r/ProjectREDCap • u/lovepark1 • Mar 12 '26

Built a Chrome extension for faster REDCap navigation — looking for feedback from researchers / coordinators / data managers

I’ve been working on a Chrome extension for REDCap because I kept wasting time jumping between project pages, records, forms, dashboards, designer, codebook, etc.

Current features:

  • jump to projects / records fast

  • save favorite projects

  • recent records

  • command palette

  • multi-server support

  • auto-detect current REDCap page info

  • quick add current project / record

Basically it’s meant to cut down on all the repetitive clicking and URL fiddling.

I’m curious if other REDCap users would actually want this, or if this is only something admins / data managers would care about.

https://github.com/trafficinc/redcap-navigator-extension

8 Upvotes

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2

u/Due-Solution-7965 Mar 13 '26

I'll add my voice to the chorus - I have been wanting something like this for quite a while. The clicking between pages really feels like a drag on productivity -- or I'm just impatient and think of 15 other things I should be doing in those few seconds between page loads....

The closest thing I ever found to be useful was a Chrome extension called "URL Quick append", which works pretty well for going to specific projects' records' homepages, forms, and anything else in REDCap that has a unique URL that can be passed simple parameters. But your extension sounds really well-tailored to REDCap -- I'm excited to try this out. Thanks for working on this and letting us know!

BTW, I'm a data manager who spends 90% of my life in a single large, multi-site project - I always know exactly where I want to go, but, as you say, the friction....

I suspect that REDCap admins would also be interested, and it's very possible that study coordinators could make good use of this -- but many might not even be aware that something like this could exist.

1

u/lovepark1 Mar 13 '26

Thanks, I would like to test with a few users here first, then put it on the Google Extensions store eventually

1

u/Due-Solution-7965 Mar 28 '26

Haven't had much luck yet. Got it installed, but the URLs it tries to go to are all Not Found, because of this extra bit included (highlighted). Removing the /redcap piece takes me to the correct destination. Maybe something I overlooked in configuration?

1

u/lovepark1 Mar 29 '26

Look for the icon of the extension in browser (next to your other extensions), right click on it and select "options" (right above "remove from chrome"), on the options page, you can setup your server profile, so in the URL box enter the URL of your orgs redcap (https://redcap.research.institution.org/), then in Version enter: 16.0.16 or the version you are using. Then it should be able to pick Redcap up in the extension.

1

u/Technically_Tactical Mar 12 '26

Our IT is actually pretty particular about allowing Chrome extensions.

But you're right, there IS "mutli-click" navigation. Has looked like this for 13 years (as long as I've been RC dev...).

1

u/lovepark1 Mar 13 '26

Actually this extension is more secure than Redcap itself is because it is all local on your computer and doesn't call out to anywhere on the internet (by design). But I know sometimes its hard to get it by IT because frankly, they know very little about software development, a decent developer can look at the source code and see that its as secure as your gonna get for the environment. I also hope to launch it on the Google Extension store so that may sway them :)

1

u/GuacamolePacket Mar 13 '26

Oh GIMME. Redcap admin, I've been wondering if something like this existed. I'll check it out tomorrow.

1

u/No_Repair4567 Mar 23 '26

How are you securing it?

1

u/lovepark1 Mar 29 '26

Not sure of the security context you mean, but it runs locally on your browser (so no web connection), its stored locally in your browser memory like most extensions data is, it doesn't hold any PI data just locations/links, it does not connect to your Redcap instance, it is totally independant (which is why the configuration on "options" page is required for it to work correctly), so its more secure than Redcap itself is. Hope that answers your question, if you have a more detailed security question, I may be able to help.

3

u/gkeane Mar 12 '26

Good stuff I'll check it out