An Extension for Productivity

The major web browsers such as Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge surprisingly don't seem to have an option to customize keyboard shortcuts for switching tabs. While the default tab cycling keyboard shortcuts might be useful for some, I personally wanted a different set of controls because it just doesn't work well with my workflow preferences.

If you're wondering the default shortcut options are set to Ctrl + Tab (change to next tab) and Ctrl + Shift + Tab (change to previous tab) as the keyboard shortcuts.

Despite this, there are workarounds available with the use of browser extensions. Some time back, I thought this would be a good opportunity for me to look up how extensions work and potentially build one of my own for learning purposes. So, I ended up creating a simple extension that uses custom keyboard shortcuts for switching tabs, pinning tabs and adding tab groups. It doesn't require any special permissions and maintains user privacy by not collecting any personal data or browsing history. The extension can be installed for both Chrome and Edge.

For those that are interested in exploring the source code, feel free to check out the GitHub repository here. You'll find detailed instructions on the installation and development setup there.