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You may notice New Tab Redirect 3.0 requires additional permissions. In addition to the previous tabs and storage permissions, it now requires "topSites", "management", "bookmarks", and "chrome://favicon/". In accordance with Chrome's recent extension constraints, I've had to provide a single visible UI for the user. This visible UI is a customized APPs page that includes functionality similar to the New Tab Page that was changed in Chrome 33. This is a feature that I've received many emails about. Using the New Tab Redirect Apps page, you also gain focus of the address bar and immediate search capabilities (another feature users wanted with the chrome://apps redirect). Now, the extension has a single visible UI and maintains it's one focus (allowing the user to dynamically define a page to load in the new tab). While the extra permissions aren't required for, say, redirecting to Facebook, they're still required for the default visible UI that you still have an option to override.
There are a few questions which people regularly ask. This is probably the best place to find an answer.
I've also started compiling a list of questions users have asked and I answer directly here.
New! I've added a new page for user-submitted videos. Check it out!
"Why doesn't the URL Focus/Highlight?"
Once installed from Chrome Web Store, New Tab Redirect can be found:
Linux:
~/.config/google-chrome/Default/Extensions/icpgjfneehieebagbmdbhnlpiopdcmna/
Windows:
C:\Users\**username**\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\icpgjfneehieebagbmdbhnlpiopdcmna\
Mac:
Macintosh HD\Users\**username**\Library\Application Support\Google\Chrome\Default\Extensions\icpgjfneehieebagbmdbhnlpiopdcmna\
Where **username** is the name of your computer's login/username. Within this directory are installed versions. For example, v2.2 will be in a folder named 2.2. All source from this repository is located under this directory.
In the top-right of your Google Chrome browser, click the Wrench icon, then select Tools -> Extensions. A new tab will appear. Alternatively, you can type chrome://extensions/ into the address bar.
Scroll down to New Tab Redirect! and click Options.
Alternatively, you can navigate directly to the options page: chrome-extension://icpgjfneehieebagbmdbhnlpiopdcmna/options.html This is where Chrome takes you when you click the Options link, as defined in manifest.json
In the top-right of your Google Chrome browser, click the Wrench icon, then select Tools -> Extensions. A new tab will appear. Alternatively, you can type chrome://extensions/ into the address bar.
Scroll down to New Tab Redirect! and click Uninstall.
For security reasons, Google Chrome does not allow extensions to access certain parts of the browser. This has nothing to do with New Tab Redirect, and has everything to do with Chrome itself.
It is possible to create a static new tab page (i.e. a local or hosted page which can't be changed). In this case, the new tab will gain focus because this is handled internally in the browser. Because New Tab Redirect allows the user to dynamically change and load a customized URL, which is done after the browser would focus the address bar, this functionality is lost. Unfortunately, this the only way to have a customized new tab page which can be easily modified by the user.
If you'd like to create your own static new tab page, you can download one of the samples from http://code.google.com/chrome/extensions/samples.html and modify it to meet your needs.
There is an experimental API for interaction with the omnibar. However, this interaction is currently little more than watching the omnibar for changes. It does not allow an extension to modify the bar in anyway. If/when this functionality is available, I will implement it as soon as possible.
For those who want a quick and dirty way to highlight the address bar, do as I do and click CTRL+L. This will highlight the omnibar and is only difficult if you don't regularly type with both hands on home row.
Accessing the options page can be done as with any other extension.
Steps can be found here: http://www.google.com/support/chrome/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=187443
If you still have trouble finding the options page, you may copy/paste one of the following links into your address bar and hit ENTER:
- All extensions: chrome://extensions/
- New Tab Redirect options: chrome-extension://icpgjfneehieebagbmdbhnlpiopdcmna/options.html
However, I recommend becoming familiar with accessing the options pages for extensions you decide to install. Although the Chrome team has done a fairly good job of designing an extension system which provides a great deal of security, there are still extension out there which can track and maintain your personal information without your consent. This, of course, violates the terms which all developers must accept before submitting an extension to the gallery, but that doesn't stop certain people from breaking the rules. Gaining the trust of users is one reason why I've hosted the code for the extension.
This is a question I've only received once so it doesn't exactly fit the "Frequently Asked" requirement to make this page. I think this is very important for everyone to know, so I'm including it anyway.
To edit the extension's source code (e.g. options.js), the locations are:
Linux:
~/.config/google-chrome/Default/Extensions/icpgjfneehieebagbmdbhnlpiopdcmna/1.0.0.38_0/options.js
Windows:
C:\Users\**username**\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\User Data\Default\Extensions\icpgjfneehieebagbmdbhnlpiopdcmna\1.0.0.38_0\options.js
Mac:
Macintosh HD\Users\**username**\Library\Application Support\Google\Chrome\Default\Extensions\icpgjfneehieebagbmdbhnlpiopdcmna\1.0.0.38\options.js
Of course, you would need to modify "1.0.0.38" with whatever version you have installed. Also, different versions of Chrome may maintain the version numbers differently. Once you are in the folder which begins with "icp..." you should be able to enter the folder with the highest version number to make any local changes.
This extension was written before the Google Web Store was launched, so losing the original new tab page wasn't a big problem. You may notice that once you replace your new tab page, there's not really a way to access your apps any longer. One solution is to bookmark the original new tab page and use that bookmark when you need to access your apps. (The thought being you use your new tab more often than apps)
Mike Sheppard writes:
Helpful Tip: Any apps you install are shown on the original Google New Tab page. New Tab Redirect takes over that function and it’s then difficult to get to your apps. SOLUTION: Before installing New Tab Redirect, click + for a new tab; click the star at right end of omnibar (address bar) to create a bookmark. Right click this New Tab bookmark and choose Edit.
Put in whatever name you want (I chose Google New Tab) and for URL enter “chrome-internal://newtab/” without the quote marks. NOW install New Tab Redirect.
When you click the + for a new tab, you get your chosen page. If you click “Google New Tab”, you get the page with Apps, Web Store, Most Visited, etc.
Simple.
This isn't a 'Hotkey' like CTRL+E, I just couldn't think of another word for misusing a search engine shortcut
Before Google Chrome existed, I used Firefox. I loved the ability to add shortcut keys to bookmarks. You can do this to add a shortcut to your original new tab page:
- Click [Wrench] -> Preferences
- Select the Basic tab
- Click Manage Search Engines
- In the box labeled Add a new search engine, type
NewTab - In the box labeled Keyword, type
apps - In the box labeled Url with %s in place of query, type
chrome-internal://newtab
Here is what you should see:
Be warned, adding too many shortcuts this way will prevent you from being able to type that single word into the address bar to perform a search. You may never need to search for the single term 'apps', but if you find that you've created a term that opens a shortcut, Chrome has an internal query term: ?. To use this to query 'apps', for example, you would type into the search bar: ? apps and hit enter.
Now, you can have your new tab be whatever page you want, and whenever you want to access the original New Tab Page for apps, you just type apps in the address bar and hit enter.
Some users want non-redirect functionality. The way this extension is intended to work is to allow everyday Chrome users to define a new URL they want to load in a new tab. It does this by loading redirect.html, loading the saved URL from local/sync storage, then redirecting to that page. Sometimes, this HTML redirect can cause issues. For example, if a user wants only a blank page, a redirect to about:blank will cause the address bar to lose focus or focus and typing appends to the end of 'about:blank'.
I've added two example new tab replacement extensions. These can be enabled in one of two ways.
These instructions are for the empty example. Follow the same directions for redirect, updating filenames below accordingly.
- Create a directory under your user's Documents directory called
empty. (We'll refer to this asDocuments/empty) - Save empty.html as
Documents/empty/empty.html. - Save manifest.txt as
Documents/empty/manifest.json(note: saved filename ends in .json, not .txt) - Navigate to
chrome://extensions - Check 'Developer mode' if it is not checked
- Click 'Load Unpacked Extension'
- Select
Documents/emptydirectory
Once loaded, every new tab page will be an empty white page. If you have other extensions enabled which override the new tab page (like New Tab Redirect), you should disable those extensions.
If you have New Tab Redirect installed (v2.2 or higher), you can point to these files directly. Refer to the locations at the top of this page for your operating system. I'll refer to the New Tab Redirect location as [NTR].
- Navigate to
[NTR]\examples\empty - Rename
manifest.txtto manifest.json` - Navigate to
chrome://extensions - Check 'Developer mode' if it is not checked
- Click 'Load Unpacked Extension'
- Select
[NTR]\examples\emptydirectory