Finicky

Finicky is a handy tool for anyone who wants to open links in different browsers or apps. There are lots of reasons why you might need to do this. Some browsers work better with certain types of content, and if you’re working from home, you might want one browser for work and another for your personal stuff.

Why Use Finicky?

Instead of the hassle of copying and pasting URLs into the right browser, Finicky makes it way easier! You can set up rules that tell it which app to use for each link. Plus, it can even tweak those links before opening them!

Setting Up Finicky

Now, here’s the catch: you’ll need to create a .finicky.js file in your home directory and edit it by hand. There’s no fancy user interface for this part. If messing around with text files sounds scary, you might want to try something like Bowserosaurus, which is more user-friendly.

Your Guide to Configuration

If you're unsure where to start, don’t worry! There’s an example configuration available to help you get going. The developer has also shared detailed instructions, plus code samples just for beginners. And if you're really stuck, check out Finicky Kickstart. It helps create a basic setup that you can easily add to your .finicky.js.

The Power of Automation

For Finicky to work its magic, you'll need to set it as your default browser. It will scan every link you try to open and send them off based on your rules—editing them when needed.

Customizing Your Links

You can customize how Finicky identifies links too! It looks at things like their domain or specific strings in the URL. You can even set up complex rules that require multiple matches before deciding where a URL should go.

Edit Before You Open!

The cool part? Finicky doesn’t just decide where links go; it can also edit them first! For example, it can switch HTTP links over to HTTPS, change domains (like from 'amazon.com' to 'smile.amazon.com'), remove tracking info, or even direct searches through a different search engine.

A Great Productivity Tool!

Once everything is set up, Finicky runs quietly in the background managing your links automatically. If you want, you can even hide it from the menu bar! You won’t have any extra clicks when opening a link again—it’s definitely a productivity booster.

Sure, the lack of a GUI might be tricky for some folks who aren’t used to coding—but surprisingly enough, setting it all up isn’t as hard as you'd think!