Web apps stop working after updating to Firefox 117 (solution here)

[HiroDane]

Description

When I try to open any web app it just opens up a completely white window, even without the usual close, minimize or maximize button, just completely blank and pure white. I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling everything from scratch but nothing changes. The extension also keeps saying its out of date even though I explicitly installed the latest msi. I tried 2 other ways to install also which were: through choco and through winget. Still same issue.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Go to 'Firefox Extension'
2. Click on 'Launch for any installed WebApp'
3. See error

Additional Information

I have tried restarting browser and the system, did not change anything.
When I try to edit a WebApp I get an error about invalid icon. I tried to give the icon URL manually but when I click the 'Edit' button and leave the edit menu it resets back to invalid url for icon error.

Affected Websites

All websites have same issue, for example youtube.com

Environment

• Operating system: Windows 10 version 10.0.19045 Build 19045
• System architecture: x64
• Desktop environment: Windows
• Installation method: MSI
• PWAsForFirefox extension version: 2.7.3
• PWAsForFirefox native version: 2.7.3
• PWAsForFirefox runtime version: 2.7.3
• Firefox version: 117.0

[filips123]

Does it work if you enable "Always patch runtime and profile" in the extension settings and then launch PWAs?

[lwindolf]

Had the same problem during the Firefox 116 -> 117 upgrade. Running "Update web apps" from the settings menu fixed the issue for me and all web apps startet to work again.

[filips123]

I added compatibility with Firefox 17 in v2.7.3. I don't know why the fix didn't automatically apply to all web apps as it should. Maybe it's the same issue as #165.

Solution for this issue: After updating to PWAsForFirefox 2.7.3 and Firefox 117, run "Update web apps" from the extension settings to apply the fix. If this does not work, enable "Always patch runtime and profile" and launch any web app. You can then disable it.

[HiroDane]

Tried "Update web apps", the issue persists. still completely blank window opens up. I also noticed that the extension detects native version as 2.0.3 even though I manually installed the latest msi from release page. May be related somehow. idk.

[filips123]

Hmm, this is something else. Have you installed PWAsForFirefox per user (instead of per machine)? If so, maybe you have two installations, one per user and one per machine, and one of them is actually outdated.

[HiroDane]

As far as I remember multiple installs should not be the case, but what do I do to check? I looked through all AppData folders and only one user account has FireFoxPWA.
Also I tried to launch through command line and same thing happens. In command line I could verify that version was 2.7.3. Is there a cmd way to do "Update web apps"?

[filips123]

You can try to completely uninstall PWAsForFirefox and its registry keys:

1. Run the normal uninstaller.
2. Delete HKCU\Software\Mozilla\NativeMessagingHosts\firefoxpwa and HKLM\Software\Mozilla\NativeMessagingHosts\firefoxpwa registry keys. Also, check which path these keys point to.
3. Delete HKCU\Software\filips\FirefoxPWA and HKLM\Software\filips\FirefoxPWA in registry.
4. Delete C:\Program Files\FirefoxPWA and %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\FirefoxPWA.

If any of HKCU keys existed, you probably had an old per-user install. After you remove those directories and keys, you can try to install PWAsForFirefox again.

The installer not properly detecting existing (per-user) installations is a known bug, but I don't know how to fix it. See #268 for details.

[HiroDane]

Yes this was the issue, I guess i tried three different ways to install and one of them ( i am guessing chocolatey) made a user only install that was messing with things. Thank you so much!

[filips123]

Good to see that you fixed this. I'll close this issue then.

[fungs]

Same problem here, reinstalling the runtime and updating the webapps worked, but only for those that I didn't open while the bug existed. I had to remove and reinstall those apps/profiles.