If you use the Firefox extension Better Gmail 2, recently you may have noticed some problems. Changes to Gmail's HTML and CSS layout broke some of the scripts included in this add-on. But don't worry, Better Gmail is getting better.

Don't say I didn't warn you. Three months ago, I posted a blog entry entitled "Gmail gives you options... perhaps too many". covering the complexities of using Gmail alongside various experimental features made available by Gmail Labs and the popular Firefox extension Better Gmail. Some of the scripts included in Better Gmail provide functionality redundant with (or in conflict with) features offered by Gmail Labs.

My point was that when dealing with a base service, a set of experimental features provided by a "labs" division of the company providing the service, and a third-party add-on for Firefox that aggregates independently written Greasemonkey scripts, conflict was bound to arise and users need to be careful how they configure this functionality.

Google recently made changes to Gmail's HTML and CSS layout which broke a number of Better Gmail's scripts, including my favorite, Folders4Gmail (which displays hierarchically named labels in a collapsible tree view), "Add Row Highlights", and others. I first experienced the problems when I updated Better Gmail 2 to a new version (0.7.3). The thing I noticed immediately was that the hierarchical label display was gone. But it seems that the new version was probably not the culprit: I just happened to update right after Google's layout changes.

But fear not: an entry today on Gina Trapani's blog (she's the editor of Lifehacker and the one who compiled and packaged the Better Gmail scripts), Smarterware let us know that the people behind Better Gmail are on the ball. Gina worked with Arend von Reinersdorff (who wrote several of the Better Gmail scripts) to package a "quick fix-it version" that repairs the problems associated with some of Better Gmail's functions, including Folders4Gmail. Not everything is fixed, but at least the people behind this extension are aware of the issues and are working on correcting the remaining problems. The link to download the latest version can be found on Gina's blog and on the Lifehacker web site.