Add-ons/Reviewers/Guide/Other
There are other kinds of add-ons on AMO which are submitted less frequently but are still important to review. Special rules apply to them since they are more about content than code.
Search Engines
These are simple XML files that describe the engine and include a search URL and optionally a search suggestions URL.
| Issue | Action | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Confusing or irrelevant name or icon. | Reject | |
| Duplicate engine. | See Duplicates section below | For example, only one ebay.de engine should be allowed to be public, though there can be a different one for each ebay language. Search for dupes before approving. |
| Pinging third parties. | Reject | Search engines should perform the search directly on the target domain and not go through a third party. It's acceptable to use known engines like Google for search suggestions, as long as the description makes that clear. |
| Undisclosed referral codes. | Reject | The use of referral codes needs to be explained in the description and Privacy Policy. Referral codes are parameters in the URL like ref= or affiliate= that don't show up if you perform the search directly on the site. |
Duplicates
If a nominated search engine is identical to an already public search engine, it should only be approved if one of the following is true:
- It provides better functionality, like Search Suggestions, or direct access to the search site (instead of Google Custom Search or other intermediate search pages).
- It's free of referral codes or unnecessary advertising.
- It is provided by the official search engine creator.
Dictionaries
A dictionary is used by Firefox for the built-in spellchecker, and it supports multiple dictionaries. Dictionaries are .xpi files.
Multiple dictionaries for a single locale are fine as long as they all provide value. See for example the multiple French dictionaries available.
One way to test dictionaries is to find the corresponding locale Wikipedia and then open a page for editing. This will give you a good idea of the words that the dictionary includes or doesn't include. You can also type a little and see the word suggestions it gives you. They should generally be approved, unless something is really wrong with the add-on.
If an author wants a dictionary to be featured in the language tools page on AMO, they should contact the mailing list. An admin will review the add-on and add it to the list if appropriate.
Language Packs
A language pack is an add-on that enables support for additional languages in one Firefox installation. Language packs are typically separate XPI or JAR files that contain only locale files. Most language packs on AMO are automatically built, uploaded, and reviewed, so there are only a handful that are manually updated for every release.
Language packs should only include strings and not JavaScript, nor they should change any preferences. If they do, they should be flagged for super review. The code validator has a check for this.
Language packs should be tested similarly to Complete Themes. The add-on should be rejected if any XML parsing errors are spotted while testing. You can use the Locale Switcher extension to change the locale after installing it.
If an author wants a language pack to be featured in the language tools page on AMO, they should contact the mailing list. An admin will review the add-on and add it to the list if appropriate.
