arantius.com

I've heard some complaints that this script didn't work. I'm quite sure I've found the cause, and I just released a new version of the script that should get around that. If you still have problems don't hesitate to use my contact form and let me know what's wrong!

Here's a beta release of version 2 of Gmail Delete Button. Version two adds buttons on top and bottom of the inbox, plus top and bottom of each message in the inbox! It's placed right next to the archive button in both cases.

It's only beta because there is still a problem. The button in the inbox works great, but pressing the button in the messages destroys the buttons (until you refresh the whole window). It's up to you if you find this better or worse for now.

Hi everyone and thanks for your interest! The main link above has been updated to point to version 2 of the Gmail Delete Button script. The buttons should be more persistent and probably work with any language. I haven't tested the latter so I cannot be sure, but I welcome feedback about it. Enjoy!

As per a suggestion in a comment on another blog, version 2.1 shows the delete button in the search page as well.

Gmail Delete Button 2.1

Someone else has taken this script and made their own version of it. They call it the "smart" delete button. They have refused to attribute that I am the original author, and I'm quite steamed about this.

I mention this because people have been mailing me recently saying the script doesn't work. The most recent complaintant included a screenshot of the javascript console, showing failed function calls to functions only in the "smart" script. If you have problems, before mailing me please check that you are using MY version and not some other. Thanks.

I'm not sure what changed in greasemonkey, but version 0.3.3 broke this script. That's why this error proved so elusive, I hadn't upgraded yet! In any case, version 2.2 is now out which appears to work with version 0.3.3 of greasemonkey. THe link at the top of the page has been updated. I welcome your feedback.

...it's not official code. There could be bugs that do negative things, certainly. The only thing that the script intends to do is: inject a button which when clicked activates exactly the same method that gets called when you click 'actions, move to trash'. So as long as it's not broken, IMO it does nothing horrible.

There is, though, for example the "Humane Gmail Autosave" script that seems to save every 10 seconds, which makes me wonder why they called it humane. That seems a bit abusive to google's servers.

This delete button script has been downloaded thousands of times so I'm inclined to say that it's something else that is actually causing these lockdowns. Of course I can offer no guarantees. It is possible (theoretically) for there to be code in Gmail that detects the script and takes action against it. There's no good way to know for sure though.

A simple statistic: This script has been downloaded from my site well over five thousand times. There have been only 3 users (see above) who have reported problems with lockouts of their accounts. The numbers suggest very strongly that either other software or use/abuse of the account is causing the problems noted. Be it a piece of software designed to use your gmail account as a drive, or sending/receiving a lot of big attachments, or who knows all the conditions that may factor in to it?

I'm simply saying that the numbers suggest 4,997 users have had no problems that they decided to post here about. Or, six hundredths of one percent.

Okay, first, so yes. I know that full well. We're up to 7 reports, and well over 6000 downloads. Let's say that actually, ten times as many people have had problems. That's still only 1.1%. This is what I was implying from the beginning. I can't divine the special circumstance that 1% of the world is doing differently from everyone else. If you have problems, report report report! Read about how to ask smart questions and post helpful bug reports. Then let me know what's going on!

What version of Firefox? What operating system? What version of greasemonkey? What language of gmail's interface do you use? What volume of mail do you receive a day? How often do you click the button? I could go on and on. But, I've used the script plenty and I have had no problems, whatever it is I can't observe on my own.

I maintain by the way, out of stubborn pride (and also, feeling that I'm right), that it's not exactly this script. It's this script combined with something that 0.1 to maybe 5 percent of the population has, and we'll need to work together to figure out what that combination is.

I'd appreciate if those of you experiencing this refresh could email me (top right, contact link) if you're willing to spend a little time working with me to help narrow down the cause.

I have just released version 2.3 of this script. There may be functional issues with it but I am rather confident that it should solve lockout issues. As always, I am happy to work with anyone continuing to have problems with the script. Feel free to comment here about any questions comments or complaints you have. Please, though, if you are having problems use the contact form to let me know and I will do my best to work through the issue.

I have had only one user complaining of lockout issues who has emailed me and agreed to work with me to troubleshoot the problem. That one user though has had good results (no lockouts) with version 2.5, which makes me more confident that the bug is resolved. I am as always though still willing to help anyone having serious problems with the script. Just click contact in the right column to email me!

Brjcom, that question is a bit vague. Check a message (in list view) or open one and click the button. What more is there to know?

Faultymonk, whatever makes you happy =) I do all I can to resolve issues, but since I cannot replicate them, I rely on user input to debug them, which is scarce! Also, if I manually go to 'mail.google.com' I get sent to 'gmail.google.com/gmail/' like always.

In that vein, the only real input I have gotten is that lockouts seem to occur only after extended periods of time. In 2.3, I reworked the logic to use a much slower timer, and nerun as posted above had better success. In 2.6, I have completely removed the timer in favor of watching events. This method is not foolproof, but should be more stable. Like I said, as always, I'm happy to work with you if you're having problems!

Though I might have disparaged it in the past, I have made use of Aadrian Holovaty's Greasemonkey Compiler to create a full-fledged firefox extension for this script, mostly prompted by brjcom's confusion and the general popularity of this script.

So, now, you can install the Greasemonkey extension, and install this script as part of it, or install the full-fledged standalone Firefox extension to get delete button functionality. As I said above, please do not install both, that would be bad.

Interested users, please check out the newest version of this script: 2.7. This version adds internationalization. I have a few languages in there, some of which came from online translation tools and may be bad words. Please, if you speak another language (that GMail supports) suggest the right word to use for the button!

I have just released version 2.3 of this script. There may be functional issues with it but I am rather confident that it should solve lockout issues. As always, I am happy to work with anyone continuing to have problems with the script. Feel free to comment here about any questions comments or complaints you have. Please, though, if you are having problems use the contact form to let me know and I will do my best to work through the issue.

That said, I have archived the old comments for this article away because they were getting very bulky. Please read what people had to say there if you have any concerns.

First, version 2.8 of both the user script and full extension editions of Gmail Delete Button were released yesterday. This version is only a minor update for the user script, involving some internal code enhancements mostly, which also effect compatibility with Deer Park.

The full extension, however, jumped from 2.6, and now includes the language translations that the user script has for some time, which is great for non english speakers!

I have also written a brand new script which lets you perform more actions easily. It should not have problems installed with GDB, but I suggest you install only one at a time. Check out Gmail Action Links.

If the extension works and the user script doesn't, then the difference is Greasemonkey. Except for minor diversions (language translations) that code is identical between the two versions. The difference would be the installation/injection method which is pretty much beyond my control!

a) I use Firefox. I don't plan on supporting Mozilla, I don't think it's worth my effort. If you disagree, you're welcome to invest your own time and energy in supporting Mozilla.

b) I'm not terribly interested in supporting later versions (i.e. betas) of Firefox until they're more stable. It says very clearly on the download page that the beta is only for testing, not primary use. If it doesn't work with anything, don't use it! That said: the apostrophe is the firefox key for find-as-you-type-in-links, if something isn't working right I can barely see how any of my code is doing it, it's likely a bug in Firefox. It's a beta you're talking about, after all.

Is user-script only. Version 2.9 of the user script works in Greasemonkey 0.6+ and FF 1.5 beta. The extension does not.