Customizing multitouch gestures in Firefox 4

 by Z.Backas
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multitouchgesturesfinal.png
As a long time user of the Multiclutch, which lets anyone configure their own multitouch gesture commands, I was concerned when my custom gestures stopped working for the new 64 bit Firefox 4. I searched on the internet, but really found only moderate amounts of help, aimed at computer geniuses. I decided to forage and hack my way through the "about:config" tangles of Firefox on the rumor that a "gesture" filter would uncover the precious Firefox 4 update that included multitouch gestures. This is what I learned.
For anyone who does not use gestures already, they're extremely helpful. Multitouch gestures allow you to input a physical motion on the trackpad in place of a keyboard or virtual menu command on your computer. In time, the correlation between physical motion and virtual reaction becomes second nature, and allows for very quick computing. I'll give my recommendations and current set up, but the time-saving possibilities and shortcuts are endless.
The new Firefox has some gestures to start with. You can:
  • Swipe Left: Go back in history
  • Swipe Right: Go forward in history
  • Swipe Up: Go to the top of the page
  • Swipe Down: Go to the end of the page
These are great, but for many, not the most efficient, logical, or useful. This instructable will teach you how to customize multitouch gesture commands on a mac to your liking. You'll be able to associate many multitouch gestures with commands such as switch tab, open/close tab, reload, and many more.
I will also show how to do some other modifications you can make in the sensitivity and functionality department of the twist and pinch gestures.

Edit:
Though the instructable was introduced following the release of Firefox 4 and it's increased support for gestures, it still is applicable to all of the versions since.
 
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Step 1: Types of gestures

multitouch-trackpad-gestures.jpg
There are many multitouch gestures, but some of they you may not want to customize in Firefox (for example, two finger scroll). Here is a list of all of the gestures that Firefox accepts for modification.
Two fingers:
  • browser.gesture.twist.right - twist/rotate right
  • browser.gesture.twist.left - twist/rotate left
  • browser.gesture.pinch.in - pinch in
  • browser.gesture.pinch.out - pinch out
  • browser.gesture.pinch.in.shift - pinch in + shift
  • browser.gesture.pinch.out.shift - pinch out + shift
Three Fingers:
  • browser.gesture.swipe.up - swipe up
  • browser.gesture.swipe.down - swipe down
  • browser.gesture.swipe.left - swipe left
  • browser.gesture.swipe.right - swipe right
If you are unfamiliar with the gestures, under the Trackpad menu in System Preferences there is a wonderful example video for each and every possible gesture, but most are self explanatory. I apologize for the lack of a very relevant picture here, but the Trackpad menu videos really are your best resource.

When pairing your gestures to commands, consider their function. If you want to switch to the tab on your right, it doesn't make any sense to use swipe up or pinch in as your gesture to get there. If you set it up comfortably, it will feel natural and require little or no explanation to a new user on your computer.
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