General :
K-Meleon Web Browser Forum
How to use "about:config"
This is by far the easiest way to discover, check, toggle or test over thousand hidden prefs:
Just type that adress into the urlbar and open it
(or use menu Edit > Configuration > Browser Configuration)
In the filter line type what you're looking for. For example "media" (=most video/audio settings)
Now look around the search results which of the countless prefs sound interesting, then toggle or modify them with double-click. Some of them will work instantly, some others need a browser restart to become active.
IMPORTANT!!
If not 100% sure what you're doing, make a backup copy of file "prefs.js" first!
It's in the current profile folder (menu Edit > Configuration > Profile Directory)
That's were all your changes in "about:config" will be stored automatically too.
But also deleted automatically if the new value now matches the browser's default value!
But having a backup copy of prefs.js, it's safe enough to experiment freely with all prefs in about:config, no danger. If anything goes wrong, simply close the browser and replace prefs.js with the backup file again
============ Background info
The values on about:config are a mix of default prefs (thin font) and user settings (bold font).
User settings are read at every startup from file prefs.js and user.js in your current profile folder.
Default prefs are defined in various other places, some in folder KM/browser/defaults/preferences, where you can easily define some own "default" settings too (create an own file). The giant heap of 1500-2000 prefs come from k-meleon/omni.ja/goanna.js or greprefs.js (open omni.ja with 7-zip to read them).
User-values in prefs.js are written by the browser automatically.
User-values in user.js have priority. This file is meant for manual editing. Values will be enforced at every startup again, overriding different values in prefs.js
Long version:
prefs.js is automatically changed by the browser whenever a user changes any pref in any way during the session. By menus, or shortcuts, running macros, toggling on about:config etc. That file can not be edited manually while the browser is open, all manual edits will be lost again when it's closed. If browser is closed, manual edits get stored, but at next startup the browser will still do some automated tasks: delete all duplicate prefs, delete all comments, and sort the whole file alphabetically
user.js will never be modified automatically by the browser, except a few special prefs above the "do not edit" line. Below it, you can store your important settings, which shall be enforced at every startup, overriding any potential changes during the last session. You can write comments inside, and edit the file while the browser is open (changes will work in next session).
( _howto_ about:config)
General discussion about K-Meleon
HOWTO about:config (view or change countless prefs, most hidden)
Posted by:
siria
Date: October 14, 2018 03:45PM
How to use "about:config"
This is by far the easiest way to discover, check, toggle or test over thousand hidden prefs:
Just type that adress into the urlbar and open it
(or use menu Edit > Configuration > Browser Configuration)
In the filter line type what you're looking for. For example "media" (=most video/audio settings)
Now look around the search results which of the countless prefs sound interesting, then toggle or modify them with double-click. Some of them will work instantly, some others need a browser restart to become active.
IMPORTANT!!
If not 100% sure what you're doing, make a backup copy of file "prefs.js" first!
It's in the current profile folder (menu Edit > Configuration > Profile Directory)
That's were all your changes in "about:config" will be stored automatically too.
But also deleted automatically if the new value now matches the browser's default value!
But having a backup copy of prefs.js, it's safe enough to experiment freely with all prefs in about:config, no danger. If anything goes wrong, simply close the browser and replace prefs.js with the backup file again
============ Background info
The values on about:config are a mix of default prefs (thin font) and user settings (bold font).
User settings are read at every startup from file prefs.js and user.js in your current profile folder.
Default prefs are defined in various other places, some in folder KM/browser/defaults/preferences, where you can easily define some own "default" settings too (create an own file). The giant heap of 1500-2000 prefs come from k-meleon/omni.ja/goanna.js or greprefs.js (open omni.ja with 7-zip to read them).
User-values in prefs.js are written by the browser automatically.
User-values in user.js have priority. This file is meant for manual editing. Values will be enforced at every startup again, overriding different values in prefs.js
Long version:
prefs.js is automatically changed by the browser whenever a user changes any pref in any way during the session. By menus, or shortcuts, running macros, toggling on about:config etc. That file can not be edited manually while the browser is open, all manual edits will be lost again when it's closed. If browser is closed, manual edits get stored, but at next startup the browser will still do some automated tasks: delete all duplicate prefs, delete all comments, and sort the whole file alphabetically
user.js will never be modified automatically by the browser, except a few special prefs above the "do not edit" line. Below it, you can store your important settings, which shall be enforced at every startup, overriding any potential changes during the last session. You can write comments inside, and edit the file while the browser is open (changes will work in next session).
( _howto_ about:config)
English