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== Developing Fennec for Android ==
{{Admon/important|Fennec has been replaced by Fenix.  The build documentation has moved!|See the most up to date documentation at https://firefox-source-docs.mozilla.org/contributing/build/building_mobile_firefox.html}}


This page contains developer information about [[Mobile/Platforms/Android|Firefox for Android]], part of the [[Fennec]] project.
Here is a table of contents of all the in-depth information you might need to find about Firefox for Android development.


To download Firefox for Android or learn more about it, see the main '''[[Mobile/Platforms/Android|Fennec for Android]]''' page.
New to the community? Welcome! [[Mobile/Get_Involved|Start here!]]


== Current Status ==
== Develop ==
*[[Mobile/Get Involved|New contributor page]]
**[[Mobile/Fennec/Android/Suggested workflow|Suggested workflow]]
*[https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Simple_Firefox_for_Android_build Build documentation]
*[[Mobile/Fennec/Android/Testing|Testing]]
*[[Mobile/Fennec/Android/CommonTips|Common tips & how-to's]]
*[[Mobile/Fennec/Android/Multilocale_Builds|Multilocale Builds]] - how to build an apk containing multiple languages (instead of just en-US by default).
*[[Mobile/Fennec/Android/Development/Addons|Useful addons for development (e.g. copy profile)]]
*[[Mobile/Fennec/Android/AdvancedTopics|Advanced topics (e.g. special build configs & advanced debugging)]]
*[https://gecko.readthedocs.org/en/latest/mobile/android/fennec/index.html In-tree Firefox for Android documentation]
*[[Mobile/Triage|Triage]]
*[[Mobile/Metrics|Metrics]]
*[[Mobile/Fennec/Android/png_optimisation|png optimisation]] - a guide on how to prepare png and raster images for landing in the tree, in order to minimise their size. This includes details on webp conversion, when applicable.


* [[Android/Status|Current bugs]]
=== App and development overview ===
* [[Mobile/Fennec/Android/App_Structure|App Structure]]: Fennec is a combination of Java frontend code, Javascript glue and display code, and C++ rendering code. Here's a brief 9000m (30'000ft) overview of what each of those parts does.
** [[Mobile/Fennec/Android/Build_Systems|Build Systems]]: Our app structure results in a complex build process. Moreover, we are in the process of migrating our builds from a custom (Makefile based) build, to using Gradle for the frontend/Java portions of our app. This is a brief description of our parallel build systems and what we're trying to achieve in the future.


== Download Source Code ==
=== Feature development ===
* [[Mobile/Distribution_Files|Distribution files]]
* [[Mobile/Fennec/Android/Java_telemetry|Java telemetry]]
* [[Mobile/Fennec/Android/Switchboard|Switchboard]]
* [[Mobile/Fennec/Android/Downloadable_Content|Downloadable Content]]


Check out the mozilla-central [[Mercurial]] repository, and the separate mobile-browser repository in a subdirectory called "mobile":
=== Test results ===
*[https://scan.coverity.com/projects/firefox-mobile Coverity static analysis]


hg clone http://hg.mozilla.org/mozilla-central
=== Build infrastructure ===
cd mozilla-central
*[[Mobile/Fennec/Android/Task Cluster notes|Task Cluster notes]]
hg clone http://hg.mozilla.org/mobile-browser mobile
*[[Mobile/Fennec/Android/mach_bootstrap_SDK_dependencies|`./mach bootstrap` SDK dependencies]]


== Install Dependencies ==
=== General developer resources ===
*[https://mozilla-version-control-tools.readthedocs.org/en/latest/hgmozilla/index.html Mercurial for Mozillians]
*[https://moz-conduit.readthedocs.io/en/latest/phabricator-user.html Mozilla Phabricator User Guide]


* Standard [https://developer.mozilla.org/En/Linux_Build_Prerequisites Linux build environment] or [https://developer.mozilla.org/En/Developer_Guide/Build_Instructions/Mac_OS_X_Prerequisites Mac OS X build environment]
=== Crash Stats ===
* [http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/mobile/source/ Android NDK] - This version is based on the original [http://developer.android.com/sdk/ndk/ Android NDK], modified to include C++ standard libraries and sys/queue.h.
* The crash-stats page lives at https://crash-stats.mozilla.com/home/product/FennecAndroid
* [http://developer.android.com/sdk/ Android SDK]
** Be careful to select "'''FennecAndroid'''" under the product dropdown to see Firefox on Android crashes.
 
*** Nightly has the name XX.0a1 (e.g. 52.0a1)
=== Set up a build environment ===
*** Aurora has the name XX.0a2 (e.g. 51.0a1 - the number is one lower than nightly)
 
*** Beta is XX.0bN (e.g. 50.0b12). N is increased every time a new beta is released (usually weekly).
==== Ubuntu 10.04 ====
**** '''Note:''' Multiple beta versions can be listed under the versions dropdown, the first one listed might not be the currently released beta.
sudo add-apt-repository "deb http://archive.canonical.com/ lucid partner"
*** Release is XX.0.N (e.g. 49.0.2). N is increased every time there is a dot release, we usually try to avoid dot releases.
sudo apt-get update
** Beware: a single device (which potentially has a hardware issue and/or a user who has done something strange with their configuration) can result in a crash-spike on nightly, or even aurora - not every crash is something significant.
sudo apt-get build-dep firefox
** You can view devices that are affected by selecting a crash-signature, then going to "Aggregations", followed by clicking on the "Aggregate on" dropdown and selecting "Android device". Some issues might be device or manufacturer specific.
sudo apt-get install sun-java6-jre sun-java6-plugin sun-java6-fonts sun-java6-jdk
** To create a bugzilla entry for a given crash, open a crash report (if you are viewing a signature, go to "reports" and click on one of the items there). From the crash report search for "Bugzilla - Report this bug in" and select the appropriate module.
sudo update-java-alternatives -s java-6-sun
if Running on amd64 or ia64 (basically 64bit linux), install the ia32-libs package :
sudo apt-get install ia32-libs
Then install Android sdk and ndk :
wget http://dl.google.com/android/android-sdk_r06-linux_86.tgz
tar xzf android-sdk_r06-linux_86.tgz
wget http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/mobile/source/android-ndk-r4c-0moz3.tar.bz2
tar xjf android-ndk-r4c-0moz3.tar.bz2
./android-sdk-linux_86/tools/android update sdk
 
==== Fedora 13 ====
 
yum install \
  cvs zip gcc-c++ glib2-devel gtk2-devel fontconfig-devel libnotify-devel \
  libIDL-devel alsa-lib-devel libXt-devel freetype-devel pkgconfig \
  dbus-glib-devel curl-devel autoconf213 xorg-x11-proto-devel libX11-devel \
  libXau-devel libXext-devel wireless-tools-devel glibc-static yasm
 
Install java: http://wporta.wordpress.com/2010/07/06/installing-jdk-in-fedora-13/
 
Then install Android sdk and ndk :
  wget http://dl.google.com/android/android-sdk_r06-linux_86.tgz
  tar xzf android-sdk_r06-linux_86.tgz
  wget http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/mobile/source/android-ndk-r4c-0moz3.tar.bz2
  tar xjf android-ndk-r4c-0moz3.tar.bz2
  ./android-sdk-linux_86/tools/android update sdk
 
=== Quickstart (Linux) ===
 
Download the SDK and NDK:
 
wget http://dl.google.com/android/android-sdk_r06-linux_86.tgz
wget http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/mobile/source/android-ndk-r4c-0moz3.tar.bz2
 
Then unpack them:
 
tar xvfj android-ndk-r4c-0moz3.tar.bz2
tar xvfz android-sdk_r06-linux_86.tgz
 
Install Java runtime and JDK:
 
sudo apt-get install sun-java6-jre sun-java6-plugin sun-java6-fonts sun-java6-jdk
 
'''Ubuntu note:''' be sure to install the Sun or OpenJDK version of Java, gcj will not work. In Ubuntu 10.04 Sun Java was moved to the Partner repository. Open the Software Center, edit Software Sources and enable the Partner repository.
 
Android SDK needs to be setup manually.
 
* In the SDK directory, run tools/android
* Check Settings->Force https://... sources to be fetched using http://...
* Click Save & Apply
* Installed Packages->Update All...
* Select at least the Android SDK, API level 6.  Optionally you can install API levels 4 and 8.
* Click Install, Accept, etc.
 
== Build Fennec for Android ==
 
=== Full Build ===
 
Normal Firefox build, with the following mozconfig. (Put this in a file called "mozconfig" in your top-level source directory.)
 
OBJDIR=objdir-android
mk_add_options MOZ_OBJDIR=@TOPSRCDIR@/$OBJDIR
# Add the correct paths here:
ac_add_options --with-android-ndk="ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/android-ndk-r4c"
ac_add_options --with-android-sdk="ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/android-sdk-linux_86/platforms/android-8"
ac_add_options --with-android-tools="ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/android-sdk-linux_86/tools"
# android options
ac_add_options --enable-application=mobile
ac_add_options --target=arm-android-eabi
ac_add_options --with-endian=little
# Uncomment to run on ARMv5 or ARMv6 devices, including the emulator
#ac_add_options --disable-thumb2
ac_add_options --disable-tests
export MOZ_DEBUG_SYMBOLS=1
 
A standard build should succeed with those paths.
 
After that build finishes, running <tt>make package</tt> in the OBJDIR should generate a file in the dist directory that looks like fennec-4.0b2pre.en-US.eabi-arm.apk. This file can be installed on an Android device with <tt>adb install [apk name here]</tt>. To uninstall it via adb, use the package name: <tt>adb uninstall org.mozilla.fennec</tt>.
 
=== JS/NSPR only ===
 
In the commands below, replace these with the appropriate paths:
 
* <tt>$NDK</tt> is the NDK location
* <tt>$moz</tt> is the mozilla-droid repo checkout
* <tt>$out</tt> is some base destination directory
 
First, regenerate configure in the js dir (the nspr configure is checked in):
cd $moz/js/src && autoconf2.13
 
Then create a nspr directory, configure nspr, and build it:
 
cd $out
mkdir nspr
cd nspr
$moz/nsprpub/configure \
  --target=arm-android-eabi \
  --with-android-ndk=$NDK
make -s
 
Then do the same for JS, telling it where to find the NSPR you just built:
 
cd $out
mkdir js
cd js
$moz/js/src/configure \
  --target=arm-android-eabi \
  --with-android-ndk=$NDK \
  --with-nspr-cflags=-I$out/nspr/dist/include/nspr \
  --with-nspr-libs='-L$out/nspr/dist/lib -lnspr4 -lplc4 -lplds4' \
  --enable-threadsafe \
  --with-endian=little \
  --with-arm-kuser
make -s
 
More information about NSPR is on [[Android/NSPR|this separate page]].
 
== Run JS/NSPR on Android ==
 
You'll need to copy the NSPR libraries and the js shell to the emulator or your device. Whether you're running on a physical device or an emulator, /data/local should be writable by the user.
 
cd $out/nspr/dist/lib
for f in *.so ; do adb push $f /data/local ; done
cd $out/js/shell
adb push js /data/local
 
Then, connect to a shell on the device, and run js (adb shell prompts prefixed with "android"):
 
% adb shell
android% cd /data/local
android% LD_LIBRARY_PATH=. ./js
js> 1+1
2
 
== Debugging with GDB ==
 
Note that android writes breakpad-like crash information to logcat, at I/DEBUG.  This can be useful for filing bug reports, and doesn't require setting up gdb. The output looks like
 
I/DEBUG  ( 2196): *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
I/DEBUG  ( 2196): Build fingerprint: 'Samsung/SGH-T959/SGH-T959/SGH-T959:2.1- update1/ECLAIR/UVJFD:user/release-keys'
I/DEBUG  ( 2196): pid: 11834, tid: 11834  >>> /data/local/js/js <<<
I/DEBUG  ( 2196): signal 11 (SIGSEGV), fault addr e3c43162
...
 
=== Preparation ===
 
Debugging with gdbserver requires root access.  If you have not rooted your phone, search the web for instructions for your particular device.  Or see [[User:Blassey/Notes/Android#debugging_without_rooting|notes on debugging without root access]].
 
=== Using nVidia version (recommended) ===
 
Need to document here. See [[User:Blassey/Notes/Android]] for how to install.
 
Note that you'll still need to pull the system libraries as described in the next section -- don't skip it entirely just because you've gotten the NVIDIA gdb.
 
=== Using the NDK version ===
 
NOTE: Fennec might crash when attaching using the gdb binaries included in the Google NDK. nVidia's gdb binaries are better.
 
If you do not already have gdbserver on your device (use <tt>adb shell gdbserver</tt> to check), you can push a pre-built version from the NDK.
 
adb push /PATH/TO/android-ndk-r4/build/prebuilt/linux-x86/arm-eabi-4.4.0/bin/gdbserver /data/local
 
Copy the necessary files from your device via adb pull. /system/bin/linker is referred to by absolute path so setting solib-absolute-prefix in gdb will be necessary for it to be found. Other files can be placed anywhere as long as they can be found in solib-search-path.
 
In short, find a directory to put some libraries, make sure adb is in your path, and paste this into your terminal:
 
adb pull /system/bin/linker . &&
adb pull /system/bin/app_process . &&
mkdir -p system/bin &&
mv linker system/bin &&
for LIB in libc.so libm.so libstdc++.so liblog.so libz.so libGLESv1_CM.so
do
adb pull /system/lib/$LIB .
done
 
=== Attach GDB ===
 
* launch in debug mode:
  (Host)$ adb shell am start -a org.mozilla.gecko.DEBUG \
                            -n org.mozilla.fennec/org.mozilla.fennec.App
* Forward a port for gdb between your device and computer using adb. Any port you can open should work. 1234 is used here.
  (Host)$ adb forward tcp:1234 tcp:1234
* Find the pid of your process if you don't know it. You can look at the second column of <tt>adb shell ps|grep fennec</tt>.
* Attach gdbserver to the process
  (Host)$ adb shell /data/local/gdbserver localhost:1234 --attach YOURPID
  Attached; pid = YOURPID
  Listening on port 1234
* Run arm-eabi-gdb on your binary. (android-ndk-1.6_r1/build/prebuilt/linux-x86/arm-eabi-4.2.1/bin) For debugging gecko, a copy of app_process from your device should be used. (Note that <tt>app_process</tt> is not a variable name -- it is actually a binary pulled from the device in the previous section.)
  (Host)$ /PATH/TO/NDK/build/prebuilt/linux-x86/arm-eabi-4.2.1/bin/arm-eabi-gdb app_process
  GNU gdb 6.6
  Copyright (C) 2006 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
  GDB is free software, covered by the GNU General Public License, and you are
  welcome to change it and/or distribute copies of it under certain conditions.
  Type "show copying" to see the conditions.
  There is absolutely no warranty for GDB.  Type "show warranty" for details.
  This GDB was configured as "--host=x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu --target=arm-elf-linux"...
* Configure solib-absolute-prefix. This will point to the directory where you unpacked your system image or where you copied the libraries.
  (Host gdb) set solib-absolute-prefix ANDROIDLIBS
* Configure solib-search-path. This needs to point to the directories you need debugging symbols from - /system/lib or where ever you copied the libraries.
  (Host gdb) set solib-search-path ANDROIDLIBS:ANDROIDLIBS/system/lib:OBJDIR/dist/bin
* Connect to gdbserver
  (Host gdb) target remote localhost:1234
* These three Host gdb commands can be placed in a .gdbinit file to automate future gdb runs. .gdbinit should be located where you normally run gdb.
 
=== Automating gdbserver setup ===
You can use the script below to setup gdbserver:
 
<pre>
#!/bin/bash
PORT=1234
PID=""
 
# By default, this will attach to the parent process.
# Use "plugin-container" as argument to attach to child.
if [ -z $1 ]; then
  GREP=org.mozilla.fennec
else
  GREP=$1
fi
 
adb forward tcp:$PORT tcp:$PORT &&
adb shell am start -a org.mozilla.gecko.DEBUG -n org.mozilla.fennec/org.mozilla.fennec.App &&
while [ -z $PID ]; do
  PID=`adb shell ps | grep $GREP | head -n 1 | cut -c11-16`
done &&
adb shell run-as org.mozilla.fennec /data/local/gdbserver localhost:$PORT --attach $PID
</pre>
 
=== Debugging on Galaxy S devices ===
 
These include AT&T Galaxy S, Tmobile Vibrant, Sprint Epic.
 
Unfortunately, it appears that android v2.1 denies non-root programs the ptrace capability, which means that non-root gdb (and breakpad!) won't work there.  So if you have 2.1, you need to root first.
* [http://samsungvibranthacks.com/samsung-vibrant-hacks/how-to-root-samsung-vibrant-galaxy-s/ T-mobile Vibrant]
* ???
To ensure that your device is rooted (at least partially), run the following commands while the home screen is unlocked: you'll need to grant superuser permissions on the device itself.
adb shell
su
If you get a <code>#</code> prompt, you're good to go.
 
Next find a good directory for your gdb install and set up gdb.  The dir where you installed the NDK/SDK works well.  Let's call that dir <code>~/android</code>
cd ~/android
mkdir gdb && cd gdb
wget http://developer.download.nvidia.com/tegra/files/tegra-gdb-20100430.zip
unzip tegra-gdb-20100430.zip
rm -f debug.sh and install.sh
tegra-gdb ships with install.sh and debug.sh scripts, but they don't work with the root above for the T-mobile Vibrant.  So we'll create our own ~/android/gdb/install.sh.
chmod +x prebuilt/linux-x86/arm-eabi-gdb
adb push prebuilt/gdbserver /data/local
adb shell chmod 755 /data/local/gdbserver
mkdir lib && cd lib
adb pull /system/bin/linker .
adb pull /system/bin/app_process .
mkdir -p system/bin
mv linker system/bin
for file in $(adb shell ls /system/lib | tr "\n" " " | tr "\r" " "); do
    adb pull /system/lib/$file .
done
Then
bash install.sh
Now you're ready to start gdbserver and gdb.  The tegra-gdb has a bug in which it apparently can't find threads created before it attaches to a process.  This sounds like an easy bug to fix, but a workaround is to use the DEBUG intent as follows.
adb forward tcp:12345 tcp:12345
adb shell
su
am start -a org.mozilla.gecko.DEBUG -n org.mozilla.fennec/org.mozilla.fennec.App
On device, you should see a button that says "Launch".  Fennec is now waiting for you to connect with gdb.  Back in the adb shell
ps
# you should see a line like
#  app_95    7549  2204  248356 26264 ffffffff 83844aa8 D org.mozilla.fennec
# the first number is the PID
/data/local/gdbserver localhost:12345 --attach 7549
If that goes well, gdbserver should print something like
Attached; pid = 7549
Listening on port 12345
You're now ready to connect a local gdb to the gdbserver on device.  We'll pretend that you installed tegra-gdb and the device libs into <code>/home/cjones/android/gdb</code>, and that your objdir is <code>/home/cjones/mozilla/ma-opt/dist/bin</code>. Then in a new host shell (or emacs gdb), point gdb at the right symbols by running
~/android/gdb/prebuilt/linux-x86/arm-eabi-gdb ~/android/gdb/lib/app_process
# (in gdb)
set solib-absolute-prefix /home/cjones/android/gdb/lib
set solib-search-path /home/cjones/android/gdb/lib:/home/cjones/android/gdb/lib/system/lib:/home/cjones/mozilla/ma-opt/dist/bin
You very much want to add this setup to a .gdbinit script.  Finally, connect to the gdbserver
target remote localhost:12345
If all goes well, you should see something like
(gdb) target remote localhost:12345
Remote debugging using localhost:12345
Reading symbols from /home/cjones/android/gdb/lib/system/bin/linker...(no debugging symbols found)...done.
Loaded symbols for /home/cjones/android/gdb/lib/system/bin/linker
Reading symbols from libc.so...(no debugging symbols found)...done.
Loaded symbols for libc.so
[snip]
0xafe0d9c4 in __futex_wait () from libc.so
(gdb) bt
#0  0xafe0d9c4 in __futex_wait () from libc.so
#1  0xafe0f444 in __pthread_cond_timedwait_relative () from libc.so
#2  0xafe0f4d0 in __pthread_cond_timedwait () from libc.so
#3  0xad0402d6 in ?? () from libdvm.so
#4  0xad0402d6 in ?? () from libdvm.so
Backtrace stopped: previous frame identical to this frame (corrupt stack?)
The final warning about a corrupt stack appears to be a quirk of the Dalvik VM's implementation, and isn't worrisome because the Java frames would be meaningless in C++ anyway.
 
To connect to a content process, the steps are mostly the same, except you want to start fennec with
am start -a org.mozilla.gecko.DEBUG -n org.mozilla.fennec/org.mozilla.fennec.App --es env0 MOZ_DEBUG_CHILD_PROCESS=1
attach to a process that looks like
app_95    16029 16005 20488  5852  c03b08dc afe0d0ac S /data/data/org.mozilla.fennec/plugin-container
and start android-gdb with
~/android/gdb/prebuilt/linux-x86/arm-eabi-gdb $objdir/dist/bin/plugin-container
 
== Running tests on device ==
 
It's probably going to be painful, prepare thyself.
 
=== JS trace-tests ===
 
A rooted device isn't required to run trace-tests.  One may or may not be required to debug test failures, see debugging instructions bove.
 
Install the "android scripting environment" (sl4a_r*.apk) and the python interpreter (python_for_android_r*.apk) from [http://code.google.com/p/android-scripting/downloads/list here].
 
Set up a local staging directory for files to be pushed to device.  We'll push all the junk to /data/local/js/.
mkdir testjs
cd testjs
wget https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/attachment.cgi?id=480264 -O - > testjs.py
mkdir js
cp $objdir/js/src/js \
    $objdir/memory/mozalloc/libmozalloc.so \
    $objdir/nsprpub/pr/src/libnspr4.so \
    $objdir/nsprpub/lib/libc/src/libplc4.so \
    $objdir/nsprpub/lib/ds/libplds4.so \
    js/
cp -R $srcdir/js/src/trace-test js/trace-test
adb shell mkdir /data/local/js
adb shell chmod 777 /data/local/js
adb push js /data/local/js
adb push testjs.py /sdcard/sl4a/scripts/
 
Time for a sanity check.  Try running
adb shell LD_LIBRARY_PATH="/data/local/js" /data/local/js/js
You may or may not get a "> " prompt (and if you do, it's broken anyway), but if you don't see any error messages you're probably good to go.
 
testjs.py is a wrapper script for trace_test.py (and soon other tests).  We'll run testjs.py using the python interpreter.  If the scripting environment wasn't broken, you could run the tests with
$ am start -a com.googlecode.android_scripting.action.LAUNCH_TERMINAL -n com.googlecode.android_scripting/.activity.ScriptingLayerServiceLauncher -e com.googlecode.android_scripting.extra.SCRIPT_NAME testjs.py
(lol! java).  But it is broken.  So instead, you need to launch the "SL4A" application and then click "testjs.py".  Choose the "terminal" icon to run the script in the built-in terminal.  You should then see trace-test's usual progress meter.
 
When all the tests finish, the failed tests and their output will be in the file /data/local/js/trace-test-failures.txt (it gets stomped on every test run, beware). You may need to mark the /data/local/js directory as writable by all in order for the script to sae its output. See the results with
$ adb shell cat /data/local/js/trace-test-failures.txt
basic/testComparisons.js
Exit code: -11  # oops, segfault
...
 
To debug a particular test, use the newly-added <code>js -g</code> option, which has jsshell sleep for 30 seconds on startup, and then attach with gdb using the instructions above.
adb shell LD_LIBRARY_PATH="/data/local/js" /data/local/js/js -g 30 -j -e "const platform='linux2'; const libdir='/data/local/js/trace-test/lib/';" -f /data/local/js/trace-test/lib/prolog.js -f /data/local/js/trace-test/tests/basic/testComparisons.js
# attach using gdb instructions for your device
 
You run trace-test with custom options by editing testjs.py.  For example, to run with -mj, add
  trace_test.main([
      JS,
      '--avoid-stdio',
+    '--jitflags', 'mj',
      '--write-failure-log', failures_file
  ])
then
adb push testjs.py /sdcard/sl4a/scripts/.
and re-run using the instructions above.
 
== Profiling ==
 
oprofile is enabled in the kernel on the G1 dev phone and SDK emulator images. The oprofile programs (opcontrol, oprofiled) are in <tt>/system/xbin</tt>.
 
== Android Development Tips ==
 
* You can build a full Android OS from source [http://wiki.cyanogenmod.com/index.php?title=Building_from_source following the instructions on Cyanogen's site].  This helps tremendously with debugging.
* Running in the Android SDK emulator requires a build with --disable-thumb2.  You might also need to change the emulator options to give it enough space to install and run Fennec: <tt>emulator -partition-size 256 -memory 512</tt>
* Pass command line arguments to Fennec as "extras" using the -es argument: <tt>adb shell am start -n org.mozilla.fennec/org.mozilla.fennec.App -es -safe-mode</tt>
 
Nightly builds are available unsigned, so that you can sign them with your local debug key and install them on top of your own debug builds (without uninstalling and losing your profile).  To sign and install the unsigned nightly build:
 
wget http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/mobile/nightly/latest-mozilla-central-android-r7/gecko-unsigned-unaligned.apk
jarsigner -keystore ~/.android/debug.keystore -storepass android -keypass android gecko-unsigned-unaligned.apk androiddebugkey
zipalign -f -v 4 gecko-unsigned-unaligned.apk gecko-signed-aligned.apk
adb install -r gecko-signed-aligned.apk
 
== Passing in environment variables to Fennec ==
 
<pre>
adb shell am start -a org.mozilla.fennec -n org.mozilla.fennec/org.mozilla.fennec.App --es env0 KEY=VALUE
</pre>
 
== Updates ==
* [[Mobile/Fennec/Android/Updates|Updates check implementation]]
 
== Other Resources ==
 
* [https://wiki.mozilla.org/User:Joel_Reymont/Android_Notes Joel's Notes]
* [https://wiki.mozilla.org/User:VladVukicevic/Android_Notes Vlad's Notes]
* [http://hg.mozilla.org/users/vladimir_mozilla.com/android-testapp/ Vlad's Test App Hg Repo]

Latest revision as of 14:52, 16 February 2023

Important.png
Fennec has been replaced by Fenix. The build documentation has moved!
See the most up to date documentation at https://firefox-source-docs.mozilla.org/contributing/build/building_mobile_firefox.html

Here is a table of contents of all the in-depth information you might need to find about Firefox for Android development.

New to the community? Welcome! Start here!

Develop

App and development overview

  • App Structure: Fennec is a combination of Java frontend code, Javascript glue and display code, and C++ rendering code. Here's a brief 9000m (30'000ft) overview of what each of those parts does.
    • Build Systems: Our app structure results in a complex build process. Moreover, we are in the process of migrating our builds from a custom (Makefile based) build, to using Gradle for the frontend/Java portions of our app. This is a brief description of our parallel build systems and what we're trying to achieve in the future.

Feature development

Test results

Build infrastructure

General developer resources

Crash Stats

  • The crash-stats page lives at https://crash-stats.mozilla.com/home/product/FennecAndroid
    • Be careful to select "FennecAndroid" under the product dropdown to see Firefox on Android crashes.
      • Nightly has the name XX.0a1 (e.g. 52.0a1)
      • Aurora has the name XX.0a2 (e.g. 51.0a1 - the number is one lower than nightly)
      • Beta is XX.0bN (e.g. 50.0b12). N is increased every time a new beta is released (usually weekly).
        • Note: Multiple beta versions can be listed under the versions dropdown, the first one listed might not be the currently released beta.
      • Release is XX.0.N (e.g. 49.0.2). N is increased every time there is a dot release, we usually try to avoid dot releases.
    • Beware: a single device (which potentially has a hardware issue and/or a user who has done something strange with their configuration) can result in a crash-spike on nightly, or even aurora - not every crash is something significant.
    • You can view devices that are affected by selecting a crash-signature, then going to "Aggregations", followed by clicking on the "Aggregate on" dropdown and selecting "Android device". Some issues might be device or manufacturer specific.
    • To create a bugzilla entry for a given crash, open a crash report (if you are viewing a signature, go to "reports" and click on one of the items there). From the crash report search for "Bugzilla - Report this bug in" and select the appropriate module.
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