Firefox Extension - New Features
As the Firefox sidebar extension is currently the only application to manage XID cards, this update applies to anyone testing XID.
New features include:
- Recent Activity View
- Activity Icons
- OPML Import/Export!!
- Automatic Updating
I am excited about the addition of “Recent Activity” and OPML Import/Export. These are both very important features for the application. Obviously, automatic updating is absolutely essential, but as a behind-the-scenes kind of thing, it is less exciting.
Recent activity will show you if your friends have recently added or removed profiles on social networks. This makes the sidebar feel much more like a living application, something to check regularly.
OPML Import and Export is also very important. Because all information is stored in a client-side database, the data is not accessible from other computers and other applications. The OPML Export feature drops all your contacts’ XID card URLs into a standard XML format that can be read by other applications. You can take that list to another computer, use the OPML Import feature, and have your contact list available on that computer without having to re-add your friends’ URLs individually.
A little bit of bad news for early adopters…
One change to the extension’s local database was required for the automatic updates functionality. When you reinstall the extension, the database will not be affected, causing the code to fail if it tries to write to the new field. The solution to this problem is a new feature added under “Settings” where you can click “Reset Database” to clear it out and start over. In future versions, I will work on methods of updating the database in a less destructive way.
Quick link to the latest version of the Firefox sidebar extension