AliExpress now requires login just to view item pages

Thanks! I don’t keep a bookmarks bar exposed anymore, but I’ll some way to keep it handy. I was sure that there was likely some script in greasemonkey or something to do this, but had never looked into it and a bookmarklet is a nice solution.

I came up with an initial solution for Kill Stickies that might suit my needs (see follow-up). I added an extension to my browser (Firefox) called Custom Style Script that allows per page javascript or CSS code and offers a toolbar button to switch it on or off.

I then went into the Custom Style Script settings and entered the following in section III. Code:

URL=
*

Javascript=
var i, elements = document.querySelectorAll('body *');

for (i = 0; i < elements.length; i++) {
if (getComputedStyle(elements[i]).position === 'fixed') {
elements[i].parentNode.removeChild(elements[i]);
}
}

Or if you'd like to see the stickies for a few seconds before they disappear, then:

Javascript=

setTimeout(function(){
var i, elements = document.querySelectorAll('body *');

for (i = 0; i < elements.length; i++) {
if (getComputedStyle(elements[i]).position === 'fixed') {
elements[i].parentNode.removeChild(elements[i]);
}
}
}, 5000);

Where "5000" is the delay in milliseconds.


I then pressed the "+" bar to add it to the database and all floaties/stickies seem to be removed so far. They do appear for a few milliseconds upon page load even with zero delay, but they quickly disappear as I'm sure that the custom script is run after the page loads. If I want the floaties to come back, I simply click the toolbar button, click the "power" button for the extension, and refresh that page and any others.

Not having stickies may cause navigation problems, but I don't want to have to run a bookmarklet every single time I load a page at AliExpress or elsewhere. We'll see how it goes.

Yes, Greasemonkey is a far more capable solution, but it's much larger and likely slower than Custom Style Script. Use whichever you prefer or is available in your browser.

After some testing, I should warn that you probably don’t want the “full time” fixed element blocker that I posted above, because it also breaks any site where the header “becomes” fixed (sticky) after you scroll down. The header will remain available after loading the page, but if you scroll down it becomes fixed and the Kill Stickies code then removes it. The header does not return even after scrolling back to the top of the page, so you can only use the Kill Stickies code temporarily or it will break many sites, including YouTube.

Sorry to say but I hate the way stickies are used. They stick stupid search bars and shite in many many sites, taking up screen space like illegal squatters. My screen is to view content, to be useable, available and useful. Just a decade ago there were no stickies at all (!) and everything worked nicely. Now large heaps of screen space are squandered in many badly designed sites, especially in landscape mode which I use a lot with my smartphone (mostly because I can comfortably use the keyboard while in landscape, and it is more natural anyway). I don't need stupid sticky squatter bars like in G00gl€ $earch, Youtube, AliExpress, also Facebook places me a supersized sticky because I am not registered just to read some crap… it's freaking stupid dumbass. :-|

On the bright side, think about stickies just like frames.

Every idiot wanted to (mis)use them for everything, to the point where hitting the web was an infuriating experience, until they just died out when the next even more idiotic new thing came into vogue.

No need for complicated JS/CSS injection!

An easier way to filter unwanted web content is offered by µblock origin (extension for Firefox, Chrome/Chromium browsers), it’s easy to “right-click > Block element…” the annoying thingies in a web page

Also works great for facebook “sign up to see the rest of the page or die” crap!

I never had issues with viewing item pages, in my case Aliexpress has preiods when they require me to log in to search products. It’s happening right now, I cannot search anything, clicking the search button redirects me to the login page. So annoying!

Well, then it is my will for all unneeded and unwanted stickies to die out, which in my wise opinion is nearly all of them. So be it, now.

Yes, but in my experience uBO only removes the element temporarily and does not “remember” to block each zapped element. I’ve used uBO since it was split from uBlock and would like it to remember zapped elements, so please correct me if I’m using it wrong :slight_smile: .

Yes, the sticky trend has reminded many of us of the whole Frames/iFrames fiasco and I cannot fathom how the website designers thought floaty, sticky elements would be a good idea after the historical hatred for frames.

Good to see I’m not the only one who hates these things. On some sites, they simply pop up an arrow in the lower-right corner that returns you to the top of the page. This may be somewhat useful on devices without keyboard shortcuts to return to the top, but even this rather “tasteful” sticky sometimes gets in the way, especially on screens with less real estate. What insane person would need full-time links to Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Russian Facebook (why did they try to copy Facebook so obviously?) as they scroll down an AX item page?

Oh, and I would /accept/ a compromise where the “X” button on AliExpress’es side sticky actually closed the entire sticky and this choice was saved as part of the site cookie and restored on all future pages. While I’m dreaming, I’d also like a pony and a billion dollars.

Okay, uBlock Origin does have a feature to permanently filter specific elements from a site, but I may not be able to explain how to use it.

Using the AliExpress "side" sticky as an example, you click on the eye dropper (element picker) tool in the uBO panel, hover the mouse over the sticky until the entire sticky area is highlighted, and finally press "Create".

Or you can go into the uBlock Origin Dashboard (settings) panel, go to the My Filter tab, and enter the following into the test area:

! 11/10/2019 https://www.aliexpress.com
www.aliexpress.com##.product-fix-wrap

Then press the "Apply changes" button.


Unfortunately, this process must be done for every element on every site that you wish to block and mobile devices are simply out of luck and must tolerate whatever nonsense the web developers foist upon them.

While not entirely true, true it is that mobile (Android) application development is in many aspects just plain retarded. I myself am still using certain version of the Chrome browser, and I have tried many others but they're not yet there because this, that or the other.

XDA Developers is a good place to inquire or raise a question concerning the development of some new interesting Android software. Just saw the forum's front page, with all these new extra-tall or extra-wide smartphone dumbarsephone models. Terrible. :facepalm:

I’m not quite as picky as you are (Kill Sticky is good enough for me), but it sounds like you could also make use of uMatrix, if you don’t already. But it requires some investment and has somewhat of a learning curve.

I later figured out how to block these elements with uBlock Origin, so my experience has improved. I did try to use uMatrix for awhile, but I didn’t grok the concept as easily as uBO and I found very little documentation to help me understand it. I do understand the basic layout and that you can block individual sources for each site (or universally), but I’m not usually sure how to get the behavior that I want from it :frowning: .

Thanks for suggesting it, though, as it may help someone here and perhaps they can then explain its more advanced feature to me :wink: .

Threadbump.
I’m absolutely tired of Aliexpress requiring me to login AND captcha verify ALL THE TIME. Along with the crippled search function (you can’t omit anything from your search anymore), it’s a huge pain in the ass how they ruin the website.

yea me too… &&&& jack ma

isit me or chrome keep asking me to update my aliexpress password because of security breach?
I understand captcha and such but now logging in makes me scared since it kept warning me that my password is compromised

I’ve had my share of persistent sign-ins w/ AE. The captchas not too often. I had noticed that the site was redirected from the Russian Federation, and I suppose the ISPs don’t concur within the cache. Always thought this be due to traffic or website maintenance. As for the re sign-ins, there isn’t any provision to remember the user. Being they push for the mobile app, they had that feature removed.

As for the ‘floaties’ and banners, I’ve been using AdBlock Plus which lets me remove elements from the page. Until very recently the tool was great; I could multiple click on super imposed blocks and if I over did it, there was a provision to ‘undo’. These features are no longer within the drop-down. I can block but one element at a time. Buried within the Chrome Toolbar / More Tools / Developer Tools / >> (more) / Ad Block Plus / refresh page. There I can see the elements removed and re-insert.

Background: older Mac with 5 year old operating system (10.8.5), some apps not supported any longer. Chrome works (as Firefox). Have some added blockers for social media, 3rd party analytics (those that aren’t with the primary web page) and the ubiquitous UBlock Origin, Disconnect, Taper Monkey et. al. I’m comfortable with it now, eventually will have to “hackintosh” my Mac. Have the tools and the zip on hand but re-building this computer will remove some of the features I’ve been using. Did a test on my Mac mini and couldn’t read video from the external drive (using VLC) directly to my television (or any other device). Would lose many of the peripheral controls that I’ve come to enjoy on this machine. Using SoundFlower to send Bluetooth audio to bathroom and other devices. VLC to control aspects of video. Remote backup to external drive, etc, etc.

But I’ve digressed enough…

seems like a good thread to rant about this.

i’m accustom to middle clicking items into new tabs so i can compare etc.
middle clicking an item on aliexpress opens that item in the current tab. :person_facepalming:
can’t even ‘copy link’.

this is SOOO infuriating, it’s keeping me from even browsing there anymore.

Hold down the control-key whilst regular-clicking.

thanks! sorry for the delayed response. for some reason budgetlightforum.com was telling me “The requested page ”/comment/1649408” could not be found. ” from the email notification link.
had to do a duckgo search to find this thread again.