Auto Library Proxy Access for WashU
Rate 4.5 / 32 votes
More than 560 users worldwide
Current version: 2015.11.23
Price: FREE
More than 560 users worldwide
Current version: 2015.11.23
Price: FREE
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Automatically load journal websites using Becker and Libproxy. By Nick Semenkovich <[email protected]>NOTE: This extension requires a WashU Becker or Libproxy account.
Tired of typing "beckerproxy.wustl.edu" or "libproxy.wustl.edu" when you visit scientific journals? This will automatically redirect your browser to the proxified URL! (You can also click the icon in your toolbar to manually redirect.)
If you have any bugs or issues, send me an e-mail:
Nick Semenkovich <[email protected]>
https://nick.semenkovich.com
======= What's New =======
2015.11.23: Updated journal list
2015.7.8: Updated journal list.
...
2014.6.30: Additional network detection tweaks.
2014.6.27: Update network detection for BJC/BJH/WUCON. Update journals.
2014.6.6: Journal list update.
2014.5.10: Fix lancet breakage.
2014.5.4: New icon, update list, fix notifications.
2014.2.23: Updated journal list, minor codebase tweaks.
...
v3.4.1: Expanded user hints, updated journal list.
v3.3.9: Add hints (webkitNotifications) for users clicking when they shouldn't.
v3.2.0: Architectural change to use webNavigation API, updated journal list.
v2.5.0: Many security changes to support Chrome Manifest v2m, updated journal list.
...
Changelog: https://github.com/semenko/washu-library-proxy-chrome-extension/compare/2015.7.8...2015.11.23
You can file bugs at: https://github.com/semenko/washu-library-proxy-chrome-extension/issues
========= FAQ =========
* Q: What permissions does this need and why?
* A: This extension asks for two permissions that are the bare minimum required to determine if you are on or off campus and rewrite the URL. ("Your tabs and browsing activity" is required to use the chrome.tabs API, see: http://goo.gl/c4l8C)
* Q: How does this work?
* A: When you visit a journal (e.g. nature.com), the extension checks if it's in a database of journals to automatically redirect through a proxy. If so, we append ".beckerproxy.wustl.edu" or ".libproxy.wustl.edu," depending on the options you choose. If a journal you visit isn't in that database of automatic redirections, you can click the extension's icon to try to use a proxy anyway.
* Q: Why can't I access [my favorite site or journal]? It never seems to work.
* A: The libraries have their own whitelist of sites approved for their proxies (probably because of licensing/contractual obligations). Only whitelisted sites work (for example, www.youtube.com.beckerproxy.wustl.edu won't work), so some journals can't be included. Sorry!
* Q: What happens when I click on the icon?
* A: When you click on the icon, the extension will add ".beckerproxy.wustl.edu" or ".libproxy.wustl.edu" to the URL to route you through the proxy. Normally you shouldn't need to do this -- only if I've missed a journal that should be automatically routed through the proxy. And keep in mind, it might not work (see the above question), since the library might not allow that website using the proxy.
* Q: What's up with Pubmed? Why isn't it automatically redirected?
* A: Everything at the NCBI is in the public domain, so there's no reason to access it over the proxy! However, the first time you visit Pubmed per-browser session, there's a tiny string appended to the url ("?holding=wustlmlib") that adds a "Get it at Becker!" link to many journals. For example, visit: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17634462
* Q: Why doesn't scholar.google.com auto-redirect?
* A: It's about the same as Pubmed -- nothing at scholar.google.com itself requires a subscription. If you really want the "Get it at Becker!" links, you can either click the extension's icon when you visit Google Scholar, or you can change your Scholar settings at: http://scholar.google.com/scholar_preferences
* Q: Why doesn't cell.com auto-redirect?
* A: All of cell.com's content is free -- the PDFs and full text versions are served from sciencedirect.com (which /will/ auto-redirect).
* Q: Is anything logged?
* A: Normally, no. If, however, automatic redirection doesn't happen and you have to click the icon to redirect your browser, only the journal home page (e.g. nature.com) is logged so I can add it to a list of available journals.
* Q: Can I opt out of logging?
* A: Yes! Simply go to the "Options" page of the extension and click "Opt Out." (For help finding the "Options" page, see: http://goo.gl/SsOly )
======== CODE ========
Please contribute! https://github.com/semenko/washu-library-proxy-chrome-extension
Copyright 2011-2014, Nick Semenkovich <[email protected]>
Released under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.
Tired of typing "beckerproxy.wustl.edu" or "libproxy.wustl.edu" when you visit scientific journals? This will automatically redirect your browser to the proxified URL! (You can also click the icon in your toolbar to manually redirect.)
If you have any bugs or issues, send me an e-mail:
Nick Semenkovich <[email protected]>
https://nick.semenkovich.com
======= What's New =======
2015.11.23: Updated journal list
2015.7.8: Updated journal list.
...
2014.6.30: Additional network detection tweaks.
2014.6.27: Update network detection for BJC/BJH/WUCON. Update journals.
2014.6.6: Journal list update.
2014.5.10: Fix lancet breakage.
2014.5.4: New icon, update list, fix notifications.
2014.2.23: Updated journal list, minor codebase tweaks.
...
v3.4.1: Expanded user hints, updated journal list.
v3.3.9: Add hints (webkitNotifications) for users clicking when they shouldn't.
v3.2.0: Architectural change to use webNavigation API, updated journal list.
v2.5.0: Many security changes to support Chrome Manifest v2m, updated journal list.
...
Changelog: https://github.com/semenko/washu-library-proxy-chrome-extension/compare/2015.7.8...2015.11.23
You can file bugs at: https://github.com/semenko/washu-library-proxy-chrome-extension/issues
========= FAQ =========
* Q: What permissions does this need and why?
* A: This extension asks for two permissions that are the bare minimum required to determine if you are on or off campus and rewrite the URL. ("Your tabs and browsing activity" is required to use the chrome.tabs API, see: http://goo.gl/c4l8C)
* Q: How does this work?
* A: When you visit a journal (e.g. nature.com), the extension checks if it's in a database of journals to automatically redirect through a proxy. If so, we append ".beckerproxy.wustl.edu" or ".libproxy.wustl.edu," depending on the options you choose. If a journal you visit isn't in that database of automatic redirections, you can click the extension's icon to try to use a proxy anyway.
* Q: Why can't I access [my favorite site or journal]? It never seems to work.
* A: The libraries have their own whitelist of sites approved for their proxies (probably because of licensing/contractual obligations). Only whitelisted sites work (for example, www.youtube.com.beckerproxy.wustl.edu won't work), so some journals can't be included. Sorry!
* Q: What happens when I click on the icon?
* A: When you click on the icon, the extension will add ".beckerproxy.wustl.edu" or ".libproxy.wustl.edu" to the URL to route you through the proxy. Normally you shouldn't need to do this -- only if I've missed a journal that should be automatically routed through the proxy. And keep in mind, it might not work (see the above question), since the library might not allow that website using the proxy.
* Q: What's up with Pubmed? Why isn't it automatically redirected?
* A: Everything at the NCBI is in the public domain, so there's no reason to access it over the proxy! However, the first time you visit Pubmed per-browser session, there's a tiny string appended to the url ("?holding=wustlmlib") that adds a "Get it at Becker!" link to many journals. For example, visit: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17634462
* Q: Why doesn't scholar.google.com auto-redirect?
* A: It's about the same as Pubmed -- nothing at scholar.google.com itself requires a subscription. If you really want the "Get it at Becker!" links, you can either click the extension's icon when you visit Google Scholar, or you can change your Scholar settings at: http://scholar.google.com/scholar_preferences
* Q: Why doesn't cell.com auto-redirect?
* A: All of cell.com's content is free -- the PDFs and full text versions are served from sciencedirect.com (which /will/ auto-redirect).
* Q: Is anything logged?
* A: Normally, no. If, however, automatic redirection doesn't happen and you have to click the icon to redirect your browser, only the journal home page (e.g. nature.com) is logged so I can add it to a list of available journals.
* Q: Can I opt out of logging?
* A: Yes! Simply go to the "Options" page of the extension and click "Opt Out." (For help finding the "Options" page, see: http://goo.gl/SsOly )
======== CODE ========
Please contribute! https://github.com/semenko/washu-library-proxy-chrome-extension
Copyright 2011-2014, Nick Semenkovich <[email protected]>
Released under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.
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