Note to self. I really should read the change logs or new feature lists for applications properly when new versions come out.
Firefox is still the best browser out there, we all know that, but some of the little features and touches that these guys add are quite simply amazing.
Everyone using Firefox 2 should know that you can drag your tabs to re-organise where they are listed from left to right which is a powerful feature in itself. From an organisational point of view though I quite often work with an Active Collab tab first, my SideJob account open next and maybe my delicious account after with whatever I am reading thereafter. Occasionally I need to move these around if I start browsing something and then get down to work which and this feature is handy and a time saver.
What I didn’t realise until today is that I can move tabs between Firefox windows! In the same way that you would drag a tab left and right to re-organise, you can drag a tab down to another Firefox window, where it would maximise, and then place as you would normally on the tab bar. This excellent feature also works for links, dragging the link to another window and letting go on the tab bar reloads that link in a new tab. Alternatively drop it on a current tab to load in that tab.
Is this another case of Firefox staying more than one step ahead of IE7?
Nice tip, benbishop. Only problem is if you only have one tab open on the destination window, then you have to replace the contents of the window, it won’t just add another tab. This is on Firefox 2.0.0.1 Linux.
Valid point Doooks, its the same on Vista (Firefox 2.0.0.1). They need a new tab button or area they can be dropped onto in a window without tabs…. I can feel an extension (read ‘Add-on) coming on. Anyone?
For all I know you may be able to already do this. Will keep playing….
My question is how do you move a tab while preserving it’s history.
@j,
Ah yes, I see that the history doesn’t move with the tab.
Its probably fair to say that the extra work or problems that developing this feature would probably outway the benefits though. I am struggling to find an example where I would need the history. When moving a tab its becasue you want to view that page in another window, not the trail or history getting there?
The tab is, in fact, _not_ moved between windows. What happens is that only the URL is duplicated; that\’s also why History doesn’t move with it. Just try opening a tab in one window with animation, such as a YouTube video, and then move it to another window. You’ll see that the new tab will have to reload the video instead of continuing the video, which is what it should do if it moved.
Technically true but like in Windows and I assume most operating systems when you move a file it is copied and then the original is deleted, so literally not moved.
For the purpose of the post and as a feature, I think its close enough to moving.
Check my thoughts on this two comments above though. I still stand by that.
@doooks, Bish:
you don’t need an extension, if you don’t mind losing history.
you should check “Always show tab bar” @ Preferences / Tabs
though I’m using the Tab Mix Plus extension, which allows (amongst others) to reopen a tab in a new window, preserving its history.