Automatically detect chrome bookmarks bar and open it in a new tab

Feature Requests
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1

Chrome has a major issue. For example, if I'm on youtube.com and want to open Reddit from my bookmarks bar to look something up, it always opens in the current tab. This means if I don't want to close YouTube, I have to open a new tab, which is really inconvenient. I'm currently thinking of a solution:

BetterTouchTool could detect the position of the user's mouse pointer (I'll set the Y value to be at the bookmarks bar) and automatically map the click action to the middle mouse button.

2

I think you can cmd+click the elements to open them in a new tab

3

Current Setup and Challenges

  1. Mouse Preference Over Keyboard
  • I prefer using the mouse over the keyboard whenever possible. Previously, I would drag the webpage icons from the bookmarks bar to open them in a new tab, saving the extra step of creating a new tab. I also find using the left mouse button more intuitive and comfortable compared to switching to the middle mouse button.
  1. Limitations of Current Configuration
  • My current setup partially addresses this. However, bookmarks inside folders are inaccessible because my configuration relies on cursor position as a condition. Expanding the detection area to include bookmarks within folders isn't feasible with this approach.

Feature Request for BTT (BetterTouchTool)

  1. Condition to Detect Cursor on Bookmarks or Folders
  • I suggest BTT introduce a condition to detect when the cursor is hovering over bookmarks or bookmarks inside folders. This would allow better customization for opening these items in new tabs.
  1. Condition to Detect Cursor on the Address Bar
  • Similarly, adding a condition to detect if the cursor is hovering over the address bar would be useful. This could help resolve issues like Chrome's default behavior of not opening address bar searches in new tabs.

Broader Thoughts on Interaction Design

  1. Redesigning Forum Interactions
  • Many forums, including this one, default to opening new posts in the same tab. Frankly, this interaction model, which requires constant back-and-forth navigation, feels outdated. My workaround is using a browser extension that lets me double-click on posts to open them in new tabs.
  1. Evolving Web Interactions
  • Across the internet, we should aim to move away from the "same tab navigation" model. Modern systems have abundant memory, and closing tabs only takes a click. In contrast, navigating back and forth in the same tab often leads to lost positions and slow reloading.
4

Sir, please read my new reply carefully. I have a lot of thoughts about the way PC-side Internet interacts.

5

Personally I absolutely hate any website that opens a new tab and I think I'm not the minority :wink:

However you can achieve what you want, with an advanced trigger condition:

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Here to import, you just need to check the "Allow binding to left-click without modifiers" box on the left-click
chrome_bar.bttpreset (3.1 KB)

7

Don't you find the frequent loading times and the potential loss of reading information and position to be quite frustrating?

Opening new tabs has no downsides besides wasting memory.

The Arc browser has a great feature: clicking on a post title opens a pop-up window. After reading the post, you can simply close the window. However, typical users on this forum need to go back to the previous page after reading a post, which involves waiting for it to load. There's also a risk of losing the original reading position.

8

I understand that people have different preferences and needs, that’s why BTT offers so many features.

Personally that tab based approach would cause me a lot of mental overhead. Also going back in history will not have any load times, so it’s not a problem for me :-).

I think with many single page apps opening a new tab will cause weird issues.

9

Haha, many people might feel overwhelmed by too many labels. Personally, I just prefer this one: "A gentleman can be united yet different." Thank you for developing so many triggers! I'm currently still waiting for an update on the sensor information that checks if the mouse is hovering over a bookmark in the Chrome folder. This isn't just a simple check of the cursor's XY position; it may require information from Chrome, which could be quite challenging.

10

If you need to know exactly you can use this condition:

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hovered_element_details CONTAINS "FavoritesBarButton" OR hovered_element_details CONTAINS "FaviconImageView"
11

Thanks alot andreas sir, Do we have any documentation explaining the implementation principle? Does it involve detecting images near the mouse cursor and then recognizing them?

12

no it's using the accessibility API, you can see the hovered details by clicking the second button on the very top right

1 Like
13

bravo sir, hovered_element_details CONTAINS " AXRoleDescription: "Bookmark Button"

I easily accomplished this task and couldn't help but marvel at how this API is able to provide such information.

14

I have successfully implemented the functionality, but it is based on two trigger conditions:

  1. Triggered by a
  2. Triggered by both b and c

Can we add a grouping feature to the judgment conditions? I would like a condition that reads as either a or (b and c).