Do not complete add-on installation or removal from the launcher

[SaschaCowley]

Link to issue number:

Fixes #16837

Summary of the issue:

As reported by @CyrilleB79, if one were to update an add-on from the add-on store, then accept an NVDA update before restarting to complete the add-on update, the update will completely clobber the add-on. Upon further investigation, this is because the launcher erroneously attempts to complete add-on installation/removal, but an error is thrown (because it shouldn't be touching the file system) part way through, so it cannot complete successfully.

Description of user facing changes

If add-ons are pending installation/removal when an update is started, the installation will not affect this, and the installation/removal will proceed when the updated copy of NVDA starts.

Description of development approach

Added checks for NVDAState.shouldWriteToDisk() to sections of addonHandler._getAvailableAddonsFromPath that alter the filesystem.

Testing strategy:

Spoofed an old add-on. Updated via the store. Triggered NVDA to update. Ensured the add-on was updated when the new version started.

Known issues with pull request:

The launcher will log an error about add-ons not being found, but all add-ons still seem to work properly.

Code Review Checklist:

• Documentation:
  • Change log entry
  • User Documentation
  • Developer / Technical Documentation
  • Context sensitive help for GUI changes
• Testing:
  • Unit tests
  • System (end to end) tests
  • Manual testing
• UX of all users considered:
  • Speech
  • Braille
  • Low Vision
  • Different web browsers
  • Localization in other languages / culture than English
• API is compatible with existing add-ons.
• Security precautions taken.

Summary by CodeRabbit

• New Features

  • Improved add-on handling during updates, ensuring users can update NVDA without losing installed add-ons.

• Bug Fixes

  • Fixed an issue preventing proper removal of failed deletions and processing of pending installations, enhancing data integrity during add-on management.

[coderabbitai]

Walkthrough

The recent changes enhance NVDA's add-on handling during updates. Specifically, they modify the loading logic to ensure that add-ons are only removed or installed when the system can safely write to disk. This prevents data loss during updates, allowing users to maintain their installed add-ons while ensuring a smoother upgrade process.

Changes

Files	Change Summary
source/addonHandler/__init__.py	Updated logic in _getAvailableAddonsFromPath to check NVDAState.shouldWriteToDisk() before modifying add-ons.
user_docs/en/changes.md	Documented changes to prevent add-on removal during NVDA updates, enhancing user experience and reliability.

Assessment against linked issues

Objective	Addressed	Explanation
Ensure add-ons are not removed during NVDA upgrades (#16837)	✅
Prevent data loss due to failed add-on installations during updates (#16837)	✅
Advertise limitations if add-ons are in a pending state during updates (#16837)	❌	No mechanism introduced to notify users of limitations.

Possibly related issues

• Add-on bundle installer: add-on is removed without installation if add-on installTasks.onInstall function fails on update #16704: The changes could prevent the removal of an add-on during an update if the installation fails, addressing a similar concern about failed installations leading to the loss of existing add-ons.

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[seanbudd]

This is a really clean approach, nice work!