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Hack 34. Modify Tabbed Browsing
Customize the look and behavior of tabs to any
degree.
Tabbed browsing
is often touted as one of Firefox''s killer features.
Indeed, it''s very useful, but the default
preferences aren''t perfect for everyone.
That''s OK, because Firefox offers plenty of
preferences for customizing your tabbed-browsing experience. If you
can''t find what you want in the preferences, you can
go a step further by installing one of the many Firefox extensions
that can make minor alterations to your tabs.
Still not satisfied? The most aggressive of all the tab-related
extensions, discussed at the end of this hack, completely replaces
Firefox''s tabs with its own.
4.3.1. Tabbed-Browsing Preferences
Firefox
preferences allow you to control
how tabs respond to certain types
of events. Some of the preferences are easily set in the Preferences
window, while others require you to use the special
page in the browser.
To find tabbed-browsing preferences in
4.3.1.1 Links from other applications
When a link is sent from another
application, such as when you click on a URL in an email, what should
the browser do? There are three options: open the page in a new
window, open the page in a new tab in the front window, or replace
the current page in the front
window.
The options for this behavior are shown at the top of the Tabbed
Browsing panel in the Preferences window. If you ever feel the need
to set this preference via
4.3.1.2 Loading tabs in the foreground or background
There are three
preferences that
control whether new tabs load in front of the current
tab or behind it. These preferences
correspond to the three types of events that can open a new tab. Two
can be set in the Preferences window (checked or
true means "load in
foreground"; unchecked or false
means "load in background"), while
the third requires the or in history." In
4.3.1.3 Getting rid of tabs when there''s only one
This preference hides the tab bar at the top of the set of tabs when
only one tab exists:
browser.tabs.autoHide /* set to true to enable hiding */
4.3.1.4 Single Window mode
Do you hate it when links on
web pages open new windows (because they
set a target attribute on the link)? You can force
Firefox to open those links in a new tab instead of a new window.
This is called Single Window mode. It doesn''t
prevent all new windows, but it catches most of them. The radio
buttons for setting this preference are in the Preferences window,
but only if Firefox knows you want to see them. Go to Figure 4-4 shows the items
that are added to the Preferences window''s Tabbed
Browsing panel after making this change.
Figure 4-4. Single Window mode preferences for tabbed browsing
4.3.2. Extensions that Alter Tabbed Browsing
There are a number of Firefox extensions that interact with tabbed
browsing. Two are designed to make it easier to set the preferences
exactly how you like, and one adds some useful new features via the
creative use of tabs and keystrokes. New
extensions
are being written all the time, so check the Mozilla Updates web site
(http://updates.mozilla.org/) for
the latest additions.
4.3.2.1 Tabbrowser Preferences
The
Tabbrowser Preferences (TBP)
extension (http://www.pryan.org/mozilla/site/TheOneKEA/tabprefs/),
by Bradley Chapman, organizes all of the preferences related to
tabbed browsing into a single pane in the Preferences window. You can
set all of the same preferences via the special
h5
The Quick Tab Pref Toggle
(QTPT) extension (http://jedbrown.net/mozilla/extensions/#QuickTabPrefToggle),
by Jed Brown, allows you to maintain two sets of tabbed-browsing
preferences. The idea is that you''ll usually want to
divert all new windows into new tabs, but occasionally
you''ll work with a page that really should pop up a
separate window. This extension lets you put a small button (a
toggle) in the toolbar to flip back and forth
between two sets of preferences with a single click.
4.3.2.3 Magpie
Magpie (http://www.bengoodger.com/software/tabloader/),
by lead Firefox developer Ben Goodger, is not a tabbed-browsing
extension per se, but it has a related
feature that demonstrates a completely different use for tabs. Magpie
can save all of the tabs to the right of the one
you''re currently viewing to files on disk.
(It''s intended for media files, such as pictures.)
For example, if you open a photo album web page that contains
thumbnails of a dozen pictures, you could Ctrl-click (Command-click)
each of them to open the full size photos in separate tabs. Then, a
single use of Magpie''s Ctrl-Shift-S would save all
of those images to disk in a single folder and close the tabs. This
is much faster than saving each image to disk one at a time.
4.3.3. Tabbrowser Extension: A Complete Tabbing Overhaul
The
Tabbrowser
Extension (TBE, http://piro.sakura.ne.jp/xul/_tabextensionsl.en),
by Shimoda "Piro" Hiroshi, is a
power user''s tool. It''s the
super-ultra-deluxe tabbing system, with every feature you can imagine
and a few you probably can''t. TBE completely
replaces the built-in browser tabs with TBE''s own.
Review the install notes and latest status, as TBE is still being
polished and debugged as this goes to print.
TBE''s tabs look just like the regular tabs in
Firefox (by default, anyway) but offer lots of features you simply
can''t get any other way. In fact, TBE is so flexible
that the Preferences window for tweaking its behavior has almost as
many options as Firefox''s own Preferences window!
TBE allows you to do the following
things:
Rearrange tabs by dragging them to the left or right
Duplicate tabs in the same window or into a new window
Color your tabs
Display tabs on any side of the browser window (not just the top)
Automatically load the same group of tabs you were using when you
last quit Firefox
Undo a closed tab (reopen it to the same page)
Lock a tab so that all links within it automatically open in a new tab
Block the page in a specific tab from being listed in the
Referer: header when you click a link
Automatically reload a tab every n seconds,
minutes, or days
Add a Close button to every tab
Loads more...
TBE also supports plug-in modules of its own. You''ll
find these plug-ins and more listed at http://piro.sakura.ne.jp/xul/_tabextensions_modulesl.en:
ContextMenu Rearrangement Module
Adds another preference panel to change the order of menu items in
the tab bar''s context menu (the menu shown when you
right-click or Ctrl-click anywhere on the browser''s
tab bar).
Tab Numbering Module
Even Firefox''s regular tabs allow you to switch to a
specific tab by Ctrl-#, where
# is the number of the tab (1 to 9) you
want to switch to. With TBE and the Tab Numbering Module installed,
holding down the Control key causes the tab numbers to pop up over
the tabs, so you immediately know which number you need.
Highlight Unread Tab Module
When a new tab is opened in the background (behind the tab
you''re currently viewing), TBE marks it as
unread. This module allows you to change how the
unread tabs are displayed, making it easy for you to see which tabs
you haven''t looked at yet.
Smooth Resizing Patch
When your browser window has lots of tabs open, you might find that
resizing the browser window is slower or jerkier
than expected, especially if your computer is not the latest and
greatest model. This module lets you resize the windows much more
smoothly, but it causes a slight delay when switching tabs.
Focus Previously Selected Tab Module
Keeps track of which tabs you visit and in which order and allows you
to step backward and forward through that
history, which is useful when you have many,
many tabs open and accidentally switch to another tab before
finishing with the current one. One quick keystroke, and
you''re back where you started.
The Tabbrowser Extension is far too feature-rich to cover everything
here. If you take your tabbed browsing seriously and want full
control over every aspect, then TBE is worth a look.
Seth Dillingham
