🌉 Arc Browser and its pals

March 31, 2024 (2mo ago)

I am a big fan of Arc Browser, it's a must-have tool for me. Here I will introduce how I use Arc Browser and how I combine it with other tools like Notion and Alfred.

Arc Browser introduction

🌏 Arc Browser

So what is Arc, here is the AI Intro. from the official website:

The Arc browser, developed by The Browser Company, is designed to offer a calmer and more personalized internet experience. It's a browser that not only meets but anticipates your needs, providing a clean and clutter-free environment.

Key features include:

Spaces and Profiles: Organize your online activities—work, study, hobbies—in one window, keeping everything streamlined and accessible.

Customization: Tailor your browsing experience with features like Split View and Themes to suit your preferences. Privacy: Arc is built with privacy in mind, ensuring that your online activities remain private and secure.

In summary, Arc is a modern browser focused on user experience, customization, and privacy, offering a unique alternative for web browsing.

Perfect features of Arc Browser

  • 🖼️ unique design of the app, pretty beautiful and easy to use cross multiple platforms: Mac, PC, iOS ~ -> Modern UI design

  • 🪟 split view of tabs -> save to left panel as a group, so you can recovery these three tabs workspace together

  • 🗂️ nested folders to organize tabs in a tree -> every project can have a tab-group and easily switch between them

  • 🚀 workspace / scenes for different scenarios -> switch your working context seamlessly or keep multiple arc windows instances at once

  • ⭐️ shared favorite context in workspace -> keep shared stuff in different workspace

  • 🔎 alfred-liked tab-full-text-search -> Chrome really sucks at this, just use cmd + tab to activate the search menu, so elegant.

  • 🪄 AI features -> catch the era of AI

    • AI select with search results
    • Auto tab-rename
    • AI powered web page summary
    • ...

  • ⌨️ keyboard shortcuts to navigate / fully control your browser -> save time and focus on your work and content

Combining with other tools

Notion

At this moment web-notion is much better than the desktop app, so I prefer to use web-notion.

  • one page, one base, one task with split view to properly prepare the context for the task wr are going to perform
    • notion for organizing structural info of your private knowledge base | web-page | web-page | ...
    • easily collect and organize your thoughts, ideas, and resources together in a simple space and organize, restore or group it with Arc Browser

Alfred

May also work with other tools like Alfred, but not tested yet.

  • accurately launch or focus on workspace / tab with iFrame ... -> with single short-cut

  • you can download this alfred plugin and modify code of node.js to do your customization, I offer the sample code here to activate the first workspace with first tabs by your own hot-key. Feel free to use 😎.

list-tabs:

#!/usr/bin/env osascript -l JavaScript
 
function run(args) {
  let browsers = "Arc";
 
  let browser = Application(browsers);
  browser.includeStandardAdditions = true;
 
  let windowCount = browser.windows.length;
  console.log("windownCount: ", windowCount);
 
  let windowIndex = browser.windows.index();
  console.log("windowIndex[0]:", windowIndex[0]);
 
  let windowName = browser.windows.name();
  console.log("windowIndex[0] name:", windowName[0]);
 
  let spaceCount = browser.windows.spaces.length;
  console.log("spaceCount: ", spaceCount);
 
  let spacesTitle = browser.windows.spaces.title();
  console.log("spacesTitle: ", spacesTitle);
 
  let spacesId = browser.windows.spaces.id();
  console.log("spacesId: ", spacesId);
 
  let result = { items: [] };
 
  for (let w = 0; w < windowCount; w++) {
    if (w !== 0) {
      continue;
    }
    for (let s = 0; s < spaceCount; s++) {
      try {
        let item = {
          title: browser.windows[w].spaces[s].title(),
          subtitle: browser.windows[w].spaces[s].id(),
          arg: `${w},${s}`,
        };
        result.items.push(item);
      } catch (e) {
        console.log(e);
      }
    }
  }
 
  console.log(JSON.stringify({ items: result.items }));
  return JSON.stringify({ items: result.items });
}

run select tabs:

#!/usr/bin/env osascript -l JavaScript
 
function run(args) {
  ObjC.import("stdlib");
  let Arc = Application("Arc");
  let query = args[0];
  let [arg1, arg2, arg3] = query.split(",");
  let windowIndex = parseInt(arg1);
  let spaceIndex = arg2 == "undefined" ? undefined : parseInt(arg2);
  let tabIndex = parseInt(arg3);
  // console.log("windowIndex: ", windowIndex);
  // console.log("spaceIndex: ", spaceIndex);
  // console.log("tabIndex:", tabIndex);
  if (spaceIndex == undefined) {
    Arc.windows[windowIndex].tabs[tabIndex].select();
    Arc.activate();
  }
  Arc.windows[windowIndex].spaces[spaceIndex].tabs[tabIndex].select();
  Arc.activate();
}