How to prevent auto closing the current tab?

[Dean-Corso]

Hi guys,

I would like to ask a question about an problem I have for a long time and I can not find a solution for that. So as the title already said, I have a problem with somehow randomly closing current working tab when clicking on any link. I really don't know what the problem is for that behavior but it happens few times a day and sometimes etc like a random. Even it happens when surfing on a forum and just clicking on next web page / next button to load the next site. Sometimes it happens that this tab then just closed right away after the click. Somehow this is really annoying.

Just imagine I surf on forum and read some article and when trying to go forward to next page the entire tab is gone and I have to reopen it again. Mostly in those cases I'm using the middle mouse button to load the next page in a new tab to prevent that problem but this isn't really a good solution. So I would like to know whether this problem behavior is already known and whether there was already found a solution for that or not? I even don't know whether problem is uBO itself or anything you know. I just don't get a rid of that issue. I'm using latest official uBO version 1.59.0 in Brave browser. Maybe anyone of you could help to find & fix the problem. Thank you.

[stephenhawk8054]

Give the exact URL where you see the issue.

[krystian3w]

To me, it looks like a browser/system infection with something, to the lesser extent that one of the forums is hollow and can optionally be cured with network filters or scriptlets.

[Dean-Corso]

Hi guys,

as I said, the problem just happens somehow randomly anywhere so there is no specific website. Problem is I can't force that issue anyhow to analyze it and even when I have open the uBO logger I can't see anything because the current tab is gone and all logging data of this current tab are also gone when the tab get closed.

So my question was generally and trying to find ways / methods to find the possible reason for that issue. I'm also not sure whether the problem is uBO itself or anything else (browser settings / extensions / TM scripts etc). So do you guys have any idea how to catch the problem anyhow? Is there any kind of logger about the action what happens in browser I could enable and let run in background and when the tab closing problem happens to get the reason logged? Just wanna find out what is closing my current tab sometimes / randomly. Maybe any exception gets not handled correctly because of any unknown reason and browser tab just get closed / terminated or whatever. As I said, that problem is pretty annoying when it happens. Any ideas what I could try & test are welcome guys.

PS: I'm using Brave browser which also has some shields to block ADS / FP etc (not using any ADS scripts or own rules). I have this enabled but without scripts. Maybe there is any issue in combination with uBO. Would you recommend to disable it completely? I did that now & removed two extensions which was flagged by Goog because of any violation (Fingerprint extension & MultiLogin). Will see whether I get still that problem or not (will send new results later). Thank you.

[garry-ut99]

EDIT:: So I did notice that also without using the popunder command in my custom filter list anywhere it can happen that the current tab randomly get closed when I click on any own bookmark link to open this bookmark link in the current tab (left mouse click). Hhmm

Disable "My Filters", and try again, to determine whether it's your filters or some other filters (from filter lists) causing it.
If the issue still happens, disable different filter lists one by one, until the issue stops.

[Dean-Corso]

That's not so easy @garry-ut99, but I can try it to see what happens in next days. Otherwise lets think that any of my custom filters is the problem (even when its not the popup / popunder I did disabled all) how to find the problem rule? I have many rules in my own filter list so I can't check every single one and wait whether the problem happens or not. In that case some other logger would be much better or just a logger what does log the tab closing action. Is there nothing what I could use? Or is it possible to block entire tab closing from outside (only allow it manually by mouse click on exit X button of tab) sending commands etc? Just don't know what I could do.

[garry-ut99]

Dean-Corso: I have many rules in my own filter list so I can't check every single one and wait whether the problem happens or not

You have filters, not rules, in your filter list, better to use a proper nomenclature and don't mix terms:
filters are filters https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/wiki/Dashboard:-My-filters,
and rules are rules https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/wiki/Dashboard:-My-rules,
(like mentioned at the bottom of uBlockOrigin/uBlock-issues#3208 (comment))

No need to disable every single filter, in such cases you can just use bisection method, in simple words:

• comment out half of your filters (it doesn't matter whether the top or the bottom part)
  • if the issue has stopped occuring it means the problematic filter is inside this part,
  • if the issue has not stopped occuring, it means the problematic filter is in the other part
    • every time you track the problematic part, comment out half of it and check again
    • repeat the process until you find the problematic filter

I use this method sometimes, last time I used it successfully in: uBlockOrigin/uBOL-home#140 (comment)

Besides, some filters like $all https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/wiki/Static-filter-syntax#all might still block $popups (but not $popunders), for example disabling all filter lists, and then with only this filter $all,~doc,domain=vipbox1.com in My Filters visiting vipbox1.com and clicking a banner on the right will still cause a new tab to be closed. $doc or normal filters like: ||toptrendyinc.com^ have higher priority than $popup filters, so enabling EasyList will cause the popup to not be closed, but only blocked, unless you disable it with ||toptrendyinc.com^$badfilter. Though I don't say you have $all,~doc or similiar filters in you filters.

Dean-Corso: Or is it possible to block entire tab closing from outside (only allow it manually by mouse click on exit X button of tab) sending commands etc?

Dean-Corso: If users are just working with a single tab and browser setting is set to default (last tab get closed = browser exit call) then browser says goodbye and the user don't know what happened etc you know.

For the latter, maybe try, (not sure whether it's useful for the former question):

• https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/chrome-close-lock/plcabbfeeokakkmdecdccmibahigjkno
• https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/dont-close-window-with-la/dlnpfhfhmkiebpnlllpehlmklgdggbhn

[Dean-Corso]

Hello @garry-ut99,

thank you for the answer and trying me to help to find my problem. So you are right, I'm just using custom filters.

So using the half method sound logically but could take a longer while because I'm using almost 2000 lines of custom filters (not all enabled) and they are somehow messy. I will check this out even if I still didn't found a 100% method to force that tab closing problem to repeat it with enabled / disabled filters etc. That random tab closing is really a PITA. Just don't know why the there is no simple way to hook that function which is used to close a tab to see whether its coming from (like a stack check in debugger etc or exception logger).

About the $all filter, so I'm using that filter too on specific domains so I will try to disable them too next to popup & popunder for testing phase. Thanks for the hint.

One more question I have about that blocking syntax "||" so when do you recommend using that "||" and when not? In some filters I don't use || like when creating a blocking filter using domain= / denlyallow= syntax like this...
*$script,inline-script,other,ping,3p,websocket,domain=123.com,denyallow=abc.com
...instead of this...
||*$script,inline-script,other,ping,3p,websocket,domain=123.com,denyallow=abc.com
....just because in case of using || above the || are showing disabled / ghost and not colored as it does when using a website / URL right after. Is there a different now using || in that case?

[stephenhawk8054]

You can read more about the syntax in the documentations here:

• https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/wiki/Static-filter-syntax
• https://help.eyeo.com/en/adblockplus/how-to-write-filters
• https://kb.adguard.com/en/general/how-to-create-your-own-ad-filters

[ghajini]

you have been asked #24776 (comment)
just provide website you have a problem & it will be fixed