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BrowserSelect - mini mini review.

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Armando:
Since I haven't been around a lot lately, I'll use the reviewing form mostly for fun...  The app is so simple, I could just point you towards the snapfiles review and the GitHub link! :)

Basic Info

App NameBrowserSelectApp URLhttps://github.com/zumoshi/BrowserSelectApp Version Reviewedv1.3.1Test System SpecsWindows 8.1Supported OSeswindows 7, windows 8.1 and windows 10Support Methodsmessages through github.comPricing SchemeFree and open-source (GPL v2)
Relationship btwn. Reviewer and Product No relationship whatsoever


Intro:

Was just looking for a way to be able to quickly choose the most appropriate browser to open specific links, depending on the need, without having to : 1-run it/them first, 2-copy and paste the link in it/them, etc. Could be for programming/test purposes, split connections  (some VPNs offers the possibility to split your connection and you might then want to use different browsers for different connections), job vs home usage, etc.

BrowserSelect is the only app I found simply fitting the bill (and a bit more). It basically becomes your "default browser", intercepts and redirects the calls to the best browser for the task at hand.

BrowserSelect - mini mini review.

BrowserSelect - mini mini review.

Who is this app designed for:

Anybody who works with several browsers and who wants to be able to choose in which one different links should open.

The coder's explanations are straightforward:

"Browser Select is a utility to dynamically select the browser you want instead of just having one default for all links. similar to the prompt in android to choose a browser when a link in a non-browser app is clicked/touched. it may not be useful for everyone but it really helps when you use multiple browsers for different things (e.g. one with proxy and one without) and open many links from other applications (e.g. Messengers).

instead of having to copy the link , open desired (non-default) browser than pasting , all you need to do is to click on the link and this prompt will open allowing you to choose the browser you want. it automatically detects installed browsers , and has no need for administrative rights it can be installed and works in a restricted user.

you may click on the desired browser or press one of the shortcuts (its index or first letter of its name) , for example for chrome you can press 2 , g or c. you may also press Esc (or click the X) to not open the url."

The programmer doesn't describe that the newer versions allow the user to easily create rules to automatically open specific links in specific browsers. You can either create them on the fly by clicking on the "Always" button when the interface shows up (see screenshot), or you can create/type them yourself, using domain names and more sophisticated wildcard pattern matching (see 2nd screenshot).

The Good

Works as advertised. Easy to select what browser to use to open a link (... after clicking on such a link or after typing one in Find and Run Robot, for example, etc.) : use your mouse, or use keyboard shortcuts.

I also like the fact that it allows you to create rules to open specific links in specific browsers.

The needs improvement section

Everything's fine. It does what I need, and more.

*If using URLs files, users might have 1- to remove other browsers associations with URLs in "default programs" (control panel) 2-and right click on a URL to be able to enter the properties dialog and select "Opens with" (BrowserSelect, of course).

Why I think you should use this product

Because, like me, you don't rely on just one browser and you want to have the freedom to super easily open links in the one you prefer, depending on the task. Useful if you're testing web pages, using a proxy, a VPN, etc.

How does it compare to similar apps and Conclusion

Tried another similar app and it didn't work well at all. Tried BrowserSelect and it worked almost** instantly.

** Had a small issue with URLs stubbornly opening in one browser, but the fix was easy. See above.

Links to other reviews of this application

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/browserselect.html

Tuxman:
A screenshot with "FireFox". Makes me sad. It's "Firefox".

tomos:
Thanks Armando :up:

Related but different, from MilesAhead (I haven't used it):
My ahk general purpose hotkey saves the current clipboard text, then sends Control c to copy the highlighted text in the active window.  Then is restores the saved text to the clipboard after launching BingThing.exe with the selected text.  If nothing is selected that is OK.  Either a new BingThing process starts, or if it is already running, it activates and gets the focus.

Anything on the command tail BingThing copies to the Input Line ready for either search or launch.  As shown in the screen shot, if you have browsers set to open urls in new tabs and they support multiple urls on the command line, such as Firefox or chrome or opera, then it will open multiple sites by just typing the domains on the same line.

BingThing saves the most recently used 128 url/search items.  The file handling is still a bit rough.  But at least there is some history.


-MilesAhead (July 21, 2016, 03:04 PM)
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Armando:
Interesting! Thanks Tom.

Armando:
A screenshot with "FireFox". Makes me sad. It's "Firefox".
-Tuxman (July 26, 2016, 07:03 AM)
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I'll Gimp it in my spare time.  :)

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