New ext: Open Link/img in Background Tab, in context menu

[Mozcerize]

Hi nolan_vode,

I always recommend the Menu Editor extension to deal with unwanted context menu items.

Best wishes,
Mozcerize

[nolan_vode]

Hi Mozcerize

I always recommend the Menu Editor extension to deal with unwanted context menu i,

I understand, but is it possible to make an exception?

I have Menu Editor on file. It's a great extension (even tho in the past it had it's quirks), but I'm trying to limit my extensions to the minimum.

I believe whatever adaptations I make thru Menu Editor would not remain if I uninstalled Menu Editor after the changes, correct?

I already have a slew of omitted context menu items in userChrome.css, so if possible I would prefer to handle this manually.

[Mozcerize]

Ok. Without Menu Editor, I think your best bet is to use userChrome.css as you suggested. I am not sure why the code you suggested doesn't work, but I'm sure it ought to be fixable. Try posting to the Firefox forums and asking how to use userChrome.css to remove menu folders. Sorry I can't be of more help, but I've got too much on at the moment!

I believe whatever adaptations I make thru Menu Editor would not remain if I uninstalled Menu Editor after the changes, correct?

Yes, that is correct.

Best wishes,
Mozcerize

[nolan_vode]

In case anybody is interested,

menu[label="View Image in..."]

takes care of it.

[Mozcerize]

If you are unable to install Open link in... 1.4 on Firefox 1.5, it is most likely because you are trying to install the extension while not being connected to the Internet and hence the extension cannot phone home to obtain the latest compatibility information. Ensure that you have a working Internet connection when installing or updating your extensions.

Some background information for interested readers follows.

Firefox's extension mechanism work thus: every extension specifies the maximum version of Firefox that it is compatible with. By convention, developers should not specify a version of Firefox which does not yet exist; after all, how could they be sure that it really would work?

However, it would be a major pain for extension developers if they had to release a separate version of their extension every time there was a new Fx version, because usually their extension still works without any code changes (and so the "new version" of their extension wouldn't actually be a new version at all!)

To resolve this problem, the update mechanism was designed so that if you try to install an extension on a version of Firefox which is too new for that extension (i.e. Fx's version number is higher than the max compatible version specified by the extension) then the extension "phones home" to addons.mozilla.org to see if they have up-to-date information in their database.

I changed the database entry to make Open link in... 1.4 compatible with Firefox 1.5 (after testing, of course!). In fact, problems with addons.mozilla.org meant that I had to change it to 1.6---a future version---to make it work, but that's a different story.

Internally, Open link in... 1.4 thinks it only works with Firefox 1.4 (which is Firefox 1.5 beta 2), but it will contact addons.mozilla.org and learn that it is compatible with Fx 1.5 if you try to install it on Fx 1.5. Hence you must have a working Internet connection in order to install the extension.

[flashgordon]

Hi, have been reading this thread.

I wanted to let you know of a message I posted on the Firefox forum:

"I have recently upgraded to Firefox 1.5 (WixXP Home with SP2).
I have been having trouble installing some extensions which according to the Firefox add-ons site (https://addons.mozilla.org/?application=firefox) should be compatible. Note: all error messages freely translated from Italian
...
Open link in... 1.4
Requires: Firefox: 1.5b1 - 1.6a1
error message: "Open link in... 1.4 cannot be installed as it is not compatible with Firefox 1.5 (Open link in... 1.4 functions only with Firefox 1.4)"
...
"

and a reply I received

"are cause the INTERNAL numbers for the BETA versions of 1.5 were 1.4.x --- so those are NOT compat with 1.5 final cuz the final version of 1.5 reports it's version number as 1.5.0 and thus the version check fails. "

It doesn't seem to make so much sense to me, however I am having this problem (also with two other extensions). yes, I am connected to the internet, in fact I am 24/7 via cable.

Ant other ideas?

let me take this opportunity to thank you for all your work!

Flash

[Mozcerize]

Hi Flash,

The message you received indicates that Firefox is not properly checking the online database to see whether Open link in... 1.4 is compatible with Fx 1.5.

I can't speak for the other extensions, but mine /should/ work correctly. When I install Open link in... 1.4 on Firefox 1.5, it opens up the Extensions Manager, and three things happen. Firstly, it creates an entry for Open link in... in the Extensions Manager, and it downloads the extension. (A blue progress bar under this entry appears while it downloads.) Secondly, once the progress bar has gone away, the entry contains some text which says "Firefox is checking for a compatibility update to Open link in...". Thirdly, the text changes to "Open link in... 1.4 will be installed after you restart Firefox".

Are you trying to update Open link in...1.3 (which is presumably disabled), or are you performing a fresh installation of version 1.4?

Please could you try uninstalling version 1.3 if you have it, and then performing a new installation of version 1.4 from Mozilla Add-ons? Please let me know whether you see the three steps that I've indicated above, or whether you see something different.

Cheers,
Mozcerize

[Mozcerize]

The main irritation I have with the major browsers regarding link opening is that they don't warn you where a given link will open. If a link wants to open in a new window, the Open link in... extension allows you to force it into the same or a new tab, but you will need to know in advance---from experience---that it's a new-window link. You can overcome this problem by adding some code to your userContent.css configuration file in your Firefox profile. This code will change the style of the cursor from the usual pointing finger to a four-way arrow when it hovers over a link which wants to open in a new window.

Caveat: there's no perfect solution to this problem, and so you'll have to choose between two methods. The first will catch all new-window links but will also catch certain other links and "erroneously" display the new cursor. The second will never give such a "false positive", but it will miss some new-window links. I suggest giving both a whirl and seeing which you are happiest with.

Method 1:

Code: Select all

/**
 * Change cursor for links that open in a target.
 * This will also catch links which change frame
 *  content, such as navigation bars in some
 *  webpages.
 */ 
:link[target] { 
    cursor:  move; 
}

Method 2:

Code: Select all

/**
 * Change cursor for links that open in a new window
 *  specified by the standard target names.
 * This will miss links which use non-standard
 *  target names for new windows.
 */ 
:link[target="_blank"], :visited[target="_blank"],
:link[target="_new"],   :visited[target="_new"],
:link[target="nw"],   :visited[target="nw"] { 
    cursor:  move; 
}

Only use one of these methods at a time!

Additionally, you may also be interested in changing the cursor when you hover over a link which is controlled by JavaScript (such as a link to a popup window). The following code, which can be used in conjunction with the above methods, will change the cursor to a crosshair in this situation.

Code: Select all

/**
 * Change cursor for JavaScript links
 */ 
a[href^="javascript:"], a[onclick] { 
    cursor: crosshair; 
}

[Mozcerize]

A ghost double entry
by OldDog, December 30, 2005 9:30pm

Installing this extension left a double (ghosted) entry in Tools/Extensions Windows, with a red line above (I'm translating from my italian Firefox, so may be is not word exact...): "Firefox is looking for a compatible upgrade for Open Link in...". I can't remove, uninstall, kill that ghosted entry. Any help, please? Thank you in advance.

Sounds like something has gone wrong with your profile. Which version of Firefox are you using? Which version of the extension did you install? Did you install it over the top of an early version of the extension (1.1 or 1.2)? You may find some useful information on the Knowledge Base.

Best wishes,
Mozcerize

[Will Pittenger]

The install link will not download. I was downloading it with Reget so I could save a copy.

[Mozcerize]

The install link will not download. I was downloading it with Reget so I could save a copy.

Sorry to hear that. I hope you fix it.

Mozcerize

[Will Pittenger]

How can I fix it? It is a problem on a remote server.

[Zeke2004]

I have to manage a number of user accounts on two Windows XP Professional (SP2) computers. To simplify my work I install most Firefox extensions globally (using "-install-global-extension" command line option). Thus far this works for all extensions we have been using, except for "Open Link In". The message I get in the Extensions dialog is "Disabled - not compatible with Firefox 1.5.0.7". This same extension installed on a per-user basis works perfectly.

Mozcerize, based on your comments above, I'm guessing that for some reason global extensions do not check the online version compatibility database or, if they do, they fail without supplying a useful error message.

Note that this problem exists for users with and without administrative rights, so the issue is not write access to the Firefox installation directories.

I hate to give up this extension, so if there's something you can do to fix this, it would be appreciated.

[Mozcerize]

Hi Zeke2004,

Sorry for the delay in dealing with your query. I am not sure what the problem is here, other than there /always/ seem to be problems with Firefox's extension version checking system (which causes us extension authors many headaches).

My extension is designed in the "standard" way so that the Firefox versioning system should see that its stated compatibility is Firefox 1.5.x and then do an Internet check with addons.mozilla.org's central database to discover that in fact I have okayed it for Firefox 2.0.0.x as well.

I am reluctant to upload a physical new version of the extension to the database just to work around Firefox's version-checking problems, because it would not be a true new version---it's the exact same code as the previous version! However, if you are still having problems and you believe that hard-coding the appropriate Firefox version number into my extension would solve them, let me know and maybe I'll post a custom update for you.

Best wishes,
Mozcerize

[posicat]

Can the same options be setup for the middle mouse button? One feature Opera has that I severely miss in Firefox is the 'middle click, open in a new BACKGROUND window'. Firefox is close, it can open in a background tab, but not a new window.