a page (.e.g. speed)... I've personally never pushed the limits on how many can be run but given available resources (memory, cache, CPU speed, etc) things can definitely slow down the more there are. Most user.js scripts don't and shouldn't need to be "resident" all the time.
• Script interaction between other scripts that modify the DOM... GIJoe has a script that utilizes some pagination enhancements on USO and if one of my scripts is run before it then he can canvas what I'm painting on the DOM... thus not reinventing the wheel.

There is probably more but that's what I can think of.

Moz is still taking into consideration AO developers and I believe too that it is just "hidden" from what I've read in case it may need to be utilized. It would be safer to ensure that it is always present though even if Moz removes the code or reorders it at a later date. I too actually like the the alphabetical sort for quick finding but I'm almost always reordering script execution. (including for Rate & Limiting optimization found on many sites including USO)

Reference issues:
#1217 and #1180

[GIJoe]

There should be 2 sort order: one for alphabetical order and one for execution order.

[arantius]

Add sorter bar for user scripts addon view.

Applies to Firefox 4 only, styled after the bar as it existed pre-beta
11.

Closed by 1e83648