Difference with Auto Tab Discard

[mrwensveen]

This extension looks very useful, however it also mentions using Auto Tab Discard. What is the difference between this extension and ATD? What is the use case for using both extensions simultaneously?

This isn't an issue but a question, obviously, but I didn't know where else to ask it.

[Lej77]

The Unload tabs via the Auto Tab Discard extension feature was originally added after a user noticed a compatibility issue with Auto Tab Discard. The issue caused Firefox to not update the discarded property when the active/current tab was unloaded by other addons which in turn caused tabs to look loaded in other extensions such as Tree Style Tab and Tab Center Redux even when they were really unloaded/discarded. I made a Pull Request to Auto Tab Discard that fixed the issue and the author mentioned that it was possible to use Auto Tab Discard to perform the tab unloading.

I think that the only reason to use the feature now is if you want Auto Tab Discard to change the favicon of unloaded tabs so that you can see them easier.

This extension is really for quickly and easily unloading tabs via Tree Style Tab's sidebar by for example middle clicking tabs. From what I understand Auto Tab Discard has some more advanced features like unloading tabs after they have been unused for a certain amount of time or after a certain amount of tabs have been loaded/opened. I don't use Auto Tab Discard myself since I prefer to be explicit about what tabs to unload but I think you could use both if you wanted to mostly handle tab unloading yourself but still have a maximum number of loaded tabs that you didn't want to exceed. You could also use Auto Tab Discard for only certain hostnames and use manual tab unloading for others.

[grahamperrin]

… I think that the only reason to use the feature now is if you want Auto Tab Discard to change the favicon of unloaded tabs so that you can see them easier. …

I enabled the integration, then set Auto Tab Discard to not change favicon of discarded tabs, then used Tab Unloader for Tree Style Tab to discard a tab.

Result: a change of the favicon – it's dimmed.

Do I misunderstand the feature of Auto Tab Discard?

When change favicon of discarded tabs is enabled, what change does it attempt (if not dimming)?

[Lej77]

Here is an example of 2 unloaded tabs that have Wikipedia open. One was unloaded using Auto Tab Discard (the second one) and one wasn't. The one that was unloaded using Auto Tab Discard has a different favicon than it would normally have, a more dimmed one.

Sidebar

This extension injects some custom CSS style rules that dim unloaded tabs:

Tabbar

Extensions can't affect the appearance of the native tabbar so the unloaded tabs aren't normally visible, but Auto Tab Discard changes the favicon of unloaded tab and that is actually visible:

Edit: also note that currently you need to press the Save Options button at the end of Auto Tab Discard's options page for any setting changes to be applied so you might not have actually disabled the change favicon behavior of Auto Tab Discard.

[grahamperrin]

Thanks. I'm not sure what was wrong earlier in the week, but the combination of preferences does have a noticeable effect.

☑ Change favicon of discarded tabs (if possible)

– and I see a change.