darkoshi: (Default)
Darkoshi ([personal profile] darkoshi) wrote2020-06-06 11:38 pm
Entry tags:

Waterfox, Firefox and overriding new tabs to display local file

I've been using Waterfox Classic, which allows old pre-Quantum Firefox add-ons to work.
Today I finally tried out Waterfox Current, which doesn't support those old add-ons and is based more on the current version of Firefox.

With Waterfox Current, my prior methods of overriding the new tab page to display a local HTML file did not work. I tried out several other ideas*, which did not work either.

I finally found a way to make it work, using the js/cfg file method described on these pages:
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1210576
https://www.reddit.com/r/FirefoxCSS/comments/elqmwf/new_tab_homepage_local_file_broken_userchromecss/

According to the 2nd page, that method worked for Firefox v72.
I had noticed a while back that the new tab override wasn't working for my current-version Firefox browser either, but I don't use that browser much anyway.
Now today when I try using the same 2 files that work for me in Waterfox Current, with Firefox 77.0.1, they still don't work there! Fie! Fie! Fie on you, Firefox!


*You can use an add-on to have new tabs open your home page, but it doesn't work when the home page is a local file.

You can use an add-on to open a specific website (but not a local file**) in new tabs.

**Unless the add-on copies the local file to the add-on's storage space, in which case you need to reload it in the add-on every time you update the file. Having a (static) local file which the add-on loads to its storage space redirect to another (dynamic) local file does not work.

You can use an add-on to redirect from one URL to another. But redirecting the new tabs from a specific website to a local file does not work; that gives a Security Error.
marahmarie: (M In M Forever) (Default)

[personal profile] marahmarie 2020-06-07 04:17 am (UTC)(link)
Why did you move from Waterfox Classic to Waterfox Current? Are there any advantages to it?

Still using Classic myself, with the Classic Add-ons Archive add-on to get older add-ons (ie, Web Dev Ancient as coded by Fred Flintstone) to work. That said, I'm not using it all that much anymore: I've made my peace with using Web Dev, as made by Chris Pederick in the more modern day, in Firefox current. When I need to re-write website HTML, which is rare enough, I jump back to the Flinstone version in Waterfox Classic.
Edited 2020-06-07 04:18 (UTC)
marahmarie: (M In M Forever) (Default)

[personal profile] marahmarie 2020-06-08 04:18 am (UTC)(link)
That they run side by side is good to know (as I may try that out, myself), thanks.