gHacks technology news » userscript http://www.ghacks.net A technology blog covering software, mobile phones, gadgets, security, the Internet and other relevant areas. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:22:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 Automatically Reload Websites With Auto F5 http://www.ghacks.net/2009/11/17/automatically-reload-websites-with-auto-f5/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/11/17/automatically-reload-websites-with-auto-f5/#comments Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:49:51 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=18595 It happens sometimes that you are on a website waiting for something to happen, for example a download that should be available on that day or a registration form for a new web service. And then there are times where you want to reload a page because the contents change all the time. This can be pages that display random photos and images or forums with a large userbase. There are two options to deal with these situations. The first option is to use a program to monitor website changes. This program, once configured will periodically check the websites to see if they have changed in the meantime.

The second option is a script to automatically reload a website periodically. And one of these scripts is the Greasemonkey script Auto F5 which can automatically reload websites.

auto reload

Auto Reload can be activated with the keyboard shortcut [Shift t]. This will bring up the configuration menu where the web user can configure the automatic reload on the active website. Configurable settings include the reload interval with the default being 5 minutes, a random value that is added to the timeout and the following options that require more explanation:

  • The option “Ignore everything after these symbols in URL” is a little bit difficult to explain: if there are session id´s in the URL the timeout would only work for this session, but if one wants this page to be refreshed in every session one can enter separators that determine sessions and other things. Another example would be that one wants to store a refresh value for a whole site with its subfolders etc.. Therefor one could enter the “/” as a separator.
  • “Include the separators in the URL saved” as an additional option for the separators: imagine one wants to have a timeout for all subfolders of /topics/21456/ (discussion of this script) and puts it in the list of separators. Then the URL saved by this script would be http://userscripts.org/ which may not be what one wants, because the main page is to have its own timeout value. Then this option should be activated so the URL is http://userscripts.org/topics/21456/ which is different to http://userscripts.org/, so it can be refreshed independently.
  • The “Hide menu”-option is to hide the menu when one clicks somewhere that is not the menu.
  • The “Prolong timeouts”-option is to prevent an unintentional page reload, while working on that page.
  • Option to relaod all pages with standard timeout when no timeout is set for that page. What else to say? Ok this option is like a wildcard. If checked it reloads every single page (!) with default timeout, unless an individual timeout is setup for that page.

Most users can keep the default settings except for the page reload timeout which might be to high in certain situations. The script will automatically deactivate the hotkey in web forms. Users who want to use the automatic refresh on pages with web forms need to click outside of the web form before the keyboard shortcut becomes active.

Auto F5 Reload is available at the script’s Userscript page. The web browser needs to be restarted after downloading and installing the script.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2009/11/17/automatically-reload-websites-with-auto-f5/feed/ 12 Flickr AllSizes Userscript http://www.ghacks.net/2009/10/25/flickr-allsizes-userscript/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/10/25/flickr-allsizes-userscript/#comments Sun, 25 Oct 2009 09:02:20 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=17691 flickrMost photos that are uploaded to Flickr are available in various sizes at the photo hosting service ranging from the original photo resolution down to medium, small and thumbnail copies of that photo. Users who upload photos can make the decision to share all available sizes of the photo with other Flickr users or only one size that is available when someone opens that photo’s page on Flickr. An All Sizes link at the top of the photo indicates if the photo is available in all sizes or not.

Users who want that option for all Flickr photos – even those that do not offer it by default – can install the AllSizes userscript to do so. AllSizes will add the All Sizes link to every photo that is hosted at Flickr.

flickr allsizes

It furthermore extends the original functionality with these features:

  • Quickly choose between any of the available sizes
  • Better HTML to post photos on blogs and Flickr discussion threads
  • Appends ‘(by *Username*)’ to the title and alt attributes
  • Gives ‘Untitled’ for untitled photos
  • Download images, copy the code to your clipboard, view the image
  • BB Code for posting photos on forums and bulletin boards
  • Video still images can be accessed as if they were photos
  • Shortcut keys for quick actions
  • Default settings can be modified
  • Automatically checks for updates

As you can see in the screenshot above it will overlay the photo at Flickr with the options that it provides.Different photo sizes can be selected, downloaded, copied to the clipboard or viewed. It is also possible to display the original all sizes page of Flickr instead. AllSizes is a userscript that should work in all web browsers that support userscripts.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2009/10/25/flickr-allsizes-userscript/feed/ 0 PBTweet Enhances Twitter Experience http://www.ghacks.net/2009/09/15/pbtweet-enhances-twitter-experience/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/09/15/pbtweet-enhances-twitter-experience/#comments Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:26:19 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=16387 PBTweet is a bookmarklet and userscript that enhances several aspects of Twitter by changing or adding new functions to the popular social network. Before we start looking at the features a word about compatibility. The bookmarklet works with most Webkit based web browsers including Safari and Google Chrome. The userscripts are compatible with Greasemonkey for Firefox but also with Greasekit for Safari and Chrome userkit.

The features that are added are manifold for a userscript / bookmarklet. PBtweet will display conversations in chain balloons which makes it much easier to follow them on Twitter. It will also remove redundant tweets automatically, add more messages automatically once the end of the page has been reached, insert new messages automatically at the top, expand shortened urls, offer picture previews and indicators and provide access to actions like translating and replying to messages.

The developers have created a demonstration video that is showcasing the functionality of PBTweet which is embedded below. It gives a great visual overview of the features offered by the bookmarklet / userscript.

Interested users find installation instructions and downloads at the developer’s website.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2009/09/15/pbtweet-enhances-twitter-experience/feed/ 3 Google Image Relinker http://www.ghacks.net/2009/07/25/google-image-relinker/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/07/25/google-image-relinker/#comments Sat, 25 Jul 2009 11:26:43 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=14746 google imagesGoogle Image Search is a very comprehensive image search engine. It basically works the same way as the standard Google search with the difference that image thumbnails are displayed as results on the results pages. Additional information like the domain name the image was posted on or the size of the image are displayed on the result pages as well. Filters allow the user to find images that match certain criteria like resolutions or colors.

One aspect of Google Image Search that is bugging many users is that it does not link directly to the image but to a Google page that displays the website containing the image in a frame. This means that users need to click on the image to be taken to the framed page where they can either scroll until they find the image or click on the image that is displayed on top to display the full sized image.

The Google Image Relinker userscript changes this default behavior by linking directly to the images in the Google Image search results pages. The developer has confirmed that the script works in Firefox, Opera and Seamonkey with the possibility that it will work in other web browsers that support userscripts (Google Chrome, Safari) as well.

The script basically safes time by allowing the user to view the image directly from the search result pages. A link to the framed version (which is the default way) is provided as well. Google Image Relinker is an interesting userscript for those users who work with the Google Image Search engine regularly.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2009/07/25/google-image-relinker/feed/ 3 Two Firefox Add-Ons That Help You Extend The Web Browser http://www.ghacks.net/2009/05/17/two-firefox-add-ons-that-help-you-extend-the-web-browser/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/05/17/two-firefox-add-ons-that-help-you-extend-the-web-browser/#comments Sun, 17 May 2009 18:33:25 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/2009/05/17/two-firefox-add-ons-that-help-you-extend-the-web-browser/ firefoxUsers of the Firefox web browser have thousands of add-ons and scripts at their disposal that they can use to extend the functionality of the web browser. This large amount makes it impossible for most users to know all of the add-ons out there which in turn can mean that they miss the opportunity of testing and working with ones that would help them increase their browsing experience.

Here are two Firefox add-ons that help users find new Firefox add-ons and Greasemonkey scripts naturally. We have covered them both before here at Ghacks but thought it would be nice to combine both in a post as they are excellent ways to extend the web browser.

Greasefire

Greasefire finds Greasemonkey scripts that are compatible with the active website. Those can be scripts that have been specifically designed for that website or scripts that work with software that has been used to create the site. The add-on will change the icon of the Greasemonkey extension in the Firefox status bar if scripts have been found. A right-click on the icon will display the usual Greasemonkey menu with the addition of one entry that is displaying the number of scripts found that are compatible with the website. A click on that figure will open a new window that displays the names of the scripts in a sidebar and embeds the page at the userscript website on the right.

greasemonkey scripts

Add-ons Suggestion Tool

We have covered the add-ons suggestion tool recently. It will compute related add-ons to the add-ons already installed in the active Firefox profile based on the installations of other users with similar add-ons. It is experimental at this time and lacks add-on descriptions but links to the add-on pages where the information can be obtained.

firefox addon suggestion

Know of any additional tool or add-on that does something similar? Let us know in the options.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2009/05/17/two-firefox-add-ons-that-help-you-extend-the-web-browser/feed/ 0 FireFox Speed Up Script http://www.ghacks.net/2009/05/13/firefox-speed-up-script/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/05/13/firefox-speed-up-script/#comments Wed, 13 May 2009 18:27:44 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/2009/05/13/firefox-speed-up-script/ firefoxFirefox Speed Up Script is a script for Greasemonkey that combines several tweaks to Firefox core configuration settings with site specific optimizations and various other improvements including blocking of known advertising scripts. The Greasemonkey extension for the Firefox web browser is required to use the Speed Up Script which will automatically become active after installation. This is actually one of the biggest strengths of this solution as it does not require the user to edit the Firefox configuration manually. Cautious users are advised to look at the source code of the script before they install it to get detailed information about the changes that are applied to it.

The biggest improvements are noticeable on websites that have been added by the developer of the script. Sites like the BBC, Youtube, Digg, MSN, IDMB, Lifehacker, Gizmodo or Mashable are all included in that list and should load faster than before for most users who apply the script to their computer system.

The only problem that some users could run into is that optimized sites can only be removed from the script by editing the source code. Advanced users on the other hand can use this to add new sites to the script.

FireFox Speed Up Script can be downloaded directly from the Userscripts website.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2009/05/13/firefox-speed-up-script/feed/ 10 Disable Text Field Auto Focus http://www.ghacks.net/2009/04/14/disable-text-field-auto-focus/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/04/14/disable-text-field-auto-focus/#comments Tue, 14 Apr 2009 06:07:24 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/2009/04/14/disable-text-field-auto-focus/ greasemonkeyWe would like to show how to disable the auto focus on text fields of selected websites to complete the series of posts that deal with auto focusing on text fields once the website opens in the web browser. If you open the Google Search homepage by default you notice that the cursor will automatically be placed in the search form on that page. Many users like this feature as it speeds up their search. Not by much but it adds up over the days.

Some users on the other hand prefer that this is not happening automatically. This is probably not so much a problem of Google Search but on pages with several text fields that auto focus on the first once the page has loaded. Users who start typing in data in the first text field – and probably jump to the second to continue – will notice that the cursor will be placed in the first text field once the page has finished loading no matter where it is currently located on the page. Not that nice if you started typing in a long secure password only to realize that you have to type it in again.

Focus Killer is another Greasemonkey script that can disable auto focus on text fields. The default setting of the script is to enable this option for all websites. This does cause problems with some websites though and it is recommended to specify the websites it should work on. This can be done easily by right-clicking the Greasemonkey icon in the web browser, selecting Manage User Scripts from the menu, removing the * entry in the Included Pages table and adding new websites by clicking on the Add button next to it.

Check out the other article in the series if you want the reverse effect. (read: Automatically jump to first text field

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2009/04/14/disable-text-field-auto-focus/feed/ 4 Spice Up Google Search With Google Fx http://www.ghacks.net/2009/04/07/spice-up-google-search-with-google-fx/ http://www.ghacks.net/2009/04/07/spice-up-google-search-with-google-fx/#comments Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:10:42 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=11732 Google Search has always been using a minimalistic design. While this serves several purposes like offering distraction free web searching and fast loading times it does fall a bit short for some users who prefer to access additional information right in the search interface.

Google Fx is a Greasemonkey Script which means it works in all compatible web browsers like Firefox. The script will turn the minimalistic Google Search pages into an information powerhouse by adding information and features. Visitors will immediately notice the changes in the Google Search interface. Icons have been added to the top header of the page and the Google Suggest feature is available on all search forms automatically. Google Suggest displays related search terms in a menu below the original search term even if the user is still typing into the form.

The real changes and benefits of Google Fx become only visible on the Google Search results page. The header has been expanded to contain direct links to various other search engines like Yahoo, Ask or Wikipedia which is excellent for research. There is even the possibility to perform the search on all of the 12 search engines that are listed at the same time. It does contain links to various Google Services that are not listed in the default Search interface like a direct access to Translate.

google search

The top right contains links to filter the search results by time or to search only in title, text, url or links. Everything is immediately clickable to provide fast access to the desired information. The Google search results have been spiced up as well. A thumbnail will be displayed for each search result that is giving users a visual impression of the listed websites. The usual features like accessing the cached version of the search result are still available.

The script will display the first 50 search results at once and add new entries at the bottom of the list once the user scrolls down to the end. Google Fx is an excellent Greasemonkey script for users who use Google on a regular basis and prefer to have access to additional information right on the search pages.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2009/04/07/spice-up-google-search-with-google-fx/feed/ 4 Google Reader Essentials Userscript http://www.ghacks.net/2008/11/27/google-reader-essentials-userscript/ http://www.ghacks.net/2008/11/27/google-reader-essentials-userscript/#comments Thu, 27 Nov 2008 13:09:51 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=8458 Helvetireader is a minimal Google Reader interface theme supplied as a userscript that turns Google Reader into an optimized feed reader that is displaying only the essentials. It was especially designed to view feeds in the expanded view using keyboard shortcuts.

A userscript compatible browser is needed for the new interface theme to work. Long time users of Google Reader will need a few minutes before they grow accustomed to the changes. Many would call them drastic and some might say that it is to minimalistic.

At its ore lies a CSS file that can be used to customize the display further to suit individual needs. The main advantage of this userscript is that it puts the focus on the feed items by removing unnecessary buttons and items in Google Reader.

google reader userscript

Helvetireader is a project in development. Interested users can follow the development process on the project’s homepage or on Twitter.

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2008/11/27/google-reader-essentials-userscript/feed/ 4 Gmail Redesigned http://www.ghacks.net/2008/04/02/gmail-redesigned/ http://www.ghacks.net/2008/04/02/gmail-redesigned/#comments Wed, 02 Apr 2008 07:04:24 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/?p=3690 Google likes basic designs that just works. Take a look at their search engine or Gmail to know what I mean. Now you all know that I do not have a problem with basic designs because I prefer websites to be usable and speedy instead of shiny and slow.

Gmail Redesigned on the other hand is too nice to be ignored. It’s a userscript that turns plain old Gmail into a modern looking website that blows your mind away. All you need is the Firefox extension Stylish and the userscript Gmail Redesigned. Once the extension has been installed and the userscript loaded you can visit Gmail to see the changes.

The interface turned from the plain white / blue interface to a darker one that is definitely more eye pleasing. Take a look at the before and after screenshot to know what I mean.

dark gmail

It’s interesting that development for the userscript began just two weeks ago. It’s work in progress, currently two extensions, Better Gmail 2 and Remember The Milk are not compatible but the author promises to make them in future versions. And since he updates almost once a day this is surely going to be soon.

via Lifehacker

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]]> http://www.ghacks.net/2008/04/02/gmail-redesigned/feed/ 4 Use Autologin in Firefox http://www.ghacks.net/2007/10/15/use-autologin-in-firefox/ http://www.ghacks.net/2007/10/15/use-autologin-in-firefox/#comments Mon, 15 Oct 2007 20:45:27 +0000 Martin http://www.ghacks.net/2007/10/15/use-autologin-in-firefox/ If you are using Firefox’s option to save usernames and passwords for websites that you visited to automatically fill them in when you visit them again you might find a Greasemonkey script called AutologinJ useful. I’m not quite sure what the J stands for but this nice little script presses the login button for you automatically which pretty much means that you can lean back and enjoy the show while Firefox logs you in automatically to the website that you just visited.

This however only works if only one login has been saved for the site in question. I tested it with Gmail, Ebay and some forums and it worked flawlessly. Before you can use AutologinJ you need to install the Greasemonkey extension for Firefox as well which adds support for scripts like AutologinJ.

A good way to find out if only one login has been saved for the website in question is to go into Tools > Options and there on Security > Show Passwords. This displays all saved usernames and passwords and the websites so that you can easily check if more than one login has been saved. If that is the case you either need to delete the other logins or not use the autologin feature on that site.

Read More:

Greasemonkey
AutologinJ

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