FLST
Focus Last Selected Tab
Description
FLST
is an extension for Google Chrome, providing a natural / MRU style
tab ordering (Most Recently Used), plus options for
Tab Flipping,
New Tab Select, and
New Tab Location.
Some features are related to former FireFox versions.
More details:
Overview
«»
Limitations
«»
Tab Flipping
«»
New Tab Select
«»
New Tab Location
► Intro
When running Google Chrome with multiple tabs,
FLST
provides a more natural browsing experience by maintaining tabs
with MRU ordering (Most Recently Used); when the current tab is closed,
the Last-Selected-Tab gets displayed (or "Focused").
A common usage example starts with search results from google.com
(or any search engine) :
- next we open a linked page in a new tab, read some content,
and later close the tab; the MRU ordering switches the
selected/displayed tab back to the search results
- then we cycle through additional links until the target
information is found
- when finished, we close the tab with search results,
and again the display is returned to the Last-Selected-Tab
from the MRU list
To suit user choices, the other
FLST
features are designed as configurable options.
When this extension is first installed, options are enabled.
Click the other buttons above for option details.
Be sure to read
Limitations (next button)
► Method
Chrome assigns a numeric ID for each tab (eg 111, 14, 79).
During various tab-related events,
FLST
updates sets of tab-IDs with MRU ordering.
Tab ordering is privately maintained for each Chrome window.
Migrating tabs between windows is also supported.
► Background
After Google Chrome was introduced, many features from Mozilla Firefox
and FF extensions were desirable for Chrome.
By 2011, a new independent
FLST
extension was created for Chrome, partly inspired by features
from a mix of now-former Firefox versions. (also see
Limitations, next button)
► Extension history,
FLST Chrome
Release Date | FLST Revision | Chrome Manifest |
Jan 2011 | Rev 1.0 | V1 |
Jan 2012 | Rev 1.1 | V1 |
Jun 2013 | Rev 1.2 | V2 |
Feb 2021 | Rev 2.1 | V2 |
►
Limitations:
Since 2011 / Chrome 8.x and probably earlier versions,
when the current/displayed tab is clicked,
Chrome ignores that event and does nothing.
Different methods are required to trigger
Tab Flipping.
Click the next button for related details.
►
All
extensions including
FLST
cannot prevent others from altering tab-related activity.
So far all reported issues have been
caused by another enabled extension.
To resolve any issues, first disable all other extensions,
quit and restart Chrome, then retest.
Re-enable other extensions only 1 at a time between tests.
► ALERT!
Google announced the next major revision for extensions
(MV3 / Manifest Version 3) along with drastic changes
that migrate or eliminate access to many Chrome services.
For most of Chrome history, extensions were are all based on MV2.
The recent schedule for ending MV2 support starts
"after June 2024".
Oddly, Google has maintained their plan despite years of
adverse feedback from developers, including Chrome and W3C
extension groups.
For related info, see
this article on EFF.org
(Electronic Frontier Foundation).
► 2024
Total donations to date are tiny –
290 times less
than minimum wage, or about 2.5 cents an hour.
If you want a MV3 version of this extension,
be sure to donate soon to
FLST
(see links below).
(Option)
Tab Flipping:
When there are
2
or more tabs, clicking the Extension Icon
will flip (or toggle) between the current-tab and the Last-Selected-Tab.
The same flip/toggle can be done with a keyboard shortcut
(example: Alt+N).
Chrome supports configuring shortcuts to most
Ctrl+ or
Alt+
combinations.
Instructions are also provided during installation.
Older extensions used a content script for shortcuts like F9 or F10,
though Chrome support was always incomplete and now removed.
Click the previous button for related
Limitations.
►
To set
FLST Options
►
Right-click the extension icon
and click
►
To set Chrome Keyboard shortcuts (2 choices)
►
• Right-click the extension icon
and click
►
• or type Ctrl+T and paste this URL to the omnibox / address bar
➔
chrome://extensions/shortcuts
(Option)
New Tab Select:
After a right-click on a regular link and choosing
,
also select/display the new tab.
When a tab is opened with that method, the Chrome standard creates
a new tab usually with content, but does not display the new tab;
the opener remains displayed.
This option automates selecting/displaying the new tab,
eliminating the need to also click the new tab.
►
To set
FLST Options
►
Right-click the extension icon
and click
(Option)
New Tab Location:
After a right-click on a regular link and choosing
,
place the new tab on the far right.
When a tab is opened with that method, the Chrome standard places
the new tab on the immediate right.
The difference is apparent in the common case
where the opener / current-tab is
not the furthest right.
►
Note that Chrome places new blank tabs (Ctrl+T)
and some chrome:// tabs on the far right;
this extension does not alter that behavior.
►
To set
FLST Options
►
Right-click the extension icon
and click
Make any donation to
FLST
Every bit helps. Thanks.
Questions / Requests
Install FLST
► Tell a friend about Google Chrome