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Tips & tricks

One of the main strengths of Showcase is it's flexibility. Here are some examples:

Start Showcase from the command line: It's possible to launch a Showcase window (in global mode) from the command line by executing Firefox with the "-showcase" switch: "firefox -showcase". This is useful to launch Showcase when OS starts, or to invoke Showcase with external applications.
"Mouse over" zoom: There's the possibility to increase the size of a thumbnail when the mouse cursor is placed over it. To enable this option, go to the Showcase options dialog, and check the "Change size when mouse is over" option ("Thumbnails" > "Behaviour" > "Thumbnail behaviour"). The "Change size to" field defines the zoomed size; a value of 150% has a nice effect.
Thumbnail cache: If you often switch Showcase on and off, it's advisable to enable the cache mode, which will improve the overall experience by keeping thumbnails of the tabs even when Showcase is not active. To activate it, go to Showcase options dialog, and check the "Enable thumbnail caching" (which is located at "Advanced" > "Cache").
"myFirefox" theme: This "Internet Explorer 7"-inspired theme makes use of Showcase as a pseudo-"Quick Tabs". Get it here.
Showcase "custom button": This button is a substitute for "single mode" buttons that are added by Showcase. In this case, this button has a drop down arrow that will show all the modes, and will also remember the last used mode as it's default action. Get the button here, and the "Custom buttons" extension here. There's another custom button for Showcase here.
MultiSidebar: With MultiSidebar extension, you may use Showcase sidebar simultaneously with any other sidebar, making it a better replacement for the tab bar. Download it here.
Performance: If the default thumbnail style is too slow for your system, you may try a different thumbnail type, like "Plain with close button". That option is in the settings panel, "Thumbnails" tab, "Appearance", "Label style".

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