Manual Download and install of Feature Assistant Add-on for Scoutbook (for Firefox)

Are you trying to install behind a firewall and keep getting a The add-on could not be downloaded because of a connection failure error? But you can install Firefox addons from AMO without any problems?

Firefox uses a different validation method to validate the authenticity of addons being installed from the AMO Gallery versus addons being installed from external secure hosts. When verifying external addons, Firefox looks at the host's security certificate to validate that it is authentic.

So why is this addon not in the AMO Gallery? AMO has a policy that addons hosted in their Gallery must be useable by the general public. Since Scoutbook is a secure site and requires login credentials, addons that help with Scoutbook web pages don't comply with their hosting policy. Feature Assistant used to be hosted there, button since January 2019, free family accounts were no longer available, thus Feature Assistant was no longer compliant to AMO policy.

So the validation is different. And its failing to install. Is it insecure?

It is a secure host. When you install from home, chances are there is no validation failure. Firefox is able to read the secutiry certificate and follow its 'certificate chain' which links the website back to the Signing Authority - which is basically a company that issues security certificates. Some corporate firewalls interfere with that process, and Firefox is unable to trace the chain back to the Signing Authority, hence, the 'Connection Failure'.

Now what?

You can try to download the installation file and load it into Firefox manually. To download, click on the button.

Download Add-on

If your file downloaded without error, the next step is to install it.

Android

If you are on an android phone, enter file:///sdcard in your navigator where you put a url. Find the downloads directory, and look for a file that looks like feature_assistant_extension_for_scoutbook-0.41.0.8-an.xpi. Click on it and it will install.

Desktop PC

If you are on desktop PC, enter file:///path_to_downloads in your navigator where you put a url, where path_to_downloads is the directory path. Make sure to use forward slashes (/) not (\) For example. if your downloads directory is c:\users\scout\downloads, enter file:///c:/users/scout/downloads Look for a file that looks like feature_assistant_extension_for_scoutbook-0.41.0.8-an.xpi. Click on it and it will install.

Mac

Select the downloaded file (feature_assistant_extension_for_scoutbook-0.41.0.8-an.xpi or similar) in the OS X Finder, then hit Command+i to summon Get Info. Click and drag alongside "Where" to select the path, then hit Command+C to copy the full path to the clipboard. In the Firefox URL box, paste the file url. This needs to be verified - I don't have a Mac!

This Add-on was created by a Volunteer and is NOT supported by BSA Scoutbook