Helvetireader Puts a New Face on Google Reader

Written on November 30, 2008 by Jonathan Buys and 17 people have commented

Jon Hicks from Hicks Design has released the Helvetireader skin for Google Reader. Helvetireader takes a minimalist approach, masking many of Google Readers abilities, creating a simple and very easy to read interface to Google’s excellent RSS feed reader.

Google Reader has been my RSS reader of choice since I made the switch from Bloglines last year. This new skin makes the site seem brand new, and makes it even easier for Reader to stand alone as desktop app with Fluid or Prism. To set up Helvetireader with Fluid, create a new Site Specific Browser for Google Reader, then launch the newly created app. Next, click on the script menu item, and select “New Userscript”. If you have the Developer Tools installed, this will launch Dashcode and allow you to edit the userscript. Just paste in this:

// ==UserScript==
// @name        Helvetireader
// @description Helvetireader style for Google Reader
// @include     https://*.google.com/reader/view/*
// @include     http://*.google.com/reader/view/*
// @include     htt*://*.google.*/reader/view*
// @author      Helvetireader by Jon Hicks (http://www.hicksdesign.co.uk)
// ==/UserScript==

var cssNode = document.createElement('link');
cssNode.type = 'text/css';
cssNode.rel = 'stylesheet';
cssNode.href = 'http://www.helvetireader.com/css/helvetireader.css';
cssNode.media = 'screen';
cssNode.title = 'dynamicLoadedSheet';
document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(cssNode);

Save your script, and relaunch the Fluid Google Reader App. After a second, the CSS from Helvetireader will kick in, and you’ll have a brand new look and feel to Google Reader. The CSS is actually hosted on the helvetireader.com web site, so you won’t have to modify your settings as the code is updated. This script is just as easy to set up on Firefox or Opera, and can be used with Safari or Camino with a little tweaking. Hicks expects this theme to be used by 10 people at the most, I expect it will be much more popular than that.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks (Trackback URL)

Pingback by Productivity Power Links 12-02-08 « Geeks Guide To Productivity

Comments RSSComments

#1 MoBurkhardt says:
can i apply this without fluid or prism?
#2 Phil says:
Yes it can MoBurkhardt
#3 MoBurkhardt says:
where do i find instructions for Safari?
#4 MoBurkhardt says:
figured it out, sorry for my noobness
#5 Lucky says:
Hey can anyone save me and a few more people and make the app and share it?
#6 Oliver says:
From here on I couldn’t follow. Can you give a more fool-roof description?

Next, click on the script menu item, and select “New Userscript”. If you have the Developer Tools installed, this will launch Dashcode and allow you to edit the userscript. Just paste in this:
#7 Jonathan Buys says:
@Oliver No problem, the “script” menu I mention is the black, scroll looking icon at the top, next to the “Window” menu item.

@Lucky, I’ll email you the app I made with fluid if you like. Drop me a line at jonbuys76 at gmail.
#8 Oliver says:
Ty Jonathan.

Now I got stuck here:

If you have the Developer Tools installed, this will launch Dashcode and allow you to edit the userscript. Just paste in this:

Where can I find and install Developer Tools?
#9 Jonathan Buys says:
I’m not sure you really need the dev tools just for this, it should launch some kind of text editor to edit the file. What happens when you click the “New Userscript” menu item?
#10 Marc Tytus says:
Oliver: Press Control-Apple-O to open your “userscripts” folder. Create a new TextEdit file and save the code from the post into it. Rename the file “skin.user.js”. Finally go back to you Reader.app and under the Reader app you should be able to select your newly created script “skin”. Login before you see the changes.

I hope this works for you.
#11 Oliver says:
Got it. Thanks for the immediate help.
Best wishes from Germany
#12 Jake says:
Thanks a lot, this one’s really good looking!
#13 Brian Warren says:
For Safari users, just do this:

Install GreaseKit: http://8-p.info/greasekit/

Then go to the helvetireader website and click on the “Install as a userscript” link. It’s really quite simple. That worked for me. And it installed it for Fluid that way too as GreaseKit installs for any Webkit-based browser.
#14 Allan Libunao says:
@Marc Tytus

Thank you for your instructions! Worked like a charm!
#15 rajington says:
damn, and just a few days before google reader did the redisgn… bad times.
#16 Allan Libunao says:
@rajington

There’s already an updated version for the redesign, just update your user scripts.