Mozilla is currently working on bringing form autofill functionality to its Firefox web browser.

Firefox remembers form data by default that you enter on sites, but the browser does not ship with options to create profiles that you may use on any form you encounter while using the browser.

Firefox users may install extensions like Autofill Forms to add the functionality to the web browser though.

First suggested as a feature addition to Firefox in 2014, it appears that form autofill will soon come to the web browser.

Form Autofill for Firefox

A team has been formed to create a system add-on that adds the functionality to Firefox. The main idea behind the feature is to add form profile functionality to Firefox.

Note: The feature is still in active development. Things may change, be removed, or the entire project may be canceled. I'll update the article to reflect any changes made in the future.

The main idea behind form autofill for Firefox is to add a profile-based form filling system to the web browser.

Firefox is all about customization, and this new add-on project falls right into that alley as well. Users may use it, for instance by accepting requests to save form data when they fill out forms on websites, or disable it entirely if they don't want to use it for whatever reason.

The team plans to add options to Firefox to manage form profiles in the browser. Managing includes viewing and editing existing profiles, creating new profiles, and deleting profiles.

The actual scope of which form data gets saved by the browser and which is not, is not set in stone completely. You can expect that the majority of people-specific information, such as the name, address or phone number, are supported while other data, credit card information, additional phone numbers or nicknames are likely not supported. This is subject to change however.

When Firefox users click on form data, Firefox will suggest existing autofill profiles automatically if the feature is enabled. The browser may alternatively suggest to save form data on submit to create new profiles.

It is unclear right now what type of controls will be available. For instance, can users block Firefox from suggesting to save information on select sites?

In case there is no form autofill profile available that matches the form, Firefox will look for regular form history data and suggest that instead.

Firefox users may disable form autofill under privacy in the browser preferences. Mozilla will add at least one option to the privacy page to disable form autofill in Firefox. There will be a button to manage saved profiles directly from there as well.

A click on that button opens all profiles. You may click on any profile there to open the profile's details. Apart from previewing information there, you may edit any field and save the updated data again.

Also, you may delete any profile previously created using the manage profile autofill option.

Closing Words

Google Chrome ships with form profiles that you may save data to if you have not disabled the feature.

Firefox users may appreciate the feature, even though it is already available in form of regularly add-ons for the browser.

One has to wonder why Mozilla is not bringing the best of an add-on that is already available to Firefox's core as it would probably mean freeing up development resources for other projects. Add-on authors would have to agree to this obviously but Mozilla could provide incentives to them as well.

Now You: Do you think it is a good thing to bring native form autofill functionality to Firefox?

Summary Article Name Mozilla is working on Form Autofill for Firefox Description Mozilla is currently working on bringing form autofill functionality to its Firefox web browser. that lets users save and use form profiles. Author Martin Brinkmann Publisher Ghacks Technology News Logo

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