Greasemonkey UserScripts Updater

Greasemonkey userscripts can be very helpful in many situations that are regularly encountered on the web. They manipulate elements on a website to either remove, add or change them without the user noticing in the background. There are basic scripts that have been designed for one specific purpose like removing all ads on a website or adding download links to photos but also more advanced scripts that combine many new elements into one script. What all have in common is that there is no way of getting informed about script updates. At least not by normal means. Script updates are important as userscripts have to be modified if websites change elements on their pages. Results can be non working or broken userscripts.

Userscripts Updater is a Greasemonkey script that has been designed to search for script updates automatically. It is installed like any other Greasemonkey script in the web browser. It won’t work right out of the box because it only supports scripts that have been installed after it was installed itself. Users with Greasemonkey scripts installed need to uninstall and reinstall them. That should not be highly problematic unless dozens of scripts are installed on a user’s computer.

The userscript will add all scripts that get installed after its own installation so that these can be automatically included in the checks for updates. It is important to open the Options of the script at least once to configure the automatic update process. Options can be accessed on any Greasemonkey userscript page.

A click on Update Scripts will initiate a check for script updates. Options on the other hand open a small overlay menu on the same page that can be used to configure regular automatic update checks, for instance every hour or second day, and to take a look at the scripts that are monitored.

Old scripts have to be removed manually from that option’s menu as they are still listed in the updater even if they have been uninstalled by the user. Userscripts Updater is a great script for users who use Greasemonkey scripts. It removes the hassle of having to check for script updates regularly.

HappY SurfinG! (: