Typical options:
Summary:
This section controls Tab Open & Close behavior, that is to say where Tabs open and which previous Tab gets selected (or focused) when a Tab closes.
The options for both are as follows (default options shown filled in as they would be on screen):
Open Close
(√) (√) Browser default behavior *
( ) ( ) Leftmost Tab [HOME]
( ) ( ) Rightmost Tab
( ) Last Active Tab
( ) ( ) Relative, Leftward [Immediate Left from Source Tab] +x
( ) ( ) Relative, Rightward [Immediate Right from Source Tab] +x
( ) ( ) I'm Feeling Lucky
[√] Stay on Target! ~
* Browser default behavior may vary, especially with other extensions.
+ Source Tab is the Current Tab on a TabOpen event.
x Source Tab is the Closing Tab on a TabClose event, which may or may not
be selected. Eg, if Tab A is current and C closes, it is relative to C.
~ If the current Tab is NOT the one closing, keep the current Tab
selected.
Details:
This section controls 2 main features of Tab browsing behavior in Firefox, Tab Open behavior and Closing behavior.
They can both be a very powerful way to control your Tab browsing capabilities and productivity.
In either case, choosing "Browser default behavior" will force Tabby to defer to Firefox (or another extension that controls Tab behavior) for controlling the behavior, allowing Tabby to still implement other options that you've enabled.
However, it is recommended, of course, that you let Tabby control all of the behavior for predictable results.
Tab Open:
In Tab Open behavior, each time a new Tab opens, whether by user action, or by some functionality in a web page, one of the six choices shown below determines where the new Tab will open, relative to all of the other existing Tabs.
A detailed description of each option is as follows:
- Browser default behavior
This lets the default behavior of the browser, or any other extension that controls Tab Open behavior, to control how Tabs Open.
Tabby still performs some functionality behind the scenes for other options, but it will not determine the opening position of the new Tab.
- Leftmost Tab [HOME]
All Tabs will open in the Leftmost position, pushing all existing Tabs to the right.
The new Tab will be at position 0, and all other Tabs will be incremented by 1.
This is referred to as the "HOME" Tab, because when the browser first opens, the first Tab (which typically remains leftmost) is what usually loads your HOME page.
- Rightmost Tab
This is usually the default behavior for the browser.
However, it is presented as an option in Tabby for 2 reasons,
(a) for ease of use; i.e., you know what it's doing, and
(b) to attempt to have Tabby override any other behavior.
- Relative, Leftward [Immediate Left from Source Tab]
Relative to the currently selected Tab, the new Tab opens just to its Left.
All Tabs that are right of that position, shift rightward by 1.
- Relative, Rightward [Immediate Right from Source Tab]
Relative to the currently selected Tab, the new Tab opens just to its Right.
All Tabs that are right of that position, shift rightward by 1.
- I'm Feeling Lucky
A completely random way of determining which position in which the new Tab will open.
Tab Close:
In Tab Close behavior, each time a new Tab closes, whether by user action, or by some functionality in a web page, one of the seven choices shown below determines which previous Tab gets selected.
Additionally, there is one more global option, called "Stay on Target!" that overrides closing behavior if the currently selected Tab is NOT the one closing.
A detailed description of each option is as follows:
- Browser default behavior
This lets the default behavior of the browser, or any other extension that controls Tab Close behavior, to control how Tabs Close.
Tabby still performs some functionality behind the scenes for other options, but it will not determine which previous Tab to select.
- Leftmost Tab [HOME]
When any Tab closes, the Tab that gets selected will always be the one in the Leftmost position.
If the closing Tab is in the Leftmost position, then the Tab that will be in the Leftmost position after close will get selected.
This is referred to as the "HOME" Tab, because when the browser first closes, the first Tab (which typically remains leftmost) is what usually loads your HOME page.
- Rightmost Tab
When any Tab closes, the Tab that gets selected will always be the one in the Rightmost position.
If the closing Tab is in the Rightmost position, then the Tab that will be in the Rightmost position after close will get selected.
- Last Active Tab
Tabby constantly keeps track of the order in which all Tabs are selected.
No matter how many times you switch between, move, open or close Tabs, the exact order of selection is kept.
As such, when the currently selected Tab is closed, the next previous Tab in the order list is selected.
- Relative, Leftward [Immediate Left from Source Tab]
Relative to the currently selected Tab, the Tab just to the Left is selected.
- Relative, Rightward [Immediate Right from Source Tab]
Relative to the currently selected Tab, the Tab just to the Right is selected.
- I'm Feeling Lucky
A completely random way of determining which previous Tab gets selected.
- Stay on Target!
This global option applies when the Tab being closed is NOT the one selected.
As such, when enabled, the currently selected Tab will remain selected, regardless of the option setting above.
Unusual options:
Summary:
This section covers some more advanced options that not every user would find useful, but they allow an advanced user to have some more features that may be desireable.
This section also has the Debugging Options, which again, not every user would want, except for maybe a deverloper type or the unusually curious.
As it shows up on screen:
[ ] When the Leftmost [HOME] Tab closes, ALL Tabs Close *
[√] When the Last Tab of a Window closes, the Window closes,
[√] including the Main Window,
[√] but only if the Main Window is the Last to close.
* When "ALL Tabs Close" is active, all other rules are suspended until
the end.
Debugging Options...
[√] Enable Console Messages ~
[ ] Enable Alert Popups [Use ONLY if necessary!] ~
~ To see Console Messages, run Firefox with the -console command line
option. Console Messages and Alert Popups are quite copious, to say
the least. Alerts Popup for every block of code and are not for the
faint of heart. Console Messages, on the other hand, are only seen in
a text window when you use the option above. If they're too verbose,
simply turn them off.
Details:
- When the Leftmost [HOME] Tab closes, ALL Tabs Close
This option applies only to the particular Window of the browser where it occurs.
When the Tab all the way on the lefthand side of that Window is closed, no matter what the reason, Tabby will systematically close every Tab in that Window, from the rightmost all the way down to the Leftmost.
All of Tabby's other rules are suspended until after every Tab has been closed.
Why is this useful?
Well, the Leftmost Tab will often have your HOME page in it.
Some want a browser session (multiple open Tabs) to end when their HOME page is closed.
This option will not necessarily close the Window (see the next option).
- When the Last Tab of a Window closes, the Window closes,
- including the Main Window,
- but only if the Main Window is the Last to close.
This is one single option, but it is divided into 3 parts, each one controls the part below it.
This option applies only to the particular Window of the browser where it occurs.
When a Window has only one Tab remaining and it closes, then the entire Window will close along with it.
The first Window that Firefox opens when it is launched is referred to as the Main Window.
When the second part "including the Main Window" is also enabled, then this option will apply to the Main Window as well.
When the third part "but only if the Main Window is the Last to Close" is also enabled, then the Main Window will NOT close UNLESS it is the last Window remaining and the above criteria is true.
Debugging Options:
The debugging options are only meant for in depth troubleshooting or programming curiosity.
There is no operational need for them, and you are encouraged to disable them at any time.
- Enable Console Messages
Console Messages are seen only in a special window that is launched initially when you run Firefox with the "-console" command line option.
Console Messages are enabled by default when Tabby is first installed, simply because they are not visible unless you use the above option.
However, if you are an advanced user that has the console window open up frequently, and you find the Tabby console messages to be too verbose (which they are), then simply disable this option.
When enabled, these messages will display very detailed functional information from the program, including events, function calls and verbose variable and parameter information.
- Enable Alert Popups [Use ONLY if necessary!]
ONLY enable this option if it is absolutely necessary.
This will display all of the same information as the option above, except in multiple, pausing alert windows.
Each individual block of code will popup an alert window.
Each alert window pauses the program.
There will be many, if not dozens, of these windows per Tab action.
As such, it is highly advisible to keep this option disabled, unless you are specifically requested to debug the program.