Destroyed 3.1 Resetting Inactive Prefs [Scripts] (markdown)

Thorin-Oakenpants 2022-01-29 05:15:22 +00:00
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:exclamation: Read the instructions & backup your profile before running any of the scripts mentioned here
:small_orange_diamond: The Issue
Our [changelogs](https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js/search?q=label%3Achangelog&type=Issues&utf8=?) are lists which contain, among other things, information on prefs that have been REMOVED or made INACTIVE (i.e commented out) such as DEPRECATED prefs (Section 9999)
So **some or all** of these REMOVED and INACTIVE prefs **need to be manually reset** in `about:config`, depending on your configuration. And over time, the list builds up. Some are harmless (deprecated items will have no effect), but others are vital (prefs and sections are INACTIVE for a reason, so it pays for your `prefs.js` to be in "sync"). Add to this any prefs you may have made inactive yourself. A REMOVED pref is particularly tricky as it is no longer referenced in the `user.js`.
So the issue is :question: How do you make sure all the REMOVED and INACTIVE prefs have been reset in about:config? Over time you **will** miss something - doing this manually is time consuming and prone to human error.
:small_orange_diamond: The Solution
The solution is simple. Automate it, and reset **every single pref** in the user.js regardless of whether it is active or inactive. Then restart Firefox and all your ACTIVE prefs are reapplied. The end result being all your INACTIVE ones have been reset.
And that's exactly what our **prefsCleaner** script does.
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**WARNING:** If you changed any prefs that are INACTIVE in the user.js **manually** in about:config or the Options then those will get reset too! (for example `browser.startup.homepage`)
For a less risky solution use some of our scratchpad scripts which we have broken down into a number of smaller scripts. But depending on which ones you run the same warning applies!
Think of it as an opportunity to increase your automation by setting those manually controlled settings in your user.js (or append them to your `user-overrides.js` file if you use our [Updater Scripts](https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js/wiki/3.3-Updater-Scripts)).
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:small_blue_diamond: prefsCleaner
Download the prefsCleaner [for Windows](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/arkenfox/user.js/master/prefsCleaner.bat) or [for Linux/Mac](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/arkenfox/user.js/master/prefsCleaner.sh) and **run it in your profile directory with Firefox closed**.
NOTE: This does not cover prefs we REMOVED from the `arkenfox user.js`, see the Scratchpad section for those.
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:small_blue_diamond: **Scratchpad Scripts** (based on `arkenfox user.js`)
Our scratchpad cleanup script (`arkenfox-cleanup.js`) is stored [here](https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js/tree/master/scratchpad-scripts).
<details><summary><b>How To Run Our Scratchpad Cleanup Script</b></summary><p>
* Close Firefox and [backup](https://github.com/arkenfox/user.js/wiki/1.2-Backing-Up) your profile
* (Optional) Disable the network connection <sup>1</sup>
* Start Firefox
* Load `about:config` and press Ctrl+Shift+K to open the Web Console for about:config
* Switch to multi-line editor mode (Ctrl+B toggles between single- and multi-line editor mode)
* Load **your** script (`.js` file) or paste it
* If you edited the list of prefs in the script, make sure the last pref does **not** have a trailing comma
* Run it
* Check the output on the right to see which prefs were reset
* if you see something you want to keep, add it to your user.js (or your overrides)
* Restart Firefox
* Some prefs require a restart
* A restart will reapply your `user.js`
* Re-enable the network connection
<sup>1</sup> Blocking Firefox from the internet ensures it cannot act on your reset preferences in the period before you restart it, such as app and extension auto-updating, or downloading unwanted components (system addons, GMP etc). It depends on what you're resetting and how long before you restart.
</p></details>