Option to "save-close" a tab by default when closing it normally (e.g. Ctrl-W or clicking the X button)

hotkey is impossible without embedding a script on every page, which will require access to tabs content, which i am strongly against (not only because of the security reasons, but also because this is VERY resources unfriendly, for example there is some extension which utilize this, if you will try to install them when you have several hundreds open tabs, Chrome will crash or will be unresponsive for half a hour). There some rumors that google work on some hotkeys possibilities for extensions, yet i don't know actually.

It is also impossible to add modifier key to to close tab. 

And It is impossible to hide tab bar, as far as i know.

Yet it is possible to add additional extension button to address bar. It is good idea and maybe I will do this.

hotkey is impossible without embedding a script on every page, which will require access to tabs content, which i am strongly against (not only because of the security reasons, but also because this is VERY resources unfriendly, for example there is some extension which utilize this, if you will try to install them when you have several hundreds open tabs, Chrome will crash or will be unresponsive for half a hour). There some rumors that google work on some hotkeys possibilities for extensions, yet i don't know actually.

It is also impossible to add modifier key to to close tab. 

And It is impossible to hide tab bar, as far as i know.

Yet it is possible to add additional extension button to address bar. Maybe I will do this, I was already think about something like this, especially when there will be custom icons for tabs functionality, i have plans to add them from address bar also, by this button (with a menu) in addressbar line.

To add my thoughts here... I actually expected this behaviour by default, this is something that seemed natural to me, but as Vladyslav describes this might be difficult to achieve with current *acceptable* approaches?

Anyway, to clarify, if one was to close a saved window or tab via the browser, it be would awesome (where its possible within reason) for TO to hook those events and save to object being closed, as if clicking the green X.

I'm not too sure if that's possible (I don't know anything about Chrome add-on development), but maybe you can add an event listener to a tab closing and then instantly restore the tab at its previous position without actually loading it.

Perhaps, lets see what Vladyslav says?

Small clarification from my side, I expected a tab to be saved when I used CTRL+W, when it was already part of a saved window/group.

My reaction went something like this when I realised this wasn't possible (yet)

OK, having re-read the documentation again and played more with the extension, I'm happy to report that it appears the concept/code already exists to handle tabs/windows being closed via normal Chrome methods, like CTRL+W or window/tab X button AND being saved/persisted by TO.

The caveat today is, one needs to have customised the window/tab node in the tree. Customised/Persisted nodes +/- control will turn green, then the node doesn't care how you close it, it persists... awesome. I think the docs refer to this as "green tick".

I guess what would be useful, as mentioned in this topic:

1. The user option to make windows/tabs persistent by default? i.e. green nodes by default without having to customise first, I suspect this kinda of thing might already be in development?
   
   Alternative user option: if a tab is a child of a persisted green node, then save+close and persist by default?
   
   
2. Hot key to save+close tab/window and child tabs, but as Vladyslav writes, this might not be a *good* thing to do within the current Chrome release. It looks like in the future there might be better hot key support   but until then... this might have to be on the wish list

The idea behind all of this is to generate less open or saved tabs, not more. So for node to become persisted (after close) user required to apply something custom to it. Manually. There intentionally no any features to make something new persisted automatically (except in Chrome crash case). 

Yet there for sure will be way to quickly apply something custom (bold style for titles, or special color) to a set of tabs, for example to all subnodes of some window. After that, all of them will be protected from gone on close.

Thanks Vladyslav, I guess what I'm getting at, it would be very cool option if the protection would be inherited from the parent node.

Related: "Continue where I left off" feature works nicely in Chrome, but it doesn't seem to play well with TO right now? So turning it off kind of makes nodes vulnerable. I have to pay special attention to save+close tabs via TO before I can exit Chrome.

> protection would be inherited from the parent node.

I also had such idea, but... my short experiment clearly show that new users tend to overuse this feature. Final result is not so much usable, and not worth that extension will become much more tangled and complicated in persistence logic for tabs - as we see even already present, simple rules, is not something everyone immediately grasp (actually all new users have problem with this feature).

There is "Close & Save All Open Windows" button - shut down chrome using it. It will guarantee that everything will be saved. 

Of course there is also need done some work regards to interoperability with internal Chrome restore feature. Unfortunately - it is implemented in a way that make this task very complex and guess based.

> There is "Close & Save All Open Windows" button - shut down chrome using it. It will guarantee that everything will be saved. 

Yes, I'm using this approach at the moment, but then nothing starts up when I launch Chrome.

I want my  cake and I want to eat it!! :)

Yet concept of parent which protect all sub-nodes is cool and handy sometime. I thinking about adding this as some special protecting node. But, is it really so much needed, except it is cool concept, i am really not so sure.

In time you will find that you work with Chrome tab strip less. And using TO is always possible to decide - do you really want to close & delete window, or only unload it.

:) I am changing the way I work, but a compromise and options are nice!

BTW

This you recent finding is one of the core feature around all of this. And the fact that you find this only after some time (and big one) is a clear indicator that documentation is not work as expected. Unfortunately. But how to make it better and more prominent i don't know.

Its always a challenge!

I've been thinking to do a video "quick start guide" with a voice over and subtitles for TO, but if you go and change default behaviours... then that video will be out of date really quickly!

In my experience with usability its important to try and find something that will make sense and work for the 90% people without documentation.

I guess a question about my input is, "Am I the 10%?" and should you be telling me to go a play in the traffic? :D

I guess I'm starting to become an advanced user of TO now, and like you said, the adaptation took some time for me. I just had to basically try everything and read the docs three times to get it properly.

I'd be happy to help wherever I can to try and find solutions that work for the 90% which I think most of TO does already.

I guess because its simple yet powerful and works a certain way today, perhaps a compromise it to make more options for people to choose a use case that works for them.

Perhaps even starting people on the settings page, so they can choose how it works for them and also train them with basic concepts through their own choices...

What is very clear to me, the basic core features are very powerful and I love it. Its changed to the way I'm working, productivity is up and Chrome resource utilisation is down. :) :) Having 100+ tabs open can be such a distraction!

Love TO and I've only been using it for a few hours. The only thing I'd really like is a dialog when I close a window that asks me if I'd like to really close or save-close. At the moment it's to easy to forget to close a window using the green X in TO and accidentally lose all those tabs.

Thanks for a great product

Do you know that you can right click in Chrome tab strip (in any open Chrome window) and select "reopen closed tab" or "reopen closed window". 

Also any new empty tab in Chrome have in right bottom corner list of all recently closed tabs and windows.

Hope this help as temporary solution till there will be undo feature in Tabs Outliner.

Thanks, I knew about re-open tab but I'd forgotten about the re-open window feature.

CTRL+SHIFT+T FTW :)

> hotkey is impossible without embedding a script on every page, which will require access to tabs content

Actually, you can now make hotkeys for "clicking" extension buttons. (look at bottom-right corner of chrome://extensions) So i guess It's an easy workaround (even if it will require additional extension for this feature)

Also this for the future 

really nice tip... yet to manually configure some additional extension to do this work (as i cannot do this through install) users first must become proficient with Tabs Outliner. And after that, the idea of saving some window through Chrome itself will be not so desired. Personally I have TO always visible. If not - it is only one click to open it for current window and to focus it in a first line - so by next click in TO you can save this current window. 

Is this really so needed feature to do something about or even to make so long conversation, I am really unsure. When Chrome will implement shortcuts i will add this.

From my perspective, its "nice to have", the less I have to take my hands off the keyboard, the better :) This is espcially true for users with a lot of screen real estate.

Hmm... an idea, if this is all only about not to use mouse, what about shortcut to open or bring to front Tabs Outliner (can be configured as Alexander Phoenix suggest) and then one more shortcut (which will be processed by active TO) to save current active Chrome window (it is focused anyway when you activate extension button)?

Is this solve this problem? Full fledge keyboard support is planed in any case.... but maybe this shortcut need to do in a first place if this is so demanded.

vladyslav, i follow your first paragraph but not your second, can you clarify?

I will try Alexander's suggestion :)

> I will try Alexander's suggestion :)

meantime is nothing to try, as TO does not support keyboard operations at a moment, so after activation you will be required to use mouse anyway. 

What i am talking about is that if TO window will be active (after activation by configured in Chrome extensions settings shortcut) they can accept shortcut not through Chrome, but directly. So it will be possible to close-save previously active window (from which) TO was activated using only keyboard.

Got it!

Yeah I guess, CTRL+something to activate/focus TO then start typing to filter and arrow keys + enter would be very nice indeed :)

And the close-save prev active window sounds good :)

I'm not sure if you maintain a tab focus stack/queue for the last n tabs, perhaps if you do, this could be used to focus/select/highlight the most recently focused tab (that wasn't TO)

Then its just a case of making the save-close?

Also thought that this would be the default.  If I take the time to organize tabs into Groups, that implies I have some desire to keep them.  I sit there organizing my tabs, and I close the window thinking "Oh great now I've saved all my tabs into this cool little group and I'll come back later" .... and ... their gone.  If I want to close that window and come back later, I have to always remember to close it via the X in Tab Outliner, and that is only temporary.  There should be a Pin button for groups/pages that makes that item and all children saved such that the only way to delete them is using the Trash icon, and/or an option "All items pinned by default". Otherwise, as soon as I open those again, they will disappear next time if I don't again remember to go back to Tab Outliner.  It only takes one mistake of hitting the X in Chrome and losing everything in my group.  Having to create a note under each and every page is silly IMO.  Is this project open source?

Yet for any other who might read this worth to mention that in future version there will as the pin button as the history view, as the internal undo, as the tree enabled history which will allow to revert or review the tree in any past point of the time.

And good rates just enable this to happen faster, as with them there bigger stream of good users, who support and help. Of course with them there also a bigger stream of users like Aaron. But i recently just open for myself the solution to this problem...

"users like Aaron"?  Tell me what I am like?  I think you are taking my comments a bit too personally.  I do software development that is very user oriented.  Myself and the other's on my team are usually very frank about what the user experience would be like and explore how different changes might improve/degrade a user's experience.  Often times we find solutions that preserve existing behavior for our user base who are used to a certain workflow, and with only slight changes or optional settings, allow other scenarios of usage.  I think what you have is great, but just watching even your videos of what you call intended usage, there are things that a user has to make habitual, when really the software could handle those things for them.  There are a couple sayings "I object to doing something that a computer can do." or DRY:Don't Repeat Yourself, which applies to user experience as much as it applies to software design.  

"99% of the tabs in the tree for heavily tabiters is not saved by them intentionally or organized."   First, let me say you are right that many tabs are temporary, and that my proposal to provide an option to make all tabs saved by default is probably a bit too aggressive, hence my followup post where I have acknowledged that with a alternative solution.  Let's say your statistic is accurate.  When they are intentionally saved or organized that 1%, don't you think that is pretty important?  If someone takes the time to move something out of a window(something temporal) into a group, doesn't that signify something?  Now I have this session that represents some active research I'm doing on a subject so large it encompasses several tabs I've pulled together in a group.  Now I want to take a break from that and switch to another group that involves something else.  I forget to take the extra steps to use the Close&Save button, and instead use the close button of the Window, and that session is lost.  Anytime you have a situation where a user can invest time into something, and then lose everything very easily is not a good situation and will lead to unhappy users.  

"...as with them there bigger stream of good users, who support and help. Of course with them there also a bigger stream of users like Aaron."

Users like me huh? I am programmer/user trying to help something that has a lot of potential, but programmers "like you" see enemies where you have friends.  I would gladly prototype these changes on GitHub because there is alot of value in what you have already, and provide it as a setting such that existing behaviors are preserved, and provide significant improvements for the other "users like Aaron" who leverage and enjoy the organizational features and UI you already have, but get no use out of them because they deplore the fact that they can't easily close a Window and come back to that Window later without having to habitually open another window and find the Save&Close button for that window.  You could easily dismiss user complaints as being your unintended audience, and you will blind yourself to potential improvements.

ln my own career I have often been hired into a lead programmer role on several projects where there was a good number of unhappy users, and I worked with them to determine solutions that were not difficult to implement, preserved satisfaction of already happy users, and addressed the problems of the unhappy users.  All that was really needed was someone to listen to them openly, and the solutions were not difficult to implement.

I will leave it at that.  I will indeed look for another open source solution for which I can indeed "help", since you seem to have already pigeon holed me into some category that you think little of.

The things you mention is well know. But the solution you propose was tried already and is very flawed, you just not see all of the consequences to have something always pined by default if it is placed in some group for example. Not to mention the learning curve for this behavior  Really don't want to waste my time on arguing, especially taking in account that much better solution is on the go and there many other more important problems now. 

If so happens that you can delete you rate, which drop the extension from the top rated, it will be cool. Do you spit on the people on a street which you don't like? No, you just move along. Give the rights to the users who like this approach to have own tool, and in a way as they like it. As you told - there tons of session managers already, nobody needs same tool for the tenth time. And find for yourself something else, if this is not what you want.

The extension does not do any harm, does not promise anything that they does not give. Yes, it's present new approaches, new way of dealing with some things, and it is in its core, its mission - it's handle the very important task, to lover the number of tabs for very specific users. You (and yes some others, you can find exactly same reviews with 1-2-3 stars easily), so happens to criticize the core principle. The behavior you mention is intentional and really very needed. The requirements to the user to form new behavior is also intentional. As they have real pain with the old and flawed one. Tons of users just say thank me because of this. Do your users write you emails on several pages with tons of thank you? And this is what important for me - it is solve the problem. Very painful problem.

And you principles about software design - good luck, go and design you software according to them. Wish you all the best with this. Just why need to harm the others, who you just don't understand, i don't know. You rate just make this thing impossible to find to several new people every day. Some of them desperately need this solution. This is just a regular organizer for you, but there others, for them It is a real lifesaver, exactly because of the principles you criticize. You just make impossible to meet some of them with this tool.

Yet of course all other users will be covered, just not today. But there will be as pin button, as many other ways to deal with this problem. At least i work on this.

> but programmers "like you" see enemies where you have friends.

Hay, man, maybe you will actually go and delete that your 2 stars? There is already enough people who leave 1 star really just of nothing... The rule to leave window as saved if it is in some group is just too complex to be practical. And there will be 10 times more users who will complain that it is ridiculous that they must protect windows by placing them in a group. Really. There better approaches. And they are in the work. 

We just waste there 2 hours out of nothing and even not revert the harm... that sad, please delete your review, it is mention the fact i write in bold letters in the first lines of the help, so really this will not very help some casual reviews reader. Even better - update it to 5 stars.

in version v0.4.48

Window is always preserved on close (by window close btn)

if

they above the root level

or

have any special or marked nodes inside the hierarchy

or

have custom title

will update the documentation, and will also add option to enable legacy mode a little latter

hope this help to remove your 2 stars... 
not that much of hope of course....
but will be cool to see some feedback like this.

If you look at Firefox's default tab manager, closing a Window doesn't clear tabs from a group.  Only closing the tab directly does.  If you are able to discern closing a window from closing a tab, then closing a Window should automatically Save all tabs there so you can restore that window easily later where you left off.

There is by the way no easy possibility in Chrome for extension to distinguish window close from the sequential manually close of its tabs. But this irrelevant actually. As leaving the window as saved after that is a bad idea.

Was thinking a little more about this and decide that maybe it is actually not a bad idea.

I think i will protect the windows from close (will convert to saved) if they placed anywhere in other nodes (not on a root level) or if they have any other node with some custom marks, or anything that is not a regular tab, or have a custom title.

The problem is that window close event come very after the all the tabs close events. So till complete close of all the tabs i will be unable to understaffed is this a window close or the sequential tabs close. Actually i will be unable to distinguish this cases at all, maybe only if i introduce some crazy logic which will measure speed of window close. But events from Chrome not always come immediately... And UI will also be unable to react on changes immediately.. but it is possible to counteract actually.. 

Worth to do this really. This will solve the biggest haters complain.

Anyway, If you will consider removing your 2 stars this will be very helpful and will motivate me to accomplish such changes sooner. Or at least in a better mood. Thanks.

EXCELLENT!
Must admit i miss this information : )
I Just tried and seems it really works as expected.

Thanks for a tip - now i it really moves this feature to the top of my list for the next closest release.

Yet sometimes it really very useful to close the window but leave only marked items, so i will make this feature or optional, or Alt-CloseSave (in TO - green cross) will do it the old way.

Best regards!

Or maybe Alt-Delete... this is more logical.

There is for example already exist undocumented Alt-DblClick for windows. It restore the window in a state it was saved - without the saved tabs which was saved in a moment of save. So will continue the Alternative tradition : ))

I think this is also will solve finally frustrated problem with crashed windows on close. I am not solving it because actually many depend on this feature, especially novice users expect own windows to be saved on complete Chrome close. So this bug was worked as some sort of save.

The interesting question - is it worth to always save the closing window. Or only if they have any marks inside some tab (or changed title). I feel that only if they have some marks is the way to go....

Thanks again for a tip!

Done.

in version v0.4.48

Window is always preserved on close (by window close btn)

if

they above the root level

or

have any special or marked nodes inside the hierarchy

or

have custom title

will update the documentation, and will also add option to enable legacy mode a little latter

Thanks for your handy finding.