Firefox:Tabbed Browsing:Scratch Pad

What's missing in 1.0? by AlliXSenoS

This is my first ever Wiki page so excuse my lack of skill ;)

I'm here to say what I need from tabbed browsing in firefox and don't get from the vanilla version. I use TBE (I know most of you frown upon hearing it's name) for that extra oomph. So what DOES TBE actually bring into the picture that's actually worth talking about?

Here it is:

• the ability to force single window mode
• customizable tabbar actions
• minor UI customizations

Single window mode

I've been waiting for this since forever. No more taskbar clutter. Yay!

Single window mode means: tabbar always visible, everything and anything that would open in a new window (be it a full interface window or just a popup) opens in a new tab

Single window mode should definitely be a built-in feature (but not something that can't be turned off... it doesn't even have to be on by default), it is a real time saver.

Options for single window mode should include a way to define which actions result in a new background tab, new foreground tab or new bg tab which grabs focus when it's fully loaded (I don't think anywone in their right mind would use this, but hey, who am I to judge?). the list includes:

• links
• opening another instance of Firefox
• links with target="_blank"
• bookmarks
• bookmarks toolbar
• history
• javascript popups

each of these (except, well, the last one ;) ) can be activated by a normal (left) click or a wheel (mid) click. these should be two different actions.

Customizable tabbar actions

I configure TBE as follows:

• tab dbl click = duplicate tab
• tab mid click = close tab
• tab bar dbl click = new blank tab
• tab bar mid click = undo close tab

these can, of course, be modified (and this is not the default setup)... there is a whole range of settings for these four actions: reload, move, close all to the left, close all to the right, close all other, close all...

Also, one VERY IMPORTANT thing. Switching tabs with the scroll wheel. Eternal blessings to the deity that invented that. It should most definitely be part of firefox.

minor UI customizations

The tabbar close button - awful... the per-tab close button some extensions create - even more awful. I've never clicked either one since the day I started using firefox. I can see how some people might find it useful so it's ok to leave it there by default. But there should be an option to remove it (them).

TBE also has a feature that shows a progress bar in the tabs while they're loading. This is great for opening up a ton of links in the background.

Ehh... that's all from me. I don't come here often, so please contact me for further discussion at allixsenos@gmail.com

Comments Bugmenot

• For 1.1, we should fix up the hidden popup-to-tab prefs and make those prefs available to the general public
• For 1.5, we should consider adding additional "open in new tab/window" prefs to allow the user to open bookmarks, history, external site link, internal program link (eg. the u.m.o link on the extension manager, the external links in the help file as well as the links in extensions), urlbar and search queries (both from the searchbar and the context menu) into new tabs/windows
• Drag and drop reordering of tabs is also an important feature and it doesn't add additional UI/pref clutter
• We could also consider adding highlighting for unread tabs
• Better progress indications would also be nice
• Things like per-tab close button, tab clicking options are better left for extension writers

Comments Grauw

DOs:

• 'Single Window Mode' options are already present in current nightly builds and even Firefox 1.0 (although as a hidden pref, because there are some bugs).
• Tab dragging is another important feature which should be there, it gives the user the ability to organise their tabs better, useful when you have many.
• Make tabs not disappear when the tabbar is full. A collector was suggested, which sounds good.

DON’Ts:

• Per-tab close buttons are always a bad idea. Some reasons:
  • You can already close with middle-clicking which is much faster and easier
  • They are always small and difficult to click at
  • You always click on them when you didn't intend to
  • Closing multiple tabs requires the movement of your mouse
  • They take up unnecessary space
  • Believe me, I am using Eclipse, and from that experience I can say that on-tab-closebuttons are a bad idea, except for the ultra-good-hand-eye-coordination computer nerds :).
• Tab clicking options sound like bloat to me. The presence of those options were also much criticised in the ‘Netscape 8’ browser.
• Don’t switch tabs with the scrollwheel. I had this in another application and it was annoying as hell. You use the scroll wheel extensively for what it is for, scrolling pages, and you don't always keep an eye on the exact position of your mouse cursor. As a matter of fact, you usually keep it close to one of the edges of your document area, out of the way of the page content you are trying to read. Accidentally moving it over the tab bar is then easily done by accident.

Comments Kroc Camen

Please view my comments at http://wiki.mozilla.org/Talk:Firefox:2.0_Tabbed_Browsing "Use the back button"