Google has now taken the wraps off of a new link-sharing Chrome extension called ‘Link to Text Fragment’. Recently detailed and announced via its Web.Dev web developers blog, the extension does precisely what its name implies. With the extension turned on, users can send web links that redirect to precise parts of a given page.
The primary benefits with the new extension are going to vary from user to user. For instance, a user who hopes to point out a specific piece of information to somebody might use the tool to link to a news article. And, more directly, to a key paragraph or sentence within the piece. At the other end of the spectrum, if there are changes needed on a website, those can be more easily pointed out too.
How to get and use Link to Text Fragment
Using the Link to Text Fragment extension for Google Chrome couldn’t be any easier. The extension itself is found in the search giant’s Chrome Web Store, listed on offer from Google LLC. On that store listing, users just need to click “Add to Chrome” to get it installed. Then, “Add extension” must be clicked or tapped in the resulting pop-up.
Once the extension is installed, the process for sending links only requires a few steps. First, users must navigate to a page that they’d like to link to. Then they’ll need to scroll down to the text that they want the link to focus on. After using the mouse — or a finger, on touchscreen devices — to highlight the text, a right-click brings forward the appropriate option. For Chrome OS users, that’s a two-finger click or a click alongside a press of the “alt” key.
In the context menu, a new option titled “Copy Link to Selected Text” will appear. That will be denoted with the extension’s icon, which takes the form of a red-colored hashtag. Clicking that creates the link and copies it to the clipboard.
After that, all it takes is for the user to paste the link somewhere for sharing. That, of course, can be accomplished via keyboard shortcuts or via a right-click in a text entry space.
The links highlight the text for recipients too
The feature also borrows from a previously incorporated change Google made to its search results page. For clarity, that’s the text-highlighting feature now found following a click on featured snippets.
Summarily, featured snippets are pieces of text that are shown when users search for certain keywords. Typically, those are associated with a “what is” or “how-to” type query. After the change, clicking or tapping on those snippets now navigates to the portion of that page that contains the snippet. What’s more, the feature highlights the snippet with a yellow background.
The new Link to Text Fragment extension does exactly the same thing for recipients of the associated link. So, when users receive a link and click it, the page will not only automatically navigate so that text is available. It will also highlight the text with a yellow background.
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