Firefox About:Config Tweaks

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With each new iteration of Firefox, I’ve had to come to terms with a few things with the new UI features. And with all new features come a few annoyances which break away from how things looked or worked in previous versions. Here you will find a short-list of all the about:config tweaks you can make to make things act and feel like they did in previous incarnations. Or simply kill a few unnecessary bells and whistles for things which can’t be located in the standard set of options.

Take note that a few of these options are version specific and they may not be available in newer versions of Firefox.

WARNING!:

Changing any settings you’re not familiar with can result in Firefox behaving strangely or possibly worse. By changing anything you’re do so at your own risk. It’s best to take notes of any changes you make in case you need to undo them later for any reason. After modifications are made, you will want to restart Firefox before seeing any of the new settings take effect.

UI: Download Notifications

Fx Version: 3
browser.download.manager.showAlertOnComplete
Type: Boolean
Values: True / False
Default: True
Description: This value that indicates whether or not an alert should be shown when downloads complete. On Windows it appears as a systray pop-up message when a download finishes.

UI: Automatic Image Resizing

Fx Version: 2 & 3
browser.enable_automatic_image_resizing
Type: Boolean
Values: True / False
Default: True
Description: Setting this option to false stops Firefox from automatically resizing an image that is larger than the viewing window. The option to resize the image however will still be available when you move your cursor over the larger image. There is a small solution for those who want to remove it in Firefox 2, but it’s not perfect.

UI: Go Button

Fx Version: 2
browser.urlbar.hideGoButton
Type: Boolean
Values: True / False
Default: False
Description: Adds or removes the “Go” button from the address bar in Firefox 2. The “Go Button” is not present in Firefox 3.

UI: Close Buttons

Fx Version: 2 & 3
browser.tabs.closeButtons
Type: Integer
Values: 0, 1, 2 or 3
Default: 1
Description: A value of “0″ removes close buttons from all but the currently selected tab. A value of “1″ will enable close buttons for ALL tabs, while a value of “2″ removes all close buttons completely. A value of “3″ will display a close button on the far right within the tabs pane similar to 1.x versions.

UI: Tab Widths

Fx Version: 2 & 3
browser.tabs.tabMinWidth
Type: Integer
recommended: Any value 23 or above (measured in pixels). A value of 42 works nicely to prevent several tabs overlapping or running into one another when dozens of tabs are open.
Default: 100
Description: Reduces or increases the minimum pixel width of tabs when opening up many tabs before the tabs scrolling feature turns on. Lowering this value greatly reduces the frequency in which you’ll be forced to go hunting back and forth for tabs through the tabs scroll feature.

Nav: Backspace Key

Fx Version: 2 & 3
browser.backspace_action
Type: Integer
Values: 0 or 1
Default: 0
Description: Setting this option to “1″ disables keyboard shortcut to “go back” through your history associated with the backspace key. This will save you many headaches and retyping sessions when all you wanted to really do was fix a typo, not travel to the previous page AND lose everything you just typed.

Dev: Install Button

Fx Version: 2 & 3
extensions.hideInstallButton
Boolean: True/False
Default: True
Description: After disabling this option and restarting Firefox, you’ll find an “install” button next to “find updates” in your Add-ons window. This is helpful if you’re working on themes or extensions and don’t enjoy dragging and dropping files across windows repeatedly.

More to come as I nail them down

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