Greasemonkey UserScripts Updater

Martin Brinkmann
May 3, 2009
Updated • Mar 17, 2019
Firefox, userscripts
|
6

Userscripts can be very helpful on the Internet as they may modify functionality on sites you visit; Greasemonkey is one of the most popular extension for Firefox to add userscript support to the browser.

The great thing about userscripts is that it all happens on page-load and without user interaction.

There are basic scripts that have been designed for one specific purpose like removing all ads on a website or adding download links to photos, but also more advanced scripts that combine a set of features into a single script and may run on some or all websites of the Internet.

What all have in common is that there is no way of getting notifications about script updates. At least not by normal means.

Update: The most recent version of Greasemonkey supports automatic script updates. There is no need anymore to use the Userscripts Updater script for that functionality.

Userscripts Updater

Script updates are important as userscripts have to be modified if websites change, as they may stop working as a consequence or lose some functionality. Sometimes, only part of the functionality breaks but more often than not the whole script cannot be used anymore until it is updated.

Userscripts Updater is a Greasemonkey script that has been designed to search for script updates automatically. It is installed like any other script in the web browser. It won't work right out of the box because it only supports scripts that have been installed after it was installed itself.

Users with Greasemonkey scripts installed need to uninstall and reinstall them. That should not be problematic unless dozens of scripts are installed on a user's computer.

The userscript will add all scripts that get installed after its own installation so that these can be automatically included in the checks for updates. It is important to open the options of the script at least once to configure the automatic update process. Options can be accessed on any Greasemonkey userscript page.

A click on Update Scripts will initiate a check for script updates. Options on the other hand open a small overlay menu on the same page that can be used to configure regular automatic update checks, for instance every hour or second day, and to take a look at the scripts that are monitored.

scripts updater

Old scripts have to be removed manually from that option's menu as they are still listed in the updater even if they have been uninstalled by the user. Userscripts Updater is a great script for users who use Greasemonkey scripts. It removes the hassle of having to check for script updates regularly.

Summary
software image
Author Rating
1star1star1star1stargray
no rating based on 0 votes
Software Name
UserScripts Updater
Software Category
Browser
Landing Page
Advertisement

Tutorials & Tips


Previous Post: «
Next Post: «

Comments

  1. Patrick said on September 1, 2009 at 3:32 pm
    Reply

    Great find! Thank you! Enjoy reading your work but I seldom comment on it.

  2. Robert Palmar said on May 4, 2009 at 7:32 am
    Reply

    This is a real find and long needed.
    In the process of installing and setting this
    up I was surprised how many scripts had updates.

    I found I did not need to uninstall any
    scripts but rather just reinstall over them.
    Thanks for the heads up on this one, Martin.

  3. Xiao3 said on May 4, 2009 at 3:28 am
    Reply

    nice!!

  4. dianoga said on May 3, 2009 at 4:41 pm
    Reply

    This is great, better than the first Userscripts Update by another author which stopped working and required each script to add support for the update script. Nice find.

  5. Paulus said on May 3, 2009 at 1:52 pm
    Reply

    Thank you ferry (ferry, ferry) much this is just what the doktor needs. One of your best finds ever. Keep up the good work. Greatings from a happy reader.

Leave a Reply

Check the box to consent to your data being stored in line with the guidelines set out in our privacy policy

We love comments and welcome thoughtful and civilized discussion. Rudeness and personal attacks will not be tolerated. Please stay on-topic.
Please note that your comment may not appear immediately after you post it.