Clippings for Thunderbird 7.0 beta 4 released!

This is the fourth beta release of the next version of Clippings for Thunderbird. It is being made available for testers and early adopters craving the latest and greatest, and while it's the most stable beta release yet, expect to run into the occasional bug.

Read on to learn more about what's new in Clippings for Thunderbird 7.0, and how to get it!

What's New

• The Clippings toolbar button in the message compose window has moved from the status bar to the Composition Toolbar. The Clippings toolbar button no longer appears in the main Thunderbird window
• You can now add separators to organize your clippings in the Clippings menu. Separators can be added in Clippings Manager by right-clicking on a clipping or folder and then selecting Insert Separator from the context menu
• New option to show the shortcut key of a clipping in the Clippings menu. Turn on this setting from the redesigned extension preferences page
• New placeholder for embedding a clipping in a clipping. Placeholder syntax: $[CLIPPING(Name of clipping)].
  
• Sync Clippings enhancements: sync data is now compressed, allowing you to sync more of your clippings; also, improved handling of read-only sync files
• On macOS, automatic positioning of windows and dialogs, and saving of the Clippings Manager window position and size, are now fully supported
• On Linux, the option to minimize the Clippings Manager window when it's inactive has been removed, since the window is no longer always on top in recent versions of Thunderbird
  
• When new users install Clippings for Thunderbird, it will only ask for the extension permissions it needs for basic functionality, and will ask for additional permissions if turning on Sync Clippings or creating a new clipping from the clipboard for the first time. This is a change from previous versions, where Clippings for Thunderbird requested full, unrestricted access to Thunderbird and your system
• Many behind-the-scenes improvements to ensure compatibility with future versions of Thunderbird
•  New in 7.0b4  New "Organize Clippings" menu item in the Tools menu of the main Thunderbird menu bar. If updating from a previous beta release, you can enable this in extension preferences
•  New in 7.0b4  The correct keyboard shortcut for invoking shortcut key mode is now displayed if it was changed in Manage Extension Shortcuts in Add-ons Manager (issue #189) 
•  Fixed in 7.0b4  Improved appearance of the label menu (issue #190)

 Things You Should Know About

• Users of Clippings for Thunderbird version 5.7 or earlier should take note: Clippings will no longer automatically import your clippings data when upgrading from those old versions. Export your clippings now (select the "Clippings 6" data format) so that you can import them when you're ready to upgrade Clippings to version 7.0 or newer.
  
• Additional extension permissions are now required for some features. When turning on Sync Clippings or performing clipboard actions for the first time, a message box will appear, indicating the extension permission requested and how to grant it. If you're upgrading from an earlier version of Clippings, the necessary permission for Sync Clippings will already be enabled.

Compatibility

Clippings for Thunderbird 7.0 is compatible with Thunderbird 128 and newer. It is not compatible with Thunderbird 115.x.

The Sync Clippings enhancements require an upgrade of the Sync Clippings Helper app. Read this blog post for details about Sync Clippings 2.0 and how to install the beta release.

How to Get It

IMPORTANT! If you're already using Clippings and want to try the beta release, back up your clippings first before upgrading.

To install this beta release, head over to the Clippings for Thunderbird 7.0 beta 4 page on GitHub. Look for the link to clippings-tb-7.0b4.xpi, then right-click on it and select Save Link As, then choose a folder location on your system (for example, the Desktop). Then follow these step-by-step instructions from the Mozilla Support website to install Clippings in Thunderbird.

Current beta users will be automatically updated to the latest beta release if automatic extension updates are turned on in Add-ons Manager.

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Clippings 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.