Monthly update: April 2025

I'm currently working on another minor update for Clippings that will fix an issue in Clippings Manager and Clippings Sidebar that was caused by the migration to Manifest V3. I want to get this issue resolved before starting work on the next version, which is planned for release at around the same time as the next Firefox ESR release.

While planning the next version of Clippings, I've also taken some time to think about future plans for my other extensions, which I'll share here.

Clippings

Development and support for Clippings, the extension for Firefox and Thunderbird that lets you save frequently-entered text for later pasting into web page forms and email messages, will continue for the foreseeable future, with new features and improvements released regularly. Depending on the amount of new features and improvements that are lined up for each new version, and the effort needed to make them happen, I may continue with almost-yearly releases as I've been doing over the last few years.

Panic Button

Panic Button, the extension for Firefox that quickly hides your browser windows with a click of a button, is a fairly mature product, with a small but loyal user base.

I've decided that minor updates will continue to be released as needed to fix bugs, add localizations and stay up-to-date with changes to Firefox as it evolves. But other than that, Panic Button is considered done, meaning there are no plans for future major releases with new features and improvements.

Read Next

This reading list extension for Firefox from AE Creations has a very small user base, despite a significant push recently to improve adoption by making much-needed improvements to functionality and usability. But I also suspect that this reflects the changing way we interact with the web -- with most websites nowadays functioning like a web-based app rather than a collection of web pages interconnected by web page addresses and page links.

I've written before about contemplating new features that will evolve this extension from a simple reading list, with greater organizing and customization features. But I feel that these next-level improvements would make Read Next bloated and straying away from the simple reading list extension that it's meant to be, so it makes sense that these new features should belong in a separate extension.

To keep Read Next simple and easy to use as well as control feature creep, I'll be creating a new extension that builds upon it, using Read Next 1.5 as the base. This new extension will start out as an experiment, its main purpose to fulfill a personal need, and is something I'll work on whenever I have the time. Meanwhile, I'm planning for at least one more version of Read Next; more details to come.

Clippings for Thunderbird 7.0.2 released!

A minor update to Clippings for Thunderbird, the extension that saves frequently-entered text for later pasting into email messages, has been released and is now available from Add-ons for Thunderbird and the AE Creations website. Compatible with Thunderbird 128 and newer.

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

• Added optional logging of the sync data size in the extension Developer Tools console. If logging is turned on, log messages appear in the console whenever the Synced Clippings folder is reloaded
• Bug fix: Items in the Synced Clippings folder disappear if the sync data size exceeds the limit of 1 MiB
• Other fixes and improvements

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, hosted on Groups.io.

Clippings 7.0.2 released!

A minor update for Clippings, 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 7.0 is compatible with Firefox 128 and newer. 

If you already have Clippings installed, it will be updated for you if automatic extension updates are enabled. Otherwise, open Add-ons Manager (from the Firefox menu, select "Add-ons and Themes"), 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

• Added optional logging of the sync data size in the extension Developer Tools console. If logging is turned on, log messages appear in the console whenever the Synced Clippings folder is reloaded
• Bug fix: Items in the Synced Clippings folder disappear if the sync data size exceeds the limit of 1 MiB (issue #528)
• 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 128.
  
• 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, hosted on Groups.io.

Panic Button 5.0.2 released!

An update for Panic Button, the Firefox extension from AE Creations 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. Panic Button 5.0 is compatible with Firefox 115 and newer.

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 (from the Firefox menu, select "Add-ons and Themes"), 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

• Minor fixes and improvements

Help and Support

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

Read Next 1.5 released!

Read Next 1.5 is the newest version of the simple, easy-to-use reading list extension for Firefox from AE Creations. It's now available from Firefox Add-ons and the AE Creations website. Read Next 1.5 is compatible with Firefox 128 and 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 (from the Firefox menu, select "Add-ons and Themes"), 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 

• Links can now be renamed. To rename a link, right-click in the reading list sidebar and then select Rename in the context menu
• Improvements to navigation and scrolling of the reading list using the keyboard
• New links are now highlighted in the sidebar when they're added
• When showing only unread links in the reading list, links will now be automatically shown or hidden as their unread status changes when clicked or navigating to them in the browser

Help and Support

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

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Crowdin contributor heretic43 for updating the Chinese (Simplified) localization of Read Next!

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.

Monthly update: March 2025

Coming soon: Read Next 1.5, the newest version of the reading list extension for Firefox from AE Creations! A release candidate is now available for testers and enthusiasts to be one of the first to try it out. The official release should be unveiled very soon, and it'll be announced here.

Looking ahead, I'll be working on a maintenance release of Panic Button which will raise the minimum supported version of Firefox due to the upcoming expiration of the root certificate in older, unsupported versions of the browser which will, among other things, cause installed add-ons to be disabled. This isn't a concern if you're on the latest version of Firefox or the latest supported ESR release. But since the makers of Firefox aren't planning on fixing this issue on older, unsupported versions of the browser, there's no point in advertising Panic Button as being supported on those versions when it won't run on them anymore. The latest release of Clippings doesn't have this problem since it requires Firefox version 128 or newer, and Read Next 1.5 will also require the same minimum compatible Firefox version, so it won't be affected either.

Read Next 1.5 release candidate 2 released!

This is the second release candidate build of the next version of Read Next, the reading list extension for Firefox from AE Creations. This build fixes a cosmetic issue in the extension preferences page. Unless there are any further last-minute issues, this may become the official release of Read Next 1.5.

Read the previous blog post for details on all the new features coming to Read Next 1.5.

How to Get It

New users can install this release candidate by heading over to the Read Next 1.5 release candidate 2 page on GitHub and then clicking the link to readnext-1.5rc2.xpi. Follow the prompts to complete the installation.

If you've already installed the first release candidate, follow the same instructions to update to release candidate 2, since automatic updating won't be available.

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Read Next should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, 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.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Crowdin contributor heretic43 for updating the Chinese (Simplified) localization of Read Next!

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.

Read Next 1.5 release candidate 1 released!

This is a release candidate of the next version of Read Next, the reading list extension for Firefox from AE Creations. Unless there are any last-minute showstopper bugs, this may become the official release of Read Next 1.5.

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

What's New 

• Links can now be renamed. To rename a link, right-click in the reading list sidebar and then select Rename in the context menu
• Improvements to navigation and scrolling of the reading list using the keyboard
• New links are now highlighted in the sidebar when they're added
• When showing only unread links in the reading list, links will now be automatically shown or hidden as their unread status changes when clicked or navigating to them in the browser

How to Get It

If you've installed the preview release or any of the beta releases of Read Next 1.5, you'll be automatically updated to this release candidate build if automatic add-on updates are turned on in Firefox.

New users can install this release candidate build by heading over to the Read Next 1.5 release candidate 1 page on GitHub and then clicking the link to readnext-1.5rc1.xpi. Follow the prompts to complete the installation.

Read Next 1.5 requires Firefox 128 or newer.

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Read Next should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, 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.

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Crowdin contributor heretic43 for updating the Chinese (Simplified) localization of Read Next!

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.

Read Next 1.5 preview release 1 released!

Read Next 1.5 is an upcoming new version of the reading list extension for Firefox from AE Creations. This preview release is being made available for testers and early adopters craving the latest and greatest -- and while it's the most stable yet, testers should expect to run into the occasional bug.

(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 more about what's new in Read Next 1.5, and how to get it!

What's New

• Links can now be renamed. To rename a link, right-click in the reading list sidebar and then select Rename in the context menu
• Improvements to navigation and scrolling of the reading list using the keyboard
• New links are now highlighted in the sidebar when they're added
• When showing only unread links in the reading list, links will now be automatically shown or hidden as their unread status changes when clicked or navigating to them in the browser

How to Get It

To install this preview release, head over to the Read Next 1.5 preview release 1 page on GitHub. Look for the link to readnext-1.5pr1.xpi, then click on it and follow the prompts to add it to Firefox.

If you've installed any of the previous beta releases of Read Next 1.5, you'll be automatically updated to this release if automatic extension updates are turned on.

Read Next 1.5 requires Firefox 128 or newer.

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Read Next should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, 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!

Help make Read Next available to a global user base by translating it into your local language. If you would like to help, get started by joining the Crowdin project for Read Next!

Read Next 1.5 beta 3 released!

A third beta release of the next version of Read Next is now available to early adopters and enthusiasts craving the latest and greatest! Although this beta release is fairly stable, users should expect to run into the occasional bug.

Read on to learn more about what's new in Read Next 1.5, and how to get it!

What's New

• Links can now be renamed. To rename a link, right-click in the reading list sidebar and then select Rename in the context menu
• Improvements to navigation and scrolling of the reading list using the keyboard
• New links are now highlighted in the sidebar when they're added
• When showing only unread links in the reading list, links will now be automatically shown or hidden as their unread status changes when clicked or navigating to them in the browser

How to Get It

To install this beta release, head over to the Read Next 1.5 beta 3 page on GitHub. Look for the link to readnext-1.5b3.xpi, then click on it and follow the prompts to add it to Firefox.

If you've installed Read Next 1.5 beta releases 1 or 2, you'll be automatically updated to this release if automatic extension updates are turned on.

Read Next 1.5 requires Firefox 128 or newer.

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Read Next should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, 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: February 2025

Work continues on the next version of Read Next, the reading list extension for Firefox from AE Creations. As announced yesterday, the second beta release of Read Next 1.5 is now available for testers and early adopters. This upcoming version of Read Next contains a few new features and improvements, such as the ability to rename links, improved keyboard navigation of the reading list, and automatic updating of the reading list when the unread status of links are changed. There are also fixes for a few long-standing bugs which I now have time to look into and fix.

Sync Clippings Helper App for Windows on Arm

The Sync Clippings Helper app for Windows is built for Intel 64-bit and 32-bit systems. But if you're running Windows on an Arm device, there's no need to fret: Sync Clippings Helper will run without issue on Arm systems! I was able to test this out recently on a loaner device, and can confirm that Sync Clippings works on Arm.

The Windows setup program files for Sync Clippings Helper will be renamed to clarify that they are intended for Intel systems. While it will run just fine on Arm, native support for Windows on Arm systems is planned -- but to make that happen, I'll need to get my hands on an Arm system first.

Read Next 1.5 beta 2 released!

This is the second beta release of the next version of Read Next. It is being made available for testers and early adopters craving the latest and greatest, and are willing to tolerate a few inevitable bugs.

Read on to learn more about what's new in Read Next 1.5, and how to get it!

What's New

• Links can now be renamed. To rename a link, right-click in the reading list sidebar and then select Rename in the context menu
• Improvements to navigation and scrolling of the reading list using the keyboard
• New links are now highlighted in the sidebar when they're added
• When showing only unread links in the reading list, links will now be automatically shown or hidden as their unread status changes when clicked or navigating to them in the browser
•  New in 1.5b2  Links on a page can now be added to the reading list, by right-clicking and then selecting Add to Read Next in the browser context menu
  

How to Get It

To install this beta release, head over to the Read Next 1.5 beta 2 page on GitHub. Look for the link to readnext-1.5b2.xpi, then click on it and follow the prompts to add it to Firefox.

If you've installed the previous beta release, you'll be automatically updated to this release if automatic extension updates are turned on.

Read Next 1.5 requires Firefox 128 or newer.

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Read Next should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, 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.

Read Next 1.5 beta 1 released!

This is the first beta release of the next version of Read Next. It is being made available for testers and early adopters craving the latest and greatest, and are willing to tolerate a few inevitable bugs.

Read on to learn more about what's new in Read Next 1.5, and how to get it!

What's New

• Link titles can now be changed. To rename a link, right-click in the reading list sidebar and then select Rename in the context menu
• Improvements to navigation and scrolling of the reading list using the keyboard
• New links are now highlighted in the sidebar when they're added
• When showing only unread links in the reading list, links will now be hidden if clicked or when navigating to them in the browser

How to Get It

To install this beta release, head over to the Read Next 1.5 beta 1 page on GitHub. Look for the link to readnext-1.5b1.xpi, then click on it and follow the prompts to add it to Firefox.

Read Next 1.5 requires Firefox 128 or newer.

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Read Next should be posted to the AE Creations Help and Support forums, 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.

Clippings 7.0.1 released!

A minor update for Clippings, 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 7.0 is compatible with Firefox 128 and newer. 

If you already have Clippings installed, it will be updated for you if automatic extension updates are enabled. Otherwise, open Add-ons Manager (from the Firefox menu, select "Add-ons and Themes"), 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

• Improved reliability of displaying backup reminder notifications (issue #509)
• Clicking a link in the Sync Clippings settings dialog in the extension preferences page will now open it in a new browser tab, instead of navigating away from the extension preferences page (issue #507)
• 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 128.
  
• 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.
• Additional add-on permissions are now required for some features. When turning on Sync Clippings or performing actions involving the clipboard for the first time, a message box will appear, indicating the permission requested and how to grant it. If you're upgrading from Clippings 6.5 or older, the necessary permission for Sync Clippings will already be enabled.
  

Help and Support

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

Monthly update: January 2025

Happy New Year! Just in time for the release of Firefox 134, an update for Read Next was also released. This minor update fixes an issue with the sidebar toolbar when the reading list is opened in the new, revamped Firefox sidebar which is being rolled out to some users. It also improves support for multiple browser windows, handling edge cases such as opening a link that was already saved in the reading list in more than one window.

Looking ahead to this month, I'll be focusing on the next version of Read Next, which will come with a few minor improvements and fixes. A minor update for Clippings is also expected in a few days, once it's approved by the Firefox Add-ons editors.

Read Next 1.1.8 released!

A minor update for Read Next, 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 is compatible with Firefox 102 and 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 (from the Firefox menu, select "Add-ons and Themes"), 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: Sidebar toolbar buttons are jumbled when the reading list is opened in the new Firefox sidebar on macOS (issue #88)
• Improved support for multiple browser windows (issues #90, #91 and #92)

Help and Support

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