18 March 2024

Clippings 6.5.3 released!

An update to Clippings 6.5, the Firefox extension from AE Creations that lets you save frequently-entered text for later pasting into web page forms, has been released, and is now available from Firefox Add-ons and the AE Creations website. Clippings 6.5 requires Firefox 102 or newer.

If you already have Clippings installed, it will be upgraded for you if automatic extension updates are enabled. Otherwise, open Add-ons Manager (Tools → Add-ons), click on the entry for Clippings in the list of installed extensions, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Check for Updates.

What's New

  • Bug fix: Unexpected change in appearance of checkboxes and drop-down menu buttons in Firefox 124 (issue #442)
  • Other fixes and improvements

Things You Should Know About

  • Thunderbird Users: This version of Clippings is designed for Firefox and is not compatible with Thunderbird. Get Clippings for Thunderbird, which is compatible with Thunderbird versions 102 and 115.
  • Some features may not be available when Firefox is in Private Browsing mode, or if the browser privacy settings are too restrictive.
  • If you want to use Sync Clippings, download and install the Sync Clippings helper app. More information and download links can be found on the Sync Clippings page on the AE Creations website.

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Clippings should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, now hosted on Groups.io.

14 March 2024

Read Next 1.1.4 released!

An update to Read Next 1.1, the reading list extension for Firefox from AE Creations, has been released and is now available from Firefox Add-ons and the AE Creations website. Read Next 1.1 requires Firefox 102 or newer.

If you already have an older version of Read Next installed, it will be updated for you if automatic extension updates are enabled. Otherwise, open Add-ons Manager (Tools → Add-ons), click on the entry for Read Next in the list of installed extensions, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Check for Updates.

What's New

  • Bug fix: Unexpected change in appearance of checkboxes and drop-down menu buttons in Firefox 124 (issue #81)

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Read Next should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, now hosted on Groups.io.

Panic Button 4.4.6 released!

An update to Panic Button 4.4, the Firefox extension that quickly hides your browser windows from curious eyes with a click of a button, has been released, and is now available from Firefox Add-ons and the AE Creations website.

If you already have an older version of Panic Button installed, it will be updated for you if automatic extension updates are enabled. Otherwise, open Add-ons Manager (Tools → Add-ons), click on the entry for Panic Button in the list of installed extensions, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Check for Updates.

What's New

  • Bug fix: Unexpected change in appearance of checkboxes and drop-down menu buttons in Firefox 124 (issue #91)

Things You Should Know About

  • The Hide and Replace action won't work if Firefox is set to "Never remember history" in Privacy & Security settings.
  • The Hide and Replace action is unable to restore any browser tabs displaying Firefox pages such as Add-ons Manager and Firefox Settings.
  • Any downloads in progress will continue in the background if clicking the Panic Button to hide or minimize all windows. If Close All Windows was selected in extension preferences as the Panic Button action, downloads in progress will be canceled.

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Panic Button should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, now hosted on Groups.io.

13 March 2024

Updates to AE Creations extensions for Firefox 124

Firefox version 124, which is planned for release on Tuesday, March 19th, changes the appearance of some user interface elements in the extension preferences page and other extension pages, dialogs and windows. This change will affect all Firefox extensions by AE Creations.

The UI appearance changes are unexpected and unwelcome, and a minor update for Clippings, Panic Button and Read Next is needed to revert them. The plan is to get them out a few days in advance to give all users time to update before Firefox 124 is released. The release timing for Clippings will be a bit tricky due to it requiring review by a Firefox Add-ons editor, since it is a Recommended Extension.

Make sure to turn on automatic extension updates in Add-ons Manager, and watch this blog for release announcements.

06 March 2024

Monthly update: March 2024

I'm making progress on migrating the remaining legacy XUL-based user interface code in Clippings for Thunderbird to the MailExtensions API. There's still one feature remaining to migrate, as well as removal of remaining code that uses legacy APIs.

I recently released a minor update to Clippings 6.5.2 to fix an issue that caused it to stop working when pasting a clipping into the message composer in X, the website previously known as Twitter. A new update for Clippings will be released soon, at around the same time as the next release of Firefox, to make some minor updates and improvements before I begin migrating Clippings to Manifest V3 (MV3).

The preview release of Panic Button 5.0 has been out for a while, and there have been no new issues reported. It's time to make it official -- a release candidate will be out soon, so watch this blog for the release announcement. Updates to localizations for Panic Button are still very much welcome; if you would like to help, consider contributing a translation in CrowdIn.

26 February 2024

Clippings 6.5.2.2 released!

A minor revision to Clippings 6.5.2 has been released to fix an issue that is occurring when pasting a clipping into a new post in X, the website formerly known as Twitter. It is now available from Firefox Add-ons and the AE Creations website. Clippings 6.5 requires Firefox 102 or newer.

If you already have Clippings installed, it will be upgraded for you if automatic extension updates are enabled. Otherwise, open Add-ons Manager (Tools → Add-ons), click on the entry for Clippings in the list of installed extensions, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Check for Updates.

What's New

  • Bug fix: Clippings no longer works on Twitter (also known as X) (issue #441)

Things You Should Know About

  • Thunderbird Users: This version of Clippings is designed for Firefox and is not compatible with Thunderbird. Get Clippings for Thunderbird, which is compatible with Thunderbird versions 102 and 115.
  • Some features may not be available when Firefox is in Private Browsing mode, or if the browser privacy settings are too restrictive.
  • If you want to use Sync Clippings, download and install the Sync Clippings helper app. More information and download links can be found on the Sync Clippings page on the AE Creations website.

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Clippings should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, now hosted on Groups.io.

07 February 2024

Monthly update: February 2024

I've experimented with Thunderbird MailExtension APIs for inserting text into the message composer, obtaining text from the clipboard using the Clipboard API, and optional permissions in the extension manifest. I'm now ready to begin migrating the remaining legacy code in Clippings for Thunderbird, with the goal of making it a 100% MailExtension, and this will be my main focus this month.

Also, I'm aiming to add a few improvements to Sync Clippings Helper -- specifically, compressing the data between this native messaging app and the Firefox or Thunderbird extension, and handling read-only sync files to prevent modification.

26 January 2024

Clippings 6.5.2.1 released!

A minor update to Clippings 6.5 has been released, and is now available from Firefox Add-ons and the AE Creations website. Clippings 6.5 requires Firefox 102 or newer.

If you already have Clippings installed, it will be upgraded for you if automatic extension updates are enabled. Otherwise, open Add-ons Manager (Tools → Add-ons), click on the entry for Clippings in the list of installed extensions, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Check for Updates.

What's New

  • Minor fixes and improvements

Things You Should Know About

  • Thunderbird Users: This version of Clippings is designed for Firefox and is not compatible with Thunderbird. Get Clippings for Thunderbird, which is compatible with Thunderbird versions 102 and 115.
  • Some features may not be available when Firefox is in Private Browsing mode, or if the browser privacy settings are too restrictive.
  • If you want to use Sync Clippings, download and install the Sync Clippings helper app. More information and download links can be found on the Sync Clippings page on the AE Creations website.

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Clippings should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, now hosted on Groups.io.

15 January 2024

Panic Button 5.0 preview release 2 released!

Panic Button 5.0 is an upcoming new version of the Firefox extension from AE Creations that hides your browser windows from prying eyes with a click of a button. This second preview release comes with a bug fix and is being made available for testers and early adopters craving the latest and greatest.

Read on to learn what's new in version 5.0, and how to get it!

What's New

  • Improvements to some of the built-in Panic Button icons
  • Enhanced keyboard navigation in the extension preferences page, Change Icon dialog, and the Restore Session page
  • Other behind-the-scenes improvements to ensure compatibility with future versions of Firefox
  •  Fixed in 5.0pre2  A blue dot appears below the Panic Button toolbar button icon, and an extra menu item in the toolbar button context menu, indicating that there are there are permissions that needs approval even though there actually aren't any

Things You Should Know About

  • Panic Button 5.0 requires Firefox 115 or newer. 
  • The version number of this preview release will appear as 4.998.2 in Add-ons Manager.
  • Panic Button won't work if Firefox is set to "Never remember history" in Privacy & Security settings.

How to Get It

To install this preview release, head over to the Panic Button 5.0 preview release 2 page on GitHub. Look for the link to panicbutton-5.0pre2.xpi, then click on it to install.

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Panic Button should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, now hosted on Groups.io.

If you find a bug, you may file a bug report on GitHub. Please search the issues list first to confirm that your issue has not already been reported.

Translators Needed!

Panic Button needs to be updated for French, German and Portuguese (Brazil) -- and as always, translations in other languages are welcome! If you would like to help by adding or updating a translation, consider contributing a translation in CrowdIn.

11 January 2024

Monthly update: January 2024

With the new year well underway, it's time to jump back into my projects and start making progress on the enhancements and updates to the extensions for Firefox and Thunderbird.

A preview release of Panic Button 5.0 is now available for those that crave the latest and greatest. I'm backporting the improved toolbar button icons and a few cosmetic fixes from that release to version 4.5, which will be the next minor release of this Firefox extension. Watch here for updates on this new version.

I managed to find time to do some research over the holidays to inform the planned changes coming to Clippings. There's still more work to do to confirm the feasibility of converting Clippings for Thunderbird to a full MailExtension which I'll be focusing on this month.

04 January 2024

Panic Button 5.0 Preview Release 1 released!

Panic Button 5.0 is an upcoming new version of the Firefox extension from AE Creations that hides your browser windows from prying eyes with a click of a button. This preview release is being made available for testers and early adopters craving the latest and greatest, and are willing to tolerate a few bugs.

(What's a preview release? Unlike a release candidate, preview releases may still have some minor issues, and localizations may be incomplete.)

Read on to learn what's new in version 5.0, and how to get it!

What's New

  • Improvements to some of the built-in Panic Button icons
  • Enhanced keyboard navigation in the extension preferences page, Change Icon dialog, and the Restore Session page
  • Other behind-the-scenes improvements to ensure compatibility with future versions of Firefox

Things You Should Know About

  • Panic Button 5.0 requires Firefox 115 or newer. 
  • The version number of this preview release will appear as 4.998.1 in Add-ons Manager.
  • Panic Button won't work if Firefox is set to "Never remember history" in Privacy & Security settings.

Known Issues

  • A blue dot may appear below the Panic Button toolbar button icon, as well as an extra menu item in the toolbar button context menu, indicating that there are there are permissions that needs approval even though there actually aren't any.
The little indicator appearing below the Panic Button toolbar button icon.

The toolbar button context menu item that doesn't appear to do anything.

How to Get It

To install this preview release, head over to the Panic Button 5.0 preview release 1 page on GitHub. Look for the link to panicbutton-5.0pre1.xpi, then click on it to install.

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Panic Button should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, now hosted on Groups.io.

If you find a bug, you may file a bug report on GitHub. Please search the issues list first to confirm that your issue has not already been reported.

Translators Needed!

Panic Button needs to be updated for French, German and Portuguese (Brazil) -- and as always, translations in other languages are welcome! If you would like to help by adding or updating a translation, consider contributing a translation in CrowdIn.

25 December 2023

Panic Button issue on macOS is fixed on Firefox 121 and 115.6 ESR

Back in August, I wrote about an issue affecting Panic Button on macOS that occurs if the Panic Button action is set to "Minimize All Windows" and the "Open a new window after all browser windows are minimized" option is selected. More details can be found in this blog post.

I finally have good news to share: this issue is now fixed in Firefox 121, which was released last week. Update Firefox to this new version to resolve this issue. Users on Firefox ESR should update to version 115.6.

If there are any questions, post to the AE Creations Help and Support forums.

Happy Holidays!

13 December 2023

Monthly update: December 2023

With the holiday season approaching, and having just returned from a two-week vacation, I'm keeping my project work load fairly light.

There is still some work needed to fix up the built-in toolbar icons for Panic Button. I am contemplating the possibility of a new version of this Firefox extension, possibly numbered 4.5, to release the improved icons, since Panic Button 5.0, the version that has been migrated to Manifest V3, is unlikely to be released any time soon due to an outstanding bug with tab permissions in Firefox.

I haven't had time to do the research that I had planned for fully migrating Clippings for Thunderbird to a MailExtension. I might have time towards the end of the month to work on that, but it's likely that may get put off to the new year.

21 November 2023

Read Next 1.1.3 released!

Another update to Read Next 1.1, the reading list extension for Firefox from AE Creations, has been released and is now available from Firefox Add-ons and the AE Creations website. Read Next 1.1 requires Firefox 102 or newer.

If you already have an older version of Read Next installed, it will be updated for you if automatic extension updates are enabled. Otherwise, open Add-ons Manager (Tools → Add-ons), click on the entry for Read Next in the list of installed extensions, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Check for Updates.

What's New

  • Now available in Ukrainian

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Read Next should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, now hosted on Groups.io.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Crowdin contributor Каріна Крушельницька for translating Read Next into Ukrainian!

If you're fluent in English and another world language and would like to help by adding a translation, consider contributing a translation in CrowdIn. Localizations in other languages are always welcome, and will be added in future releases.

13 November 2023

Monthly update: November 2023

November is going to be a busy month, as I'll be balancing the time I'm dedicating to AE Creations extensions with commitments relating to my day job, as well as preparation for an upcoming trip.

There is still no fix from Mozilla, the makers of the Firefox web browser, for an issue that is preventing me from releasing Panic Button 5.0, as mentioned in last month's update. I'll be releasing a Preview Release of this Firefox extension later this month; it'll be almost like a Release Candidate build -- the difference being that it may be subject to additional fixes and improvements. More details will be posted here when the Preview Release build is released.

Also look for a minor release of Read Next, which adds support for Ukrainian. Localizations in other languages are always welcome, and will be added in future releases.

I'm starting research into converting Clippings for Thunderbird into a full MailExtension. Currently, this Thunderbird extension is a hybrid of new MailExtension and legacy XUL overlay components (the latter found in the integration with the main three-pane window and the message compose window), and this has caused compatibility challenges with different versions of Thunderbird. Some users have also been scared off by the prompt that appears during installation, informing them that it requires unrestricted permissions to the system. Converting this extension to a pure MailExtension will alleviate these problems, but it's unknown if the MailExtension APIs will support all the capabilities of the legacy APIs, and this is what my research aims to find out.

24 October 2023

Read Next 1.1.2 released!

An update to Read Next 1.1, the reading list extension for Firefox from AE Creations, has been released and is now available from Firefox Add-ons and the AE Creations website. Read Next 1.1 requires Firefox 102 or newer.

If you already have an older version of Read Next installed, it will be updated for you if automatic extension updates are enabled. Otherwise, open Add-ons Manager (Tools → Add-ons), click on the entry for Read Next in the list of installed extensions, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page and click Check for Updates.

What's New

  • Minor fixes and improvements

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Read Next should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, now hosted on Groups.io.