05 June 2025

Clippings for Thunderbird 7.0.5 released!

Another 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

  • Bug fix: On Linux, the height of dialogs such as New Clipping have shrunk on recent versions of Thunderbird, causing display issues (issues #236 and #237)

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.

02 June 2025

Clippings 7.1 beta 1 released!

This is the first beta release of the next version of Clippings, the extension for Firefox from AE Creations that saves frequently-entered text for later pasting into web page forms. It's 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 Clippings 7.1, and how to get it!

What's New

  • New option to paste an HTML-formatted clipping into a rich text editor as plain text
  • Brought back the option to show the Paste As dialog when pasting an HTML-formatted clipping, a feature that existed prior to Clippings 6.0
  • The height of the preview pane in Clippings Sidebar can now be adjusted
  • Improvements to undo in Clippings Manager. Also, you can now reverse the last undo ("undo undo") by pressing Ctrl+Y on Windows, ⇧⌘Z on macOS, and Ctrl+Shift+Z on Linux. The F2 keyboard shortcut is still supported
  • Eliminated the confirmation dialog that appeared when reloading the Synced Clippings folder in Clippings Manager or Clippings Sidebar
  • Clippings will now display an error message if the Sync Clippings data size exceeds the limit of 1 megabyte

Things You Should Know About

  • The version number of this beta release will appear as 7.0.99.1 in Add-ons Manager. 
  • Some features may not be available when Firefox is in Private Browsing mode, or if the browser privacy settings are too restrictive.
  • While Clippings works on the vast majority of web sites, some are now preventing pasting into text boxes. If pasting doesn't work, copy the clipping from Clippings Manager or Clippings Sidebar by right-clicking on it and selecting Copy Clipping Text. You can then paste the clipping into the web page by selecting Paste from the browser context menu. 

Compatibility

Clippings 7.1 is compatible with Firefox 140 and newer. Firefox 140 is currently available in the Beta Release channel and as Developer Edition.

Thunderbird users take note: Clippings for Thunderbird 7.1 is also coming soon! Check back soon for news on a beta release.

How to Get It

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

To install this beta release, head over to the Clippings 7.1 beta 1 page on GitHub. Look for the link to clippings-7.1b1.xpi, then click on it and follow the prompts to add it to Firefox.

Help and Support

Questions and comments about Clippings 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. 

Help Wanted!

Translators are needed to update the UI strings that have been added for this release. If you're fluent in English and another world language and would like to help, get started by joining the Crowdin project for Clippings!

This is a great opportunity to contribute to the development of Clippings and make it better for yourself and hundreds of thousands of users around the world. Contributors will have their efforts recognized and credited on this blog in the official release post, and listed in the credits page that will be linked in the About dialog.

30 May 2025

Clippings 7.0.5 released!

Another 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

  • 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 128 and newer.
  • Some features may not be available when Firefox is in Private Browsing mode, or if the browser privacy settings are too restrictive.
  • While Clippings works on the vast majority of web sites, some are now preventing pasting into text boxes. If pasting doesn't work, copy the clipping from Clippings Manager or Clippings Sidebar by right-clicking on it and selecting Copy Clipping Text. You can then paste the clipping into the web page by selecting Paste from the browser context menu.

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 5.1 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 curious eyes with a click of a button. 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 Panic Button 5.1, and how to get it!

What's New

  • If the Panic Button action is set to Hide and Replace, tab groups will be recreated when browser windows and tabs are restored

Things You Should Know About

  • Panic Button 5.1 requires Firefox 139 or newer. 
  • The version number of this beta release will appear as 5.0.99.1 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 5.1 beta 1 page on GitHub. Look for the link to panicbutton-5.1b1.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, 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.

Help Wanted!

Translators are needed to update the UI strings that have been added for this release. If you're fluent in English and another world language and would like to help, get started by joining the Crowdin project for Panic Button!

This is a great opportunity to contribute to the development of Panic Button and make it better for yourself and thousands of users around the world. Contributors will have their efforts recognized and credited on this blog in the official release post, and listed in the credits page that will be linked in the About dialog.

27 May 2025

Clippings for Thunderbird 7.0.4 released!

Another 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

  • Minor fixes and improvements

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.

26 May 2025

Read Next 1.5.1 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 1.5 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

  • Minor fixes and improvements

Help and Support

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

09 May 2025

Monthly update: May 2025

Work is underway on the next version of Clippings. Version 7.1 builds upon the features released in 7.0, and will also include more usability improvements, such as the elimination of that pesky confirmation message box that appears when reloading the Synced Clippings folder in Clippings Manager or Clippings Sidebar.

 The confirmation message box that appears when reloading the Synced Clippings folder (Clippings 7.0).

While most of my attention will be on Clippings, I will try to carve out some time to research a bug fix for the issue where Panic Button loses tab groups if the Panic Button action is set to Hide and Replace. More details about the issue, as well as a suggested workaround, can be found in this blog post.

07 May 2025

Clippings 7.0.4 released!

Another 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

  • Bug fix: Pasting a clipping, using keyboard paste or from the context menu, sometimes doesn't work on the first try (issue #534)
  • Bug fix: Error sometimes occurs in the New Clipping dialog when Sync Clippings is turned on (issue #535)
  • Bug fix: HTML-formatted clipping isn't detected if an HTML tag contains a hyphenated attribute (issue #537)

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 and newer.
  • 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.

02 May 2025

An issue in Panic Button affecting Tab Groups

Firefox 138, which was released this week, introduces Tab Groups, a long-overdue feature for organizing your browser tabs. For those not familiar with it, there's an article on the Mozilla Blog with details.

Panic Button currently doesn't handle tab groups when restoring your browser windows, if the Panic Button action is set to Hide and Replace. The tab groups are lost upon restore -- but the tabs themselves are intact.

I'm investigating how this can be fixed. Until then, consider changing the Panic Button action to Minimize All Windows or Minimize Current Window. These will keep your tab groups intact while offering some level of safety if a nosy coworker, roommate or spouse tries to look over your shoulder.

01 May 2025

Panic Button 5.0.3 released!

Another 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

  • Updated German localization

Help and Support

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

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Crowdin contributor matt skibs for updating the German translation of Panic Button!

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.

29 April 2025

Clippings for Thunderbird 7.0.3 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

  • Bug fix: Error sometimes occurs in the New Clipping dialog when Sync Clippings is turned on (issue #219)
  • 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.

25 April 2025

Clippings 7.0.3 released!

Another 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

  • Fixes for issues with reloading the Synced Clippings folder in Clippings Manager and Clippings Sidebar (issues #529 and #530). This affected users who turned on Sync Clippings

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.

21 April 2025

Clippings 7.0.4 beta 1 released!

A beta release of an upcoming update for Clippings, the Firefox extension from AE Creations that lets you save frequently-entered text for later pasting into web page forms, is now available for testers and early adopters. Read on to learn more about what's new and how to get it!

What's New

  • Bug fix: Pasting a clipping, using keyboard paste or from the context menu, sometimes doesn't work on the first try (issue #534)
  • Bug fix: Error sometimes occurs in the New Clipping dialog when Sync Clippings is turned on (issue #535)

Things You Should Know About

  • The version number of this beta release will appear as 7.0.3.99 in Add-ons Manager.

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 7.0.4 beta 1 page on GitHub. Look for the link to clippings-7.0.4b1.xpi, then click on it and follow the prompts to add it to Firefox.

Clippings 7.0.4 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.

13 April 2025

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.

03 April 2025

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.