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Reviewers/Editors Guide

UMO leverages reviewers/editors to look over pending extensions and themes for publication on the site. We have a large number of extensions and themes and need a good coverage of timezones, operating systems and mozilla software to make sure we get them moderated in a timely fashion.

Covering the Bases

Please fill in what you're able to test.

Name	Timezone	Win32			Linux			OSX
	GMT offset	FX	TB	SM	FX	TB	SM	FX	TB	SM
Adrastos	0 (GMT)		X*					X
alanjstr	-4/-5	X
anoncow	-6 CST/CDT	X	X		X	X
artooro	-4							X	X
Cameron	+9:30	X
chip	-7 (PDT)				X			X	X	?
chrisblore	+1/+0	X			X	X	X
dmb	-5 (EST)	X			X	X
Ihoss	+1	X	X		X
jdi	+1	X*	X*		X	X		X*	X*
Jero	+1	X	X
kveton	-7
Legendre	-5	X	X	X*
Milesh	-6 CDT/CST	X	X
Zillmann	-5		X					X	X	X

*: not regularly

Testing Extensions

To claim an extension/theme as yours you just hang out in #umo and say "okay i'm going to play around with such and such" and away you go. Some fights will ensue, but it's a wild world out there :) It's best if more than one person reviews each extension, but this may not always be possible.

Start by installing the extension. Restart your application. If it doesn't come back, then you have a problem.

Once you've restarted, check the Extensions Manager to see if it has any options. If it does, test them out.

Test what the extension is supposed to do. If it adds a new tool, it may be under the Tools menu or under View -> Sidebars.

Use your application normally making sure there are no adverse side-effects.

Uninstall the extension and restart your application. Are you still able to surf the web, check email, etc?

The approval forms are as follows:

• OSes - What operating systems did you test this on (Windows, Linux, OSX)
• Apps - What applications did you test this in? Firefox, Thunderbird, Seamonkey? Also include a version number.
• Comments to Author - Any suggestions or comments you'd like to tell the author. if you are approving the extension, congratulate them and if you have any suggestions, give them. If you are denying the extension, tell them why. These comments will be sent to the author with notification of your actions.
• Install? - Does the extension install?
• Uninstall? - Does the extension uninstall without trouble?
• App works? - Does the extension remove functionality from your application? Is there anything it stops working?
• Clean profile? - If the extension does not work, is it because of a conflict with another extension or one of your settings? This should be ticked if the extension works.
• New chrome? - Does the extension add anything to the user interface? (Including Tools -> Extensions -> Options.)
• Works - Does the extension do its job as the author describes?

It is also a good idea to request preview images for extensions that add icons or make changes to the application's menus. This helps users to know what to expect and therefore improve their experiences using umo.

Extensions on latest 1.0+ builds - Please note that currently, the trunk Firefox 1.0+ builds are temperamental when it comes to installing extensions due to the new system that has been implemented by Ben Goodger. If an extension does not install on a 1.0+ build, you may want to make the author aware of the changes that have been made and request that they either resubmit it with a lower maxVersion or resubmit their extension with the required changes made to make it compatible with 1.0+.

Testing Themes

The procedure to start testing a theme is the same as the one for extensions. Testing themes usually (but not necessarily) takes lesser time.

While testing a theme, don't forget to check that the author has included a suitable preview image (a preview image is mandatory). If not, check that the other requirements are fulfilled (the theme and the application work as required and the theme installs/uninstalls properly). Add a comment to the effect that previews are required for all themes on umo and then deny the approval request, asking them to resubmit their theme complete with a preview.

Things to look for

• Completeness: Examine **all** the toolbars, menus, menu options, throbber, icons etc. to make sure that nothing is missed out.
• Look: While looking for completeness, also look at the color combinations and the contrast. Commend the author for the choice of colors/contrast and the visual elements.
• Consistency: A theme is, well, a theme! See if the visual elements are consistent across menus and toolbars. Do the colors, dialogs and menus look the same across different UI options? This is the most important aspect of a theme. Without consistency, it wouldn't be a theme!
• Fit: By fit, I mean the display of all elements within specific boundaries. This is relevant for menus and dialogs - check to make sure that all the UI elements fit within the default boundaries and do not appear "clipped". If anything's clipped and/or if resizing is required to see it completely, make a note of it and request the author to change it - clipped dialogs/menus are an annoyance to users and could lower the impression of quality that the theme makes on the user - in such cases, it's better to deny the theme and request the author to correct these.
• Install/Uninstall: This is the same as the check done for extensions.

Approval, Denial and Comments

• Approving a theme/extension: Thank the author for the time and effort they have put in. Remember that they're enhancing the usefulness and the appeal of the products!
• Denying a theme/extension: Be polite in pointing out the flaws. Provide suggestions as to what they could or should do before re-submitting it and request them to re-submit it. It's also a good idea to tell the author what you liked about the extension/theme even though you've denied it.
• Comments: Your comments to the author go to a *real person* - keep that in mind while you go about reviewing hundreds of extensions/themes. :)

NOTE: The backend processing for the text boxes in the approval form does not like anything enclosed in '<' and '>'. It assumes it to be HTML and strips the '<', '>' and the text in between before logging it and sending it to the author! So take care to use some other set of characters like '[ ]', '{ }' etc.

Comments Manager

When reviewing comments, here are a few general guidelines you should consider.

• Comments containing foul language should be deleted.
• If you are unsure why the comment was reported go to its actual web page.
• If you cannot find any grounds for deleting the comment, clear it.

Bugzilla and known bugs

For those who are new, Bugzilla is a system for reporting bugs in software. Mozilla uses Bugzilla to report and track bugs in its programs, but also for reporting and tracking other issues. For instance, if you want to change a part of UMO (eg. you want to make it compulsory for 3 reviewers to check every extension) then you can file an entry in bugzilla. Extension owners may create entries when they want their extension added to UMO.

Bug 287977 means that if they submitted the same version number twice, they overwrote the old approval/denial.

404 Errors

It can take more than 30 minutes from the time you approve an extension until all of the mirrors have the file. The links on the website will 404 until then.