User.js file: Difference between revisions

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'''user.js''' is a file that contains preferences that will be loaded into the Mozilla Application Suite every time the suite is started up.  Each time Mozilla is started up, the valid preferences from user.js are copied into prefs.js, which Mozilla uses to store all the preferences for the current user.
{{profile-file|filename=user.js}}


Similar to the user.js file, entering '''about:config''' in the URL bar will edit the preferences for the current Mozilla user profile.  Changes made in this manner will directly modify the prefs.js file.
A ''user.js'' file is an alternative method of [[Editing_configuration#Modifying_preferences |modifying preferences]], recommended for advanced users only.  Unless you need a user.js file for a specific purpose you should use [[about:config]] instead.  The user.js file does not exist by default.  


Mozilla will '''never''' modify the contents of user.js.  However, the contents of prefs.js is frequently modified by Mozilla.  If you wish do modify prefs.js directly, you should take care to shut down Mozilla completely before you open the file. Otherwise your edits may be overwritten.
'''Important: ''' Once an entry for a preference setting exists in the user.js file, any change you make to that setting in the options and preference dialogs or via [[about:config]] will be lost when you restart your Mozilla application because the user.js entry will override it.


The user.js file is located in the same directory as prefs.js.
==About the user.js file==
Valid preferences are via the user_pref command, as demonstrated below.
A user.js file can make certain preference settings more or less "permanent" in a specific profile, since you'll have to first delete or edit the user.js file to remove the entries before the preferences can be changed in the application. This has the advantage of locking in certain preference settings.  A user.js file is also a way of documenting preference customizations and it makes it easier to transfer customized settings to another profile.


'''//''' denotes a comment.  Anything after these two characters on a line are ignored.
When you launch your Mozilla application, valid preferences you've added to the user.js file are automatically copied to the [[prefs.js file]] (located in the same [[profile folder]]) where all user-set preferences are stored.  For this reason, you should make a backup copy of the prefs.js file before you create or edit the user.js file.  


Following are a number of preferences and what they do. For lack of a better way of ordering them, they are alphabetical via preference name.  These can be copied "as-is" into your user.js file.
==Creating the user.js file==
To create a user.js file, open a text editor such as Notepad and save the empty file as "user.js" inside your [[profile folder]]. (If you use a Windows text editor, make sure you unhide extensions for known filetypes in Folder Options, so that the file isn't really called "user.js.txt". See also the [[Editing configuration/Manual editing | manual editing advice]].)


// Turn on Type-Ahead-Find <br>
==Adding user.js entries==
user_pref("accessibility.typeaheadfind", true); <br>
To add preferences to user.js, open the file in a text editor such as Notepad, and type in the preference entries (and any comments) as follows. (After adding the entries, you must save the file! Changes will not take effect until you restart your Mozilla application.)
// Allow type-ahead-find to work on text by default <br>
 
user_pref("accessibility.typeaheadfind.linksonly", false);<br>
Valid preferences are entered via the user_pref command, as demonstrated below.  <code>//</code> denotes a comment, so anything after these two characters on a line is ignored.  A valid preference entry always begins with ''user_pref'' and always ends with a semi-colon;  every preference must be entered on a new line. A preference consists of a &lsquo;name&rsquo; (such as '''browser.chrome.site_icons''') and a &lsquo;value&rsquo;.  A value may either be integer ('''0''', '''2''' etc.), boolean ('''true''' or '''false''') or string (text, such as a file path).  For example, you could add the following lines to your user.js file if you wished to disable bookmark icons:
// The address book has a throbber. By default, all throbbers will take the browser window to www.mozilla.org, but this is easy to change.<br>
 
user_pref("addressbook.throbber.url","http://www.google.com");<br>
// Don't show bookmark icons
// Block new windows from opening up.<br>
user_pref("browser.chrome.site_icons", false);
user_pref("browser.block.target_new_window", true);<br>
 
// Show IE Favorites under bookmarks?<br>
Many Knowledge Base articles discuss individual preferences and their values. For a comprehensive list of valid preferences and their values, consult the [[about:config entries]] article.
user_pref("browser.bookmarks.import_system_favorites", false);<br>
 
Note that in Windows, if the preference value is a folder path then the path separator must be two backslashes. For example,
 
// Relocate parent directory for browser cache
user_pref("browser.cache.disk.parent_directory", "D:\\Mozilla\\Firefox\\");
 
==Editing user.js entries ==
To edit the user.js file, open the file in a text editor such as Notepad, make your changes, then close the file and save the changes.  Note that removing or "commenting out" a preference line from the user.js file will not remove changes written to the [[prefs.js file]] (see below).
 
==Removing user.js entries==
To undo preferences that have been set in the user.js file:
# Edit the user.js file to remove the unwanted preference entries or delete the user.js file to remove all entries, as a first step.  Since the same preferences are now written to the  [[prefs.js file]], a second step is needed:
# If there are no options in the user interface (UI) for the preference,  either directly edit the prefs.js file to remove the unwanted entries (not recommended), reset the preference via [[about:config]] or restore a backup copy of the [[prefs.js file]].
 
==See also==
*[[Resetting preferences]]
*[[Editing configuration]]
 
==External links==
* [http://ilias.ca/archive/userjs How to Create and Use the user.js in Windows] (ilias.ca)
* [http://webdesigns.ms11.net/chromeditp.html ChromEdit Plus] This extension provides a convenient way of editing user.js and other Mozilla configuration files
* [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Code_snippets/Preferences Preferences - MDN]
* [https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Thunderbird/Thunderbird_Configuration_Files Thunderbird Configuration Files - MDN]
* [http://www-archive.mozilla.org/catalog/end-user/customizing/briefprefs.html A Brief Guide to Mozilla Preferences]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=557738 Bug 557738 - Add user.js section to about:support]
 
 
[[Category:Configuration]]
[[Category:Configuration (Thunderbird)]]

Latest revision as of 15:17, 11 October 2012

user.js is a file in the profile folder. The file name is incorrectly capitalized in the title of this article due to technical limitations in the software which powers the Knowledge Base.

A user.js file is an alternative method of modifying preferences, recommended for advanced users only. Unless you need a user.js file for a specific purpose you should use about:config instead. The user.js file does not exist by default.

Important: Once an entry for a preference setting exists in the user.js file, any change you make to that setting in the options and preference dialogs or via about:config will be lost when you restart your Mozilla application because the user.js entry will override it.

About the user.js file

A user.js file can make certain preference settings more or less "permanent" in a specific profile, since you'll have to first delete or edit the user.js file to remove the entries before the preferences can be changed in the application. This has the advantage of locking in certain preference settings. A user.js file is also a way of documenting preference customizations and it makes it easier to transfer customized settings to another profile.

When you launch your Mozilla application, valid preferences you've added to the user.js file are automatically copied to the prefs.js file (located in the same profile folder) where all user-set preferences are stored. For this reason, you should make a backup copy of the prefs.js file before you create or edit the user.js file.

Creating the user.js file

To create a user.js file, open a text editor such as Notepad and save the empty file as "user.js" inside your profile folder. (If you use a Windows text editor, make sure you unhide extensions for known filetypes in Folder Options, so that the file isn't really called "user.js.txt". See also the manual editing advice.)

Adding user.js entries

To add preferences to user.js, open the file in a text editor such as Notepad, and type in the preference entries (and any comments) as follows. (After adding the entries, you must save the file! Changes will not take effect until you restart your Mozilla application.)

Valid preferences are entered via the user_pref command, as demonstrated below. // denotes a comment, so anything after these two characters on a line is ignored. A valid preference entry always begins with user_pref and always ends with a semi-colon; every preference must be entered on a new line. A preference consists of a ‘name’ (such as browser.chrome.site_icons) and a ‘value’. A value may either be integer (0, 2 etc.), boolean (true or false) or string (text, such as a file path). For example, you could add the following lines to your user.js file if you wished to disable bookmark icons: 

// Don't show bookmark icons
user_pref("browser.chrome.site_icons", false);

Many Knowledge Base articles discuss individual preferences and their values. For a comprehensive list of valid preferences and their values, consult the about:config entries article.

Note that in Windows, if the preference value is a folder path then the path separator must be two backslashes. For example, 

// Relocate parent directory for browser cache
user_pref("browser.cache.disk.parent_directory", "D:\\Mozilla\\Firefox\\");

Editing user.js entries

To edit the user.js file, open the file in a text editor such as Notepad, make your changes, then close the file and save the changes. Note that removing or "commenting out" a preference line from the user.js file will not remove changes written to the prefs.js file (see below).

Removing user.js entries

To undo preferences that have been set in the user.js file:

  1. Edit the user.js file to remove the unwanted preference entries or delete the user.js file to remove all entries, as a first step. Since the same preferences are now written to the prefs.js file, a second step is needed:
  2. If there are no options in the user interface (UI) for the preference, either directly edit the prefs.js file to remove the unwanted entries (not recommended), reset the preference via about:config or restore a backup copy of the prefs.js file.

See also

External links

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