Multi-tasking is more than simply pinning two application windows side by side and calling it a day. When you want to do things like watch YouTube videos while browsing but save screen space, you need to get creative and use something like a floating window.
Today we’re going to talk about an extension that takes this picture-in-picture/floating window behavior to a whole new level. Panel Tabs is an extension that allows you to open web pages in small panels docked to the bottom of the screen. Yes, the screen. This will even work when you switch from Chrome to another app. If you’ve used a previous version of the Google Hangouts extension, or if you use Hangouts chat in Gmail, you already know what the dashboard looks like. The console tab uses this experimental feature in Chrome and uses it to render web pages.
We’ll talk about how to enable it in a moment, but first, let’s talk about how it works and all the great ways you can use the Dashboard Tab.
How it works
Like I said, Dashboard Tab uses an experimental feature called Dashboard to display web pages. I found it stable in my testing. The extension basically loads the entire website in a small window. You will only be able to get the most out of it if the website you are visiting has a responsive design, which most good websites do. Or you can open the mobile version of your website (as with Facebook and Twitter) and convert it into a dashboard.
Once the panel is on, you can minimize, close, or move the panel anywhere on the screen. Resizing can also be done.
After you have minimized a panel, just hover to the bottom of the screen to show the taskbar and then you can maximize it.
What can you use it for
Here are some use cases:
- Watch YouTube videos while browsing in Chrome
- Have a reference site that is always open when you’re writing or coding (since Console Tabs run system-wide, you don’t always have to work in Chrome)
- Use it with a note-taking app like Keep to quickly jot things down
- If you’re obsessed with email or social media, you can set Gmail, Facebook, or Twitter to stay fixed at the bottom of the screen.
How to enable dashboard tab
The developer has made activating and using Panel Tabs really easy. Kudo to him. So all you have to do is follow some simple instructions and the extension will do the rest.
After downloading the extension, click on the icon to get started. You will get some kind of installation wizard. First you need to activate plate from the Flags section, so click Open Flag Page.
Here, activate plate flag and restart Chrome. You can then click a button to check if the Dashboard Tabs are active.
How to use the dashboard tab
Now go to the website that you want to turn into a dashboard and click the . button Dashboard tab extension icon. You will see a drop-down menu. Now click Put this tab in a dashboard.
That’s it. You now have a dashboard. You can create more in the same way, and if you want to switch the panel back to the Chrome tab, tap the extension button and click Leave the old place.
Keyboard Shortcuts
If you plan to use this feature often, dealing with the extension menu can become tiresome. That’s why it’s great that the extension supports keyboard shortcuts. The default keyboard shortcuts are Cmd+Shift+9 to create a panel from a tab and Cmd+Shift+0 to bring it back.
If you want to change the default values, go to Extensions page, scroll down, click Keyboard Shortcuts and change them from Dashboard tab part.
What will you do with it?
What do you plan to do with the Tab Panel? What websites would you stick to the bottom of your screen? Share with us in the comments below.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
