Using Add-on SDK to add toolbar buttons? Integrating XUL and Add-on SDK for Firefox Add-ons?

Question

I have already coded most of a Firefox add-on using the Add-on SDK API. I am now discovering that Add-on SDK might not be powerful enough for my purposes. I need two things:

1. A drop down button in the toolbar next to the location bar.
2. To modify the add-ons manager in firefox

It is truly disappointing, but I don't believe either of these is possible with the Add-on SDK.

First of all, I understand there is a widget module in the Add-on SDK API. But this only allows me to add a simple icon or label to the awkward add-on bar. What if I need to add a nicer button like the one next to the location bar for Firebug or Greasemonkey? As for modifying the add-ons manager in firefox, I have tried Nickolay Ponomarev's XUL with the Add-on SDK without any success whatsoever. If anyone knows how to get this working and can point me in the right direction that would be extremely helpful (cfx init --template xul doesn't do anything the regular SDK does when I try it)

Answer 1

Have you looked at Erik Vold's toolbarbutton module?

https://github.com/erikvold/toolbarbutton-jplib/

It is possible to access all of Firefox's internal apis in SDK modules by requiring chrome privileges; it just won't be as easy as the addon-kit high level apis.