Firefox 128.02 Sidebar setting no longer persistent

Topic

I use the FF sidebar to display browsing history instead of bookmarks.  I use this often enough so that I added the sidebar button to the menu bar for convenience.  Until FF 128 this setting was persistent between starts of the browser and the sidebar button always opened the browsing history.  Now every time FF starts the sidebar button displays bookmarks instead of the browsing history.  I know that Ctrl-H will  open the sidebar to the history but that workaround is not convenient.

Does anyone know how to restore persistence for the sidebar button setting?  This looks like a regression to me since the sidebar button setting has always been persistent until now.

Replies

Hi EricB:

I don’t normally use the sidebar, but I tested today with Firefox v128.0.2, and in order to make History the persistent option I opened the sidebar and switched from Bookmarks view to History view, went to View | Sidebar, toggled OFF (disabled) History and closed Firefox. I started Firefox again and went back to View | Sidebar and toggled ON (re-enabled) History as shown below, and after that My Firefox v128.0.2 browser would always launch with the sidebar open to History view instead of Bookmarks view.

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Dell Inspiron 15 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.4651 * Firefox v128.0.2 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.24060.7-1.1.24060.5 * Malwarebytes Premium v5.1.6.117-1.0.1280 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7783

Makes no difference whether I use the menu or a button.  The setting is not persistent.  Closing and reopening FF results in bookmarks being displayed.  And using the menu is the same is the Ctrl-H keyboard shortcut.

Maybe I’m not clearly explaining.  I don’t want the sidebar open when FF launches.  The problem is that after I use the sidebar to view history, dismiss it when finished and then close FF the setting that the sidebar should show history when it is opened is not retained by FF.  So the next time FF is opened, the sidebar is not showing.  When the sidebar is opened, it shows bookmarks rather than history.

I was having the same problem. I fixed it by copying the xulstore.json file from and old profile where it was working as expected.

I’ve attached my working copy.

I can’t upload files see below

Some file types are limited in order to protect the site.

 

2 users thanked author for this post.

Bob99, TiHKaL

Open xulstore.json from your firefox profile in notepad and replace content with this

Make sure firefox is closed when editing xulstore.json

{"chrome://browser/content/browser.xhtml":{"main-window":{"sizemode":"maximized","screenX":"0","screenY":"0","width":"777","height":"864"},"sidebar-box":{"sidebarcommand":"viewHistorySidebar","style":"order: 2; width: 226px;"},"sidebar-title":{"value":"History"}},"chrome://browser/content/places/historySidebar.xhtml":{"viewButton":{"selectedsort":"lastvisited"}},"chrome://browser/content/places/bookmarksSidebar.xhtml":{"place:CqewroxEONFH0b8ILWSXYA==":{"open":"true"},"place:535X+ukSIOMV/Wdb9Ns7aw==":{"open":"true"}},"chrome://browser/content/places/places.xhtml":{"placesContentTags":{"ordinal":"3"},"placesContentUrl":{"ordinal":"5"},"placesContentDate":{"ordinal":"7"},"placesContentVisitCount":{"ordinal":"9"},"placesContentDateAdded":{"ordinal":"11"},"placesContentLastModified":{"ordinal":"13"},"places":{"screenX":"10","screenY":"10","width":"813","height":"535","sizemode":"normal"}}}

Thank you for your suggestion.  Unfortunately, the xulstore.json file contained in a firefox profile where the sidebar behaves properly is substantially different from xulstore.json file contained in the profile where the sidebar misbehave.  Consequently, I’m reluctant to replace one with the other.

What have you got to loose? Back up the original. Try the other one. If you don’t like it change back.

Firefox will recreate that file itself if it’s deleted.

I found a copy of xulstore.json that was very similar to the one that I wanted to replace.  After replacing the file FF 133.03 behaved as desired and the sidebar history list view was persistent.

It seems that Mozilla is aware of this problem but it does not appear to be scheduled for a fix according to Sidebar no longer remembers which panel you had open