One instance of Firefox

[the_tazinator]

Back when Firefox was still young, there use to be an extension called Single Window which would only allow you to have one open version of Firefox. The bad thing is that this extension ended at version 1.0PR. Does anyone know of any extensions that do this for version 1.0 or how to set Firefox so that only one instance is running at a time?

Here is the extension that I am refering to.

 

[NetRyder]

You don't actually need the extension if you use 1.0. There's a built in option to use just a single window for everything.




Nevertheless, if you still want the Single Window extension, this one should work:
http://www.extensionsmirror.nl/index.php?showtopic=290

 

[j79zlr]

You have to make a change in about:config to show that, http://www.j79zlr.com/howto.php?id=17

 

[the_tazinator]

I don't have that option.

The only categories that I have under options are:

Accessibility
Browsing
Software Update
Security
Certificates
Validation

Could this be a Windows vs. Linux thing cause I am running Firefox on WinXP?

 

[NetRyder]

Could this be a Windows vs. Linux thing cause I am running Firefox on WinXP?

I'm using it under XP too. I forgot that it's a hidden preference. Just follow j79zlr's post to enable it.

 

[the_tazinator]

I think this is a case of shooting yourself in the foot. I installed a tabbed browser extension trying to get this to work and it changed the options under advanced. I uninstalled the extension and now I have that selection. I will play with this and see if everything works the way that it should.

Thanks!

 

[the_tazinator]

Still doesn't work the way that I want. If I already have an open instance of Firefox and then click on the link to open another version of firefox it opens a second window rather than refreshing the window that was already open. I know this is a small detail but I am bouncing back and forth between Firefox and Maxthon and that is the one option that Maxthon offers that I like that I have to yet find in Firefox.

 

[j79zlr]

What exactly are you trying to do? e.g. what link are you trying to open?

If you have configured Firefox like Netryder and I have shown, it will open a new tab instead of a new window for evertyhing.

 

[NetRyder]

Make sure it's set up exactly like the posted screenshot. That way:
1) Any links you click within Firefox that are supposed to open new windows will open in new tabs instead
2) Any links that you click within third-party applications (for example, a link in your mail client or IM window) will open in a new tab in Firefox.

If it still doesn't accomplish what you're trying to do, I did post a link to the Single Window extension for Firefox 1.0 in my first reply.

 

[the_tazinator]

It doesn't really have anything to do with any link or browsing the web at all. It is an application issue. About the simplest way that I can explain it is that if you click on your shortcut to open firefox twice you get two seperate instances of firefox. The way that I want it to work is that if you click on the shortcut twice, the first time opens firefox and the second time just brings the already open version of firefox back and does not open a second window.

 

[j79zlr]

Don't think you can do that. If you open Firefox twice, you will get two open instances of firefox. Why would you want to do what you want to do? Why not just click on Firefox in your task bar?

 

[the_tazinator]

At times I have several windows open and little taskbar space to display the apps running and overlook that Firefox is already open. Normally this would not be a problem but I have come across some cases where I have to log into a server (for work) via the web and it will only allow me to have one active logon. I try to logon to the server and it says that I am already connected. That is when I realize that I am already logged on with a different browser window. By only allowing one instance of Firefox this would be eliminated.

 

[vern]

The extension ... Tabbrowser Preferences gives me great flexibility in how my windows and firefox spawn other browser windows or tabs.

 

[the_tazinator]

Found a fix for this. I went to the authors website and downloaded the extension. Even thought the version numbers are the same, the one from his site worked where the one from the extension site didn't.

Here is the extension in case anyone wants to try it. Download the xpi file, open your extension window, then drag the xpi file into the open extension window and it will install it.