Pimp my browser (again)
April 4, 2011 8:22 AM Subscribe
I would like a chrome feature or extension that will have all (or those in a given "class") open in a new tab when I mindlessly left-click on them.
Metafilter has this as an option but other sites where I would like this do not. I know I can right-click. I know there are extensions where I can kinda do this but they all require something other than mindlessly left clicking. I also read through all the old AskMes and saw that this is a controversial topic, which leads me to believe that someone should have written such an extension by now. But I can't seem to find it.
The reason I insist on the left-click for this is because, in practice, this is what I will do and then I end up closing the tab expecting it to go back, only it was the same tab!
I only want this for a small set of pages I am willing to list. I will forgo having it only for a given class if that is too difficult--maybe just for those links that leave the site.
I went so far as to investigate writing my own extension but found that I would have to learn too much. Is Dojo something that would make this easy? And does it have a lot of overhead?
Metafilter has this as an option but other sites where I would like this do not. I know I can right-click. I know there are extensions where I can kinda do this but they all require something other than mindlessly left clicking. I also read through all the old AskMes and saw that this is a controversial topic, which leads me to believe that someone should have written such an extension by now. But I can't seem to find it.
The reason I insist on the left-click for this is because, in practice, this is what I will do and then I end up closing the tab expecting it to go back, only it was the same tab!
I only want this for a small set of pages I am willing to list. I will forgo having it only for a given class if that is too difficult--maybe just for those links that leave the site.
I went so far as to investigate writing my own extension but found that I would have to learn too much. Is Dojo something that would make this easy? And does it have a lot of overhead?
If it is links, you can always mindless middle click instead of mindlessly left clicking.
posted by cmm at 8:27 AM on April 4, 2011
posted by cmm at 8:27 AM on April 4, 2011
Have you tried/do you know about the ability to click on a link using the scroll wheel button?
To open a link in a new tab (this is what I think you're trying to do, btw. Your question isn't very clear exactly what you want the extension to do) without moving from your current window hover over the link and press down on your mouse wheel.
To do the same thing except move your window's focus to the new tab, you just hold shift when you click.
posted by royalsong at 8:28 AM on April 4, 2011
To open a link in a new tab (this is what I think you're trying to do, btw. Your question isn't very clear exactly what you want the extension to do) without moving from your current window hover over the link and press down on your mouse wheel.
To do the same thing except move your window's focus to the new tab, you just hold shift when you click.
posted by royalsong at 8:28 AM on April 4, 2011
And in general, the "I want to hack up a web page to do what I want" answer is Greasemonkey.
posted by cmm at 8:30 AM on April 4, 2011
posted by cmm at 8:30 AM on April 4, 2011
Response by poster: If it is links, you can always mindless middle click instead of mindlessly left clicking.
Yes, links, and that I could have missed the missing word should clue you to "mindless." Middle-clicking or scroll-clicking is not mindless. I have to be a lot more aware of what I'm doing. And I clearly am not. My goal is to avoid the mistake of thinking I am in a new tab when I actually am not, but preparing (for a set of pages) in advance. One time.
Re: greasemonkey--Well, yeah, but I'm on chrome, and I don't want to have to write the script (though I can imagine modifying someone else's script if I don't need to learn too much to do so.) I saw a similar script using Dojo. Have any of you used this and will it cost me in side effects somehow?
posted by Obscure Reference at 9:05 AM on April 4, 2011
Yes, links, and that I could have missed the missing word should clue you to "mindless." Middle-clicking or scroll-clicking is not mindless. I have to be a lot more aware of what I'm doing. And I clearly am not. My goal is to avoid the mistake of thinking I am in a new tab when I actually am not, but preparing (for a set of pages) in advance. One time.
Re: greasemonkey--Well, yeah, but I'm on chrome, and I don't want to have to write the script (though I can imagine modifying someone else's script if I don't need to learn too much to do so.) I saw a similar script using Dojo. Have any of you used this and will it cost me in side effects somehow?
posted by Obscure Reference at 9:05 AM on April 4, 2011
Best answer: Here's a greasemonkey script that should do what I think you want. At the moment it only does ask.metafilter.com/* and www.metafilter.com/* - you can add more specific sites by adding new @include rules.
posted by zamboni at 9:41 AM on April 4, 2011
posted by zamboni at 9:41 AM on April 4, 2011
This is the equivalent of Tab Mix Plus in Firefox, right? If so there's a ton of people (me included) that would like that functionality. Open in a new tab is a feature that once sampled is hard to give up.
posted by Duug at 2:19 PM on April 4, 2011
posted by Duug at 2:19 PM on April 4, 2011
Response by poster: zamboni's greasemonkey script look like what I want but I'd like to modify it so that I can restrict its action to those links within a particular class (e.g. on metafilter, just with the posts and comments and not the different sites at the top.)
Those links are all bracketted by <div class=post> and </div>
In the code:
What would be the syntax to check for just those links?
posted by Obscure Reference at 3:16 PM on April 5, 2011
Those links are all bracketted by <div class=post> and </div>
In the code:
for (var i=0; link=document.links[i++];)
link.setAttribute('target','_blank');
What would be the syntax to check for just those links?
posted by Obscure Reference at 3:16 PM on April 5, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
Links?
Bookmarks?
Fortune cookies?
I'm leaning towards links, but some clarification is probably called for.
posted by zamboni at 8:26 AM on April 4, 2011