Is there any app like webrunner (firefox addon)? - firefox

I would like to know whether there is any app similar to webrunner(formerly prism). this firefox addon allows web applications to be launched from the desktop and configured independently of the default web browser , somewhat similar to chrome's application shortcut.
In chrome it will not allow to have multiple tabs inside the same instance but webrunner can. That's the main reason why I stick with webrunner . Now the problem is that the creators of webrunner discontinued its development, So it will not support on latest versions of firefox. Please suggest me some app similar to webrunner .

Chrome + Profile Manager extension (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pobhfaiabikkbaheoohmojdkkdmladgo#detail/pobhfaiabikkbaheoohmojdkkdmladgo) provides an OK substitute.

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How mobile Firefox addon can recieve information from it's Desktop version? (if both are logged in)

I want to be able to close tabs on my mobile Firefox, while using Desktop version of Firefox. I thought Tab-sync would make it work, but it doesn't. So now I'm on the quest to fix it with an extension.
I have thought about using sync area of storage (https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Add-ons/WebExtensions/API/storage/sync) but it's not supported on Android.
Do I have to build some external service to send command from Desktop version to that service and then use Mobile Firefox extension to do the polling or there is a better way to utilize fact that I'm logged on both of these devices.
Any ideas please?

Wrapper around web-app under Windows

I have an application with web interface. Unfortunately, it has all disadvantages of being a web page:
It doesn't have a standalone window, so users cannot manage it via the taskbar.
Users see the address line with something like 'http://localhost:8080' that is not a good idea for home users.
If users click on a tray icon, there is no way to activate the tab in a browser, which contain the application interface.
So, it would be nice to have a wrapper application with a browser within.
In case of IE I know it's possible to create a window with Trident ActiveX component. But what if it's Windows XP with IE6 but installed latest Chrome? I'd like to prefer Chrome since it supports a lot more features which the user will never see.
So, is there a way to wrap a page into Chrome/Firefox and make it look like a standalone application, if one of them is presented in the user's system? (The application shouldn't install anything large, so Chromium build is not an option).
P.S. I'm not interested in supporting other platforms than Windows.
Regards,
Take a look at Chrome Apps.
I hope helps you.

Is there an equivalent of chrome's nativeMessaging API in Internet Explorer?

On chrome, extensions can exchange messages with native applications with the help of native messaging APIs How can we achieve this on IE?
use-case : We have our own desktop application which users can download and install from our site. Next time when they revisit, we should be able to detect if the native application is installed and launch if its available.
We were able to build a solution on chrome with the help of an extension which makes use of chrome native messaging APIs to connect to native application.
Need something similar on IE browsers or a generic solution which will work across all major browsers.
You might want to have a look at URL handlers, they are supported for Firefox, Chrome and Internet Explorer.
Basically it enables you to register for example myapp:// for the browser and then you can have the browser call the application that is registered to this handler.
This is a technique which for example uTorrent uses to open trackers for torrent:// and magnet://.
You can check these links for details or search for solutions here on SO:
https://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Web-based_protocol_handlers
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa767914(v=vs.85).aspx
https://developer.chrome.com/apps/manifest/url_handlers
If you have the desktop application installed, you can just install the BHO in the IE. This BHO should handle Navigate events from the browser, then, when user navigates to your site, BHO will indicate to the site, that the your app is present on the system. For example, BHO can inject some "marker" node on the page or call some predefined JS function on the your site's page. Also this BHO can perform some additional communication with you desktop app via the COM (or you can emulate manually int the BHO the protocol used in Chrome native messaging) and use the same approach as for Chrome.

Debugging tools/methods for phonegap blackberry app

Are there any tools/methods for debugging phonegap Blackberry(5,6,7) app . Presently am using Alert for debugging which is very tedious .
Since you are using PhoneGap, its always better to view/debug you app on a webkit browser like Chrome/Safari. Also try Ripple emulator from BlackBerry which is the best web emulator for mobile devices: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/ripple-emulator-beta/geelfhphabnejjhdalkjhgipohgpdnoc?hl=en
Since you are developing a web app, and as far as I know there's no "official" IDE for BlackBerry Webworks, this question is not BB or Phonegap specific. You are just asking how to debug JavaScript. There are a lot of questions in SO about this, just run a search. I'll give you my two cents:
As the JavaScript code runs in a browser, you need to debug in the browser. Most browsers have built-in debugger or extensions. For Firefox I'd reccomend Firebug extension, in Chrome the built-in debugger is pretty good. I can't tell about IE but I think there's something similar.
If you need to debug on device, then use console instead of alert.
Finally, have a look at WebStorm. Probably the best IDE for JavaScript right now, but you need to purchase a license. It allows you to attach to the browser debugger and debug in the IDE.

Do XUL applications work only on Firefox

I've seen an XUL-based application recently that supposedly works on the desktop. Isn't XUL the Firefox language? I thought it wouldn't work on anything other that Firefox and certainly wouldn't work as a desktop application.
Can someone who knows more about XUL confirm its compatibility with other browsers (IE, Chrome, etc.) and if it runs as a desktop application, its compatibility with operating systems (Windows, Mac, Linux)
check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XULRunner. it was created to run xul applications like firefox. songbird is also based in XUL. for more detail see this SO question.
to actually answer the real question, yes, desktop apps can be built in xul, as firefox is. the wiki page i linked to even points to a video game being built using it. at its core its just another application framework.
XUL is a descriptive language for UI used in Firefox but also used in other mozilla apps, like Thunderbird for example
There is a projet named Xul Runner which allow using XUL for desktop apps (see Pencil for example).
AFAIK, all Mozilla apps are compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux and other system for some.
XUL is a user interface language. It was created originally for mozilla/firefox, but is also used by thunderbird.
The Gecko layout engine is what renders XUL and any application that uses this engine can be built with it. See XUL Runner.
The layout engine has been written with cross platform concerns, so it runs on Windows, Linux and Macs.
XUL only works on xulrunner, and Firefox is built on top of xulrunner. Other applications are built on xulrunner (e.g. Thunderbird). You can also build applications on top of xulrunner.

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