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Can no longer use gestures to close new tabs set to open a blank page (firefox 108)

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  • Last reply by cor-el

PeculiarPecan
PeculiarPecan
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After updating to Firefox 108, it's no longer possible to use gesture extensions on new tabs set to open "Blank page" here: Tools > Settings > Home > New Windows and Tabs > New tabs: "Blank page".

However, when manually browsing to about:blank the page still allows gestures. E.g. to close the tab, or navigate away from it.

Viewing the page source of the "Blank page", Firefox 108 does not actually open about:blank when set to "Blank page" but instead opens about:newtab.

Either about:newtab used to allow extensions to run and no longer does, or the behavior has changed so that it now opens about:newtab instead of about:blank when setting Firefox to open new tabs in "Blank page".

This breaks work flows of using a gesture to open a new tab and gestures to navigate away from it or close it.

After updating to Firefox 108, it's no longer possible to use gesture extensions on new tabs set to open "Blank page" here: Tools > Settings > Home > New Windows and Tabs > New tabs: "Blank page". However, when manually browsing to about:blank the page still allows gestures. E.g. to close the tab, or navigate away from it. Viewing the page source of the "Blank page", Firefox 108 does not actually open about:blank when set to "Blank page" but instead opens about:newtab. Either about:newtab used to allow extensions to run and no longer does, or the behavior has changed so that it now opens about:newtab instead of about:blank when setting Firefox to open new tabs in "Blank page". This breaks work flows of using a gesture to open a new tab and gestures to navigate away from it or close it.

All Replies (6)

jonzn4SUSE
jonzn4SUSE
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What add-on are you referring to?

PeculiarPecan
PeculiarPecan Question owner
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I use Foxy Gestures. One of the gesture addons marked "Recommended" on addons.mozilla.org - I have been using it since Firefox adopted the WebExtensions API (if I remember correctly).

The extension can "draw" gestures on about:blank, but not on about:newtab which is what Firefox opens when set to open "Blank page".

jonzn4SUSE
jonzn4SUSE
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I use Gesturefy and it works. Looks like your dev has not updated the app since last year. see screenshot You will need to contact the dev for this issue or just use Gesturefy which is also recommended by Mozilla.  ;-) https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/gesturefy/

Modified by jonzn4SUSE

PeculiarPecan
PeculiarPecan Question owner
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Thanks for the tip to use Gesturefy. I have now tried disabling Foxy Gestures and install Gesturefy instead but the outcome is the same. It works on about:blank but not on about:newtab. And Firefox uses the latter when set to open new tabs with "Blank page".

jonzn4SUSE
jonzn4SUSE
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That's an issue?! Come on now... It also doesn't work on this site. I think you'll need to bring that up with the developer. Good luck. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/user/12947118/?utm_source=firefox-browser&utm_medium=firefox-browser&utm_content=addons-manager-user-profile-link

Someone closer to Dev can chime in on way some add-ons don't work on this site and the about:newtab.

Modified by jonzn4SUSE

cor-el
cor-el
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Extensions do not work on built-in about pages and on Mozilla websites.