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diff --git a/mobile/android/docs/geckoview/contributor/for-gecko-engineers.rst b/mobile/android/docs/geckoview/contributor/for-gecko-engineers.rst new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..4517d950b4 --- /dev/null +++ b/mobile/android/docs/geckoview/contributor/for-gecko-engineers.rst @@ -0,0 +1,176 @@ +.. -*- Mode: rst; fill-column: 80; -*- + +============================= +GeckoView For Gecko Engineers +============================= + +Table of contents +================= + +.. contents:: :local: + +Introduction +------------ + +Who this guide is for: As the title suggests, the target audience of +this guide is existing Gecko engineers who need to be able to build and +(locally) test GeckoView. If you aren’t already familiar with building +Firefox on a desktop platform, you’ll likely be better served by reading +`our general introduction <geckoview-quick-start.html>`_. This guide may +also be helpful if you find you’ve written a patch that requires +changing GeckoView’s public API, see `Landing a Patch <#landing-a-patch>`_. + +Who this guide is not for: As mentioned above, if you are not already +familiar with building Firefox for desktop, you’d likely be better +served by our general bootstrapping guide. If you are looking to +contribute to front-end development of one of Mozilla’s Android +browsers, you’re likely better off starting with their codebase and +returning here only if actual GeckoView changes are needed. See, for +example, `Fenix’s GitHub <https://github.com/mozilla-mobile/firefox-android/tree/main/fenix>`_. + +What to do if this guide contains bugs or leads you astray: The quickest +way to get a response is to ask generally on #gv on Mozilla Slack; +#mobile on Mozilla IRC may also work for the time being, albeit likely +with slower response times. If you believe the guide needs updating, it +would also be good to file a ticket to request that. + +Configuring the build system +---------------------------- + +First, a quick note: This guide was written on MacOS 10.14; it should +translate quite closely to other supported versions of MacOS and to +Linux. Building GeckoView on Windows is not officially supported at the +moment. To begin with, re-run ``./mach bootstrap``; it will present you +with options for the version of Firefox/GV that you want to build. +Currently, option ``3`` is +``GeckoView/Firefox for Android Artifact Mode`` and ``4`` is +``GeckoView/Firefox for Android``; if you’re here, you want one of +these. The brief and approximately correct breakdown of ``Artifact`` vs +regular builds for GeckoView is that ``Artifact`` builds will not allow +you to work on native code, only on JS or Java. Once you’ve selected +your build type, ``bootstrap`` should do its usual thing and grab +whatever dependencies are necessary. You may need to agree to some +licenses along the way. Once ``bootstrap`` has successfully completed, +it will spit out a recommended ``mozconfig``. + +Mozconfig and Building +---------------------- + +If you’ve followed from the previous section, ``./mach bootstrap`` +printed out a recommended ``mozconfig`` that looks something like this: + +:: + + # Build GeckoView/Firefox for Android: + ac_add_options --enable-project=mobile/android + + # Targeting the following architecture. + # For regular phones, no --target is needed. + # For x86 emulators (and x86 devices, which are uncommon): + # ac_add_options --target=i686 + # For newer phones. + # ac_add_options --target=aarch64 + # For x86_64 emulators (and x86_64 devices, which are even less common): + # ac_add_options --target=x86_64 + +As written, this defaults to building for a 32-bit ARM architecture, +which is probably not what you want. If you intend to work on an actual +device, you almost certainly want a 64-bit ARM build, as it is supported +by virtually all modern ARM phones/tablets and is the only ARM build we +ship on the Google Play Store. To go this route, uncomment the +``ac_add_options --target=aarch64`` line in the ``mozconfig``. On the +other hand, x86-64 emulated devices are widely used by the GeckoView +team and are used extensively on ``try``; if you intend to use an +emulator, uncomment the ``ac_add_options --target=x86_64`` line in the +``mozconfig``. Don’t worry about installing an emulator at the moment, +that will be covered shortly. It’s worth noting here that other +``mozconfig`` options will generally work as you’d expect. Additionally, +if you plan on debugging native code on Android, you should include the +``mozconfig`` changes mentioned `in our native debugging guide <native-debugging.html>`_. Now, using +that ``mozconfig`` with any modifications you’ve made, simply +``./mach build``. If all goes well, you will have successfully built +GeckoView. + +Installing, Running, and Using in Fenix/AC +------------------------------------------ + +An (x86-64) emulator is the most common and developer-friendly way of +contributing to GeckoView in most cases. If you’re going to go this +route, simply run ``./mach android-emulator`` — by default, this will +install and launch an x86-64 Android emulator running the same Android +7.0 image that is used on ``try``. If you need a different emulator +image you can run ``./mach android-emulator --help`` for information on +what Android images are available via ``mach``. You can also install an +emulator image via Android Studio. In cases where an emulator may not +suffice (eg graphics or performance testing), or if you’d simply prefer +not to use an emulator, you can opt to use an actual phone instead. To +do so, you’ll need to enable ``USB Debugging`` on your phone if you +haven’t already. On most modern Android devices, you can do this by +opening ``Settings``, going to ``About phone``, and tapping +``Build number`` seven times. You should get a notification informing +you that you’ve unlocked developer options. Now return to ``Settings``, +go to ``Developer options``, and enable USB debugging. + +GeckoView Example App +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +Now that you’ve connected a phone or setup an emulator, the simplest way +to test GeckoView is to launch the GeckoView Example app by running +``./mach run`` (or install it with ``./mach install`` and run it +yourself). This is a simplistic GV-based browser that lives in the tree; +in many cases, it is sufficient to test and debug Gecko changes, and is +by far the simplest way of doing so. It supports remote debugging by +default — simply open Remote Debugging on your desktop browser and the +connected device/emulator should show up when the example app is open. +You can also use the example app for native debugging, follow the +`native debugging guide <native-debugging.html>`_. + +GeckoView JUnit Tests +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +Once you’ve successfully built GV, you can run tests from the GeckoView +JUnit test suite with ``./mach geckoview-junit``. For further examples +(eg running individual tests, repeating tests, etc.), consult the `quick +start guide <geckoview-quick-start.html#running-tests-locally>`_. + +Fenix and other GV-based Apps +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +If you are working on something for which the GeckoView Example app is +not sufficient for some reason, you may need to `use your local build of +GeckoView in one of Mozilla’s GV-based apps like Fenix <geckoview-quick-start.html#include-geckoview-as-a-dependency>`_. + +Debugging +--------- + +Remote Debugging +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +To recap a bit of the above, in the GeckoView Example app, remote +debugging is enabled by default, and your device should show up in your +desktop browser’s Remote Debugging window with no special effort. For +Fenix, you can enable remote debugging by opening the three-dot menu and +toggling ``Remote debugging via USB`` under ``Developer tools``; other +Mozilla GV-based browsers have similar options. + +Native Debugging +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ + +To perform native debugging on any GV app will require you to install +Android Studio and follow instructions `here <native-debugging.html>`_. + +Landing a Patch +--------------- + +In most cases, there shouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary to deal +with when landing a patch that affects GeckoView; make sure you include +Android in your ``try`` runs and you should be good. However, if you +need to alter the GeckoView public API in any way — essentially anything +that’s exposed as ``public`` in GeckoView Java files — then you’ll find +that you need to run the API linter and update the change log. To do +this, first run ``./mach lint --linter android-api-lint`` — if you have +indeed changed the public API, this will give you a ``gradle`` command +to run that will give further instructions. GeckoView API changes +require two reviews from GeckoView team members; you can open it up to +the team in general by adding ``#geckoview-reviewers`` as a reviewer on +Phabricator. |