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Session Manager Features

New features in Session Manager 0.6.1.x:

• Encryption - Session Manager can now encrypt the session data stored in session files as well as the closed window file. This feature can be enabled in the Advanced options tab. A caveat for this is that if the user has set a master password, then that password must be entered before Session Manager will be able to encrypt or decrypt data (similar to stored passwords in the browser). If the user has not yet entered the master password for the browsing session, he/she will be prompted for the master password whenever a session is loaded or saved (including at browser startup and shutdown) or a window is closed or opened. If the user cancels this prompt when loading a session or reopening a closed window, the operator will fail. If the user cancel the prompt when saving a session or closing a window, then the saved data will not be encrypted. In both cases Session Manager will throw up a warning, so it's best just to enter the master password when prompted.

• The last saved session will now be colored blue.

• The total number of windows and tabs are now listed after the session name in the following format: (windows/tabs).

• Middle clicking the tab bar will reopen the last closed tab. This is disabled if Tab Mix Plus or Tab Clicking Options is installed since they allow middle click functionality to be customized.

• CTRL/Command right clicking on an entry in the closed tab/window list will remove that item from the list.

Older Features:

• "Autosave" sessions - When a session is saved, there is now an option to make it an auto-save session. These sessions remain active when loaded and can then be closed to save them back to the same session. There are a number of ways to trigger an autosave on an autosave session:

  • Choose the save and close menu option which will do exactly that
  • Shutdown the browser (file->exit)
  • Browser crash and choose a different session (only when crash recovery is enabled)
  • Load a different session normally (not in new window or append mode).

  The only way to not save an autosave session is to choose the abandon menu entry.

  In addition if there is an autosave session loaded and the user loads a session in a new window (either by holding down the SHIFT key or middle clicking) or appends the session to the currently window (by holding donw the CTRL or Command key), the loaded session will be merged into the current autosave session. In other words the autosave session won't close.

• Last Replaced session - Ever load a session and then remember you forgot to save the current session? Well now it will back up the session you were using right before you loaded the new session. If the session you loaded was an autosave session then it will save itself, otherwise it will go to a "Last Replaced" session. The "Last Replaced" session will get overwritten on any new loads, so if you load a bunch of sessions and then realized you wanted something 2 or 3 loads ago you are SOL. This is enabled by default, but can be disabled in the General options page under Session Restoring.

• Color coding - In the session list, bold is an autosave session. Disabled (gray) is the current loaded autosave session.

• Toolbar icons - Two optional toolbars can be added to Firefox based browsers by right clicking anywhere on the menu toolbar and choosing customize. Then drag one or both of the following to anywhere on any toolbar:

  

  Session Manager Toolbar - Main Session Manager menu

  

  Recently Closed Button - Contains recently closed tabs and windows as well as option to clear recently closed list.

• Saving Sessions - Session can be manually saved by clicking the save button or going into the menu and choosing save session or save window. Saving the session will save all opened windows. Saving the window will only save that window. Session are stored by default in a sessions directory in your profile directory, but this can be changed on the SessionStore options page.

  Saved sessions include session cookies, form data (including text boxes), POSTDATA (disabled by default), open tabs (including positions), closed tabs (optional, see below) and window positions and sizes. Note, by default form data, session cookies and POSTDATA is only stored on non-encrypted pages (ie: not https://). This can be changed in the SessionStore options page to enable it for encrypted pages or disable it altogether. In addition, the default is that POSTDATA is never stored since storing it can cause the problems mentioned here, namely that it can cause forms (emails, online payments, files, etc) to be resubmitted when loading sessions. If you are careful with where you save sessions, you can enable storing it in the SessionStore options page.

  There is an option to have Session Manager automatically back up your current browsing session at browser shutdown, ask you if you want to save or never save. By default it backs up the two previous browsing sessions and crashes (deleting older ones). This can be changed in the Shutdown and Session List options on the General Options page. Old sessions are only removed on a browser shutdown or restart. Crashing will not remove old sessions. Warning, the backup is made when the browser actually shut downs, so if you close the browser by "X"ing out of all the windows, only the last window will be saved. If you want to save the last session, use the File->Exit command or better yet manually save it (or use the autosave feature in version 0.6).

• Restoring Sessions - Session can be restored by going into the menu and choosing the session name to restore. When a session is restored, the tabs are loaded from the session file. There is an option to reload the page when the session is restored on the General Options page. Checking this will cause the browser to get the most up to date version from the web site.

  There are a number of ways a session can be restored depending on the chosen options and on what keys are held down while clicking. Key presses will always override the options. There are three different restoration options.

  • Replace current session - The chosen session will replace the current browser session. Any open windows will be lost. This is the default setting. This will occur if the "Replace Existing Windows" option is checked or if the user holds down CTRL/Command+SHIFT while clicking on the session name. In 0.6 or later this will also save and close the current auto-save session or if no auto-save session is loaded, will save the current session to the "last replaced" browsing session. (see 0.6 features above).

  • Preserve current session - The chosen session will be opened and the already opened windows will be preserved. This will occur if the "Replace Existing Windows" option is not checked, if the user middle clicks on the session name or if the user holds down the SHIFT key while left clicking on the session name. In 0.6 or later this will not close the current auto-save session.

  • Append to current window - The chosen session will be added to the current window. In other words every tab in every window in the saved session will be added to the current window. This only occurs if the user holds down the CTRL or Command key while click on the session name. In 0.6 or later this will not close the current auto-save session.

  
  

  There is another option that relates to save and restoring sessions. The "Restore list of reopen-able closed tabs..." persistence option in the Undo Options tells Session Manager what you want it to do with closed tabs in sessions:

  • never - Never save closed tabs in sessions and delete all closed tabs when the browser is shutdown. Also closed tabs will not be restored from saved sessions that had been saved with closed tabs.

  • startup - Never save closed tabs in sessions, but does not delete them when the browser is shutdown. Closed tabs in saved sessions will only be restored if that session is loaded at startup (either via prompting or by setting that sessions name in the load at startup setting in the General options page. This is the default setting.

  • always - Always save closed tabs in sessions and restore them from saved sessions.

• Crash Recovery - By default, if Firefox crashes it asks you if you want to restore the last session when you start it up again. Session Manager gives you the option to restore not only the current browsing session, but any session you want. Crash Recovery can be disabled on the SessionStore Option tab. There are also some advanced setting in the SessionStore options tab which you shouldn't play with unless you know what they do. For more information about Firefox's built in crash manager, SessionStore, see the SessionStore API documentation.

• Restoring Closed Tabs - By default, Firefox saves tabs when they are closed. The number of windows saved (default is 10) is customizable in the Undo Close options. The closed tabs can be remembered from browser session to browser session (see option above). To restore a closed tab click its name in the recently closed button menu or if that is not visible from the session manager menu. To restore the last closed tab click the reopen closed button (if visible). You can also use the default Firefox keyboard shortcut of Ctrl/Command+Shift+T to restore the last closed tab. The closed tab list can be cleared, by selecting the clear list option.

• Restoring Closed Windows - Session Manager can save windows when they are closed. The number of windows saved (default is 10) is customizable in the Undo Close options. The closed windows can be remembered from browser session to browser session by checking the "Don't clear..." option at the bottom of the Undo Close options. The default is to not save the window list. Note that, unlike closed tabs, the closed windows are never saved when saving sessions. That feature may be added if I get requests for it. To restore a closed window, click on its name in the recently closed button menu or if that is not visible in the session manager menu. The options and key presses that apply to restoring sessions, also apply when opening closed windows (ie: CTRL or Command will append a closed window). To restore the last closed window shift-click the reopen closed button (if visible). The closed window list can be cleared, by selecting the clear list option.