Panic Button 4.4.5 released!

An update to Panic Button 4.4 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

• Added Polish localization
• Bug fix: In the extension preferences page, resetting the keyboard shortcut doesn't appear to work if it was changed from Manage Extension Shortcuts in Add-ons Manager
  

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.
  
• On Firefox 115 and newer on macOS and Linux, there is an issue with the "Minimize All Windows" action that occurs if the "Open a new window after all browser windows are minimized" option is selected. If this action is invoked, and then the browser windows are restored by clicking the Panic Button or pressing the keyboard shortcut on the temporary browser window, the restored browser window heights are shrunk down. This issue is not occurring on Windows.
• 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.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Crowdin contributor jeleniogorzanin for translating Panic Button into Polish!

If you are fluent in English and another world language and would like to help update or add a new translation, consider contributing a translation in Crowdin. Localizations in other languages are always welcome, and will be added in future releases.

Follow-up to Firefox issue on macOS affecting Panic Button's "Minimize All Windows" action

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.

Unfortunately, the most recent version of Firefox (version 117 at the time of this post) hasn't fixed the issue. I've investigated further and discovered that this issue is also occurring on Linux (confirmed on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS). The good news is that this issue is not reproducible on Windows, even with the latest Firefox release.

I've opened a bug in Mozilla's Bugzilla database. Until this is resolved, the workaround solution remains the same: users on macOS and Linux should consider turning off the option to open the temporary browser window, or change the Panic Button action to a different selection.

Panic Button 5.0 beta 1 released!

This is a beta release of the next version of Panic Button, the Firefox extension from AE Creations that hides your browser windows from prying eyes with a click of a button. It is being made available for testers and early adopters craving the latest and greatest, and although it is fairly stable, expect to encounter a few inevitable bugs.

Read on to learn more about what's new in this release, 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 beta release will appear as 4.99.1 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 beta release, head over to the Panic Button 5.0 beta 1 page on GitHub. Look for the link to panicbutton-5.0b1.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.

Monthly update: September 2023

With summer winding down, I am getting back into my projects. For Panic Button 5.0, I'm adding a few more improvements to user interaction in the extension preferences page, the Change Icon popup window and the Restore Session page (the password prompt that appears when restoring the browser session after clicking the Panic Button to hide all browser windows). These enhancements will improve the user experience, especially for those who prefer to navigate through the UI using the keyboard, and bring it one step closer to making it feel more like a native application. If these changes are successful and are well received, I plan on bringing these enhancements to other AE Creations extensions.

The first beta release of Panic Button 5.0 should be expected very soon; keep an eye on this blog if you're interested in getting your hands on it and testing it out!

Minor updates to Clippings and Clippings for Thunderbird have just been released. I am still interested in having the Portuguese (Brazil) localization updated; if you would like to help out, head over to the Crowdin project page.

Clippings for Thunderbird 6.3.1 released!

A minor update to Clippings for Thunderbird 6.3 has been released, and is now available from Add-ons for Thunderbird and the AE Creations website. Clippings for Thunderbird 6.3 requires Thunderbird version 115.

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

What's New

• Updated Dutch localization

Compatibility

Clippings for Thunderbird 6.3 is compatible with Thunderbird 115. It is not compatible with Thunderbird 102. If you're still on Thunderbird version 102, either upgrade to version 115 to get this new release of Clippings, or stick with Clippings for Thunderbird 6.2.6 for now.

Things You Should Know About

• 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 for Thunderbird should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, now hosted on Groups.io.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Crowdin contributor Klaas Swart for updating the Dutch localization of Clippings!

If you are fluent in English and another world language and would like to help update or add a new translation, consider contributing a translation in Crowdin. Localizations in other languages are always welcome, and will be added in future releases.

Clippings 6.5.1 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

• Updated Dutch localization
• 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.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Crowdin contributor Klaas Swart for updating the Dutch localization of Clippings!

If you are fluent in English and another world language and would like to help update or add a new translation, consider contributing a translation in Crowdin. Localizations in other languages are always welcome, and will be added in future releases.