Force Installation of URL and File-Based Firefox Add-Ons

Endpoint Policy Manager also can install URL and file-based Firefox add-ons within Firefox.

Video: To see a video of Endpoint Policy Manager forcing installation of Firefox's Add-Ons, go to Force Install Firefox Extensions (from URL or file)..

Go to the Add-Ons tab within the Firefox AppSet, as shown in Figure 28.

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Figure 28. The Add-Ons tab within Endpoint Policy Manager Application Settings Manager.

To get started with an add-on you want to force installation of, you need to know the add-on and its URL. Then you need to know what delivery method you would like to use: URL or file install. To use URL-based installation, you need to get the URL by following these steps (see Figure 29):

Step 1 – Right-click and select "Copy Link Location" from the "Add to Firefox" button.

Step 2 – Copy the URL to Notepad.

Step 3 – Trim the URL for excess characters.

Step 4 – Convert to Endpoint Policy Manager syntax.

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Figure 29. Copying the link location.

Step 5 – Then, using Notepad or another editor, paste from Firefox "Copy Link Location" like this:

https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/downloads/latest/ads-blocker/platform:5/addon-729812-latest.xpi?src=hp-dl-upandcoming.

Step 6 – Then you'll modify it to trim everything after the XPI file, to make the following correctly modified URL:

https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/downloads/latest/ads-blocker/platform:5/addon-729812-latest.xpi

Step 7 – Finally, you'll convert to Endpoint Policy Manager syntax: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/downloads/latest/ads-blocker/platform:5/addon-729812-latest.xpi, install.

For using the file-based installation method, you would select "Save Link As" after right-clicking on the "Add to Firefox" botton, as shown in Figure 30.

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Figure 30. The file-based installation method.

Step 8 – Then, you would save the file to a location to use later, as shown in Figure 31.

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Figure 31. Choosing where to save the file.

Step 9 – Next, you also need to decide if you want to leave the user's existing add-ons in place (with MODE=MERGE) or wipe out what the user already has (with MODE=REPLACE). You will use whatever you choose as the first line. Then, on the second line and additional lines you will include the location of the XPI

File:https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/downloads/latest/ads-blocker/platform:5/addon-729812-latest.xpi, install.
File://c:/localdirectory/ addon-729812-latest.xpi, install
File://///server/share/folder/ addon-729812-latest.xpi, install

Note the following:

Local file paths include "File:", followed by two slashes to denote the file path start. Following that, there is a single slash per directory.
UNC paths include "File:", followed by five front slashes to denote the UNC path start. Following that, there is a single slash per directory.