Fixed-width and CSS Annihilator par Veyrdite

Usage

Key shortcuts:

• Shift+Alt+X: De-widthify current page (and un-stick fixed page elements)
• Shift+Alt+A: Disable all styles (CSS) on current page

This addon does not work well on some websites. The web is too complex to make a perfect solution.

To "undo" any changes made to a page: refresh the page. No changes are permanent.


De-widthify
Many websites restrict the width of their text columns. Some people find this unergonomic, especially on small laptop screens and/or articles that require lots of scrolling.

This addon subverts the most common way websites implement fixed-width text columns: margins in CSS. When you press Shift+Alt+X all page margins are nullified.

This solution is not 100% reliable. Some websites will work fine, others may look ugly or break. It's impossible to make a page-modifying solution that works on every possible site out there.


Un-sticky "position:fixed" elements
Many websites contain large headers or footers that are "fixed" in place even when you scroll down. This can be unergonomic on small screens.

This feature naively disables all such elements. A small amount of extra vertical whitespace may be left behind due to styling technicalities.


Disable CSS
This features disables all site stylings, leaving you with your browser's default CSS styles instead. A few extra (minor) rules are added (eg to prevent images exceeding your screen width).

Useful for when:

• A website is difficult to read
• A website is hiding parts of or the whole page from you

The default CSS styles provided by your browser are generally considered easy to read, however they can be further customised via UserChrome.css.

Caution: some websites intentionally hide elements they do not want you to interact with. I do not recommend using interactive sites with CSS disabled, it can be a very confusing experience.


Future Extension Ideas

• Options dialog: configurable "extra-CSS rules" to be added when you disable CSS
• Options dialog: configurable CSS for the de-widthify feature
• Options dialog: configurable key shortcuts
• Toolbar button
• General goal: make a more configurable alternative to "Firefox Reader Mode"

I am unlikely to implement these features unless nagged or helped :)