How can I manage multiple "project" windows?
I develop software online, and each project has a unique set of URLS. Each URL set typically changes as the project progresses, and there are often temporary tabs open for various research topics.
I've been creating a separate bookmark folder for each project, but there are issues when I have multiple projects open, and that is "most of the time" these days.
The biggest issue is when I need o move from one project to another. When I go to the Windows Taskbar, it is virtually impossible to tell one project window from another because the "open tab title" is displayed, and that rarely identifies the project.
A second issue is that I lose the temporary tabs if I close the window and do not recover it immediately.
What I am searching for is:
- a way to have the browser to open a bookmark folder in a new window
- a way to have the browser maintain a temporary bookmark "within that folder" when I open a new tab within the window and delete it ONLY when I close the tab itself.
- a way to have the browser display the folder name in the windows task bar.
Chosen solution
jscher2000 said
There are some add-ons such as Tab Session Manager that let you save named sessions.
This session management extension also has good reviews:
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/session-sync/
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rwpalmeribm said
What I am searching for is:
- a way to have the browser to open a bookmark folder in a new window
- a way to have the browser maintain a temporary bookmark "within that folder" when I open a new tab within the window and delete it ONLY when I close the tab itself.
- a way to have the browser display the folder name in the windows task bar.
For #1, if you Shift+click the "Open All in Tabs" entry, the tabs should be directed to a new window. (Generally speaking, Shift+click sends a link or bookmark to a new window.)
For #2, Firefox doesn't have a way to automatically add bookmarks as you open new tabs. Possibly you could find an add-on that does that.
To make closed window recovery easier:
(1) Make sure to use regular windows and have Firefox set to retain history (closed private windows can't be recovered)
(2) You can add capacity to remember additional closed windows (so the "Recently Closed Windows" menu is not limited to the last three closed windows):
(A) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter/Return. Click the button promising to be careful or accepting the risk.
(B) In the search box above the list, type or paste undo and pause while the list is filtered
(C) Double-click the browser.sessionstore.max_windows_undo preference to display a dialog where you can enter the desired value (I use 10 just in case), then click OK. It's not retroactive, but should be in effect going forward.
For #3, this is the tricky one. What Firefox shows as the tab title, and therefore the window title, is the <title> assigned in the document.
You can use an add-on to modify the document title with additional or different text of your choice. I haven't heard of one that does it on a "per window" basis, but assuming you're not the only person who ever needed this, there could be one.
Another possibility would be to find an add-on that creates a window menu on Firefox's toolbar to switch among the open windows, in which case it could let you assign names or metadata to them as you wished without need to modifying the documents (and therefore without need for the "all data in every page" permission).
Hopefully that gets you started?
I didn't know the shift/click trick ... that helps with #1.
When it comes to #2, I have assumed that "session" and "window" are the same. Please advise if that is incorrect.
I'm currently using session recovery, and I don't like that solution because there is no easy way to identify sessions. That said, I really appreciate what you wrote because you gave me a better handle on my requirements.
What I really need is a way to:
- Name a session
- Save the session
- Restore the session by name.
I assume FF can not do this. Please let me know if you are aware of any add-ons that can.
The ability to save and restore sessions by name could also go a long way to addressing #3. It would probably help boost my system's performance as well if I could save and close a session before opening the next. The only reason I have so many sessions open is because I can't easily save and restore them.
Firefox's built-in session history files have all the windows and tabs. There are some add-ons such as Tab Session Manager that let you save named sessions. It looks like they could be a subset of your current windows and tabs, but I haven't tested it in a long time.
Chosen Solution
jscher2000 said
There are some add-ons such as Tab Session Manager that let you save named sessions.
This session management extension also has good reviews:
I downloaded Tab Session Manager, but it did not work with the current FF version.
I downloaded and installed Session Sync and I've used it for the better part of a week now. It's not a perfect solution for a variety of reasons, but it is a huge leap in functionality and it has the potential to evolve into what I really need.
Thanks for your help.
rwpalmeribm said
What I really need is a way to:
- Name a session
- Save the session
- Restore the session by name.
Would 'Bookmark All Tabs' per browser window help? You can name each window with all it's Tabs that way. Click on the 'Tab' drop-down menu to see all items listed in each Tab. (It's the 'down' arrow next the the New Tab '+' sign.)
~Pj
Thanks, It's nice to know that feature exists natively in Firefox. Based on what I have seen so far, I'm guessing that Session Sync leverages this feature to bookmark tabs and name the window.
Somehow Session Sync can also handle a session with multiple, but not all, windows. I haven't figured out how it does that yet.