Simple Reader Line

📖 Read Smarter, Not Harder — Your Personal Reading Guide for Every Web Page

Struggling to keep your place while reading long articles online? Simple Reader Line adds a customizable reading guide line overlay to any web page, helping you focus on one line at a time. Whether you are a student, researcher, or simply someone who spends hours reading on screen, this reading aid eliminates eye strain and transforms your browsing experience.

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✨ Key Features

📏 Adjustable Reading Line Height
Fine-tune your reading ruler from 20px to 200px using a smooth slider. Whether you prefer a narrow text tracker for dense paragraphs or a wide reading guide for larger fonts, Simple Reader Line adapts to your needs.

🎨 Full HSV Color Picker with Opacity Control
Choose any color for your reading overlay using a canvas-based HSV color picker built right into the popup. Adjust opacity from transparent to solid using a dedicated bar. Live preview shows your selected color with hex value.

🔄 Normal and Inverted Modes
In normal mode, your chosen color tints the dimming overlay while the reading line stays clear. Switch to inverted mode, and the color applies to the reading line itself while the rest of the page remains dimmed. Two distinct visual experiences to match your preference.

🌐 Per-Site Enable and Disable
Toggle the reading line overlay on or off for each website independently. The popup clearly shows the current site hostname so you always know which site you are configuring. Your per-site preferences sync across devices via Chrome storage.

⌨️ Custom Hotkey for Quick Toggle
Record any keyboard shortcut to instantly toggle the overlay without opening the popup. Uses physical key codes, so your shortcut works the same way regardless of keyboard layout — perfect for multilingual users.

🌙 Dark Mode Support
The popup interface automatically adapts to your system dark-mode preference. Light or dark, the settings panel always looks clean and comfortable.

🌍 Localized in 55 Languages
Simple Reader Line speaks your language. All interface labels are fully translated into 55 languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Hindi, and many more.

🔒 Zero External Requests
Every asset — fonts, icons, scripts, styles — is bundled inside the extension. Simple Reader Line never makes a single network request to any external server. Your browsing data stays on your device.

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🚀 How It Works

Step 1 — Install and pin the extension
Install Simple Reader Line from the Chrome Web Store and pin it to your toolbar for easy access.

Step 2 — Visit any web page and open the popup
Navigate to any article, document, or web page. Click the Simple Reader Line icon in your toolbar to open the settings panel.

Step 3 — Enable the reading guide for the current site
Flip the toggle switch at the top of the popup. The reading line overlay will immediately appear on the page, following your mouse cursor as you move it up and down.

Step 4 — Customize your reading experience
Adjust the line height to match your preferred text size. Pick a color and opacity that works best for your eyes. Try inverted mode for a different visual style. All changes apply instantly — no need to refresh.

Step 5 — Set a hotkey for instant control
Click the hotkey button in the popup and press your preferred key combination. From now on, use that shortcut to toggle the reading guide on any site without touching the popup. Your hotkey works across all tabs.

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🛡️ Privacy and Security

Simple Reader Line is built with a privacy-first approach. Here is what each permission does:

- Storage permission: saves your preferences to Chrome sync storage so settings follow you across devices. No personal data is stored.

- ActiveTab permission: detects the hostname of the current tab so the popup can show which site you are configuring.

- Content scripts on all URLs: required to render the reading line overlay on any web page. The script only adds three lightweight div elements and listens for mouse movement. It does not read, collect, or transmit any page content.

What Simple Reader Line does NOT do:
- Does not collect personal data or browsing history
- Does not track your behavior or usage patterns
- Does not send data to external servers
- Does not inject ads or affiliate links
- Does not modify page content beyond the overlay
- Does not require any account or sign-up
- Contains no analytics, telemetry, or third-party scripts

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💡 Use Cases

For Students and Researchers
Plow through lengthy academic papers, online textbooks, and research articles without losing your place. The reading ruler keeps your eyes focused on the exact line you are reading, reducing re-reading and improving comprehension.

For People with Dyslexia or Reading Difficulties
The reading guide line acts as a visual anchor that helps isolate individual lines of text. Adjustable color, opacity, and line height let you create the visual environment that works best for you. Many users with dyslexia, ADHD, or visual processing challenges find a reading overlay significantly improves comfort.

For Professionals Who Read All Day
Journalists, editors, lawyers, developers — anyone who spends hours reading documentation, reports, or articles on screen. Reduce eye strain and mental fatigue with a visual focus aid that works on every website.

For Language Learners
When reading in a foreign language, every line demands extra concentration. The text tracker helps you maintain focus and prevents your eyes from jumping ahead or drifting to the wrong line.

For Proofreading and Editing
Use the line guide to scan through text line by line. The overlay forces slower, more deliberate reading — perfect for catching typos, grammar errors, or formatting issues.

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🏆 Why Choose Simple Reader Line

- Truly customizable: full color picker, adjustable opacity, variable line height, and two display modes give you complete control over your reading experience.

- Works everywhere: news sites, documentation, blogs, web apps, PDFs in the browser, email clients, and more.

- Lightweight and fast: just three HTML elements with CSS positioning. No frameworks, no background processing, no performance impact.

- Remembers preferences per site: enable the reading guide on your favorite news site but keep it off on social media.

- Keyboard-first workflow: set a custom hotkey and toggle the reading overlay instantly from any tab.

- Respects your privacy: fully self-contained with zero external requests and no obfuscated code.

- Syncs across devices: settings, enabled sites, and hotkey sync via Chrome storage to every device where you are signed in.

- International by design: 55 languages supported out of the box with layout-independent hotkeys.

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⚙️ Technical Details

- Built on Manifest V3, the latest and most secure Chrome extension platform
- Content script runs at document idle — zero impact on page load speed
- Overlay uses fixed positioning with pointer events disabled so page interaction is never blocked
- Lightweight DOM-only rendering — no heavy frameworks, no WebGL, no canvas on page
- Service worker background script — minimal memory footprint when idle
- Settings synced via chrome.storage.sync with automatic conflict resolution
- Physical key code hotkeys for reliable cross-layout operation
- Clean IIFE-scoped strict-mode JavaScript — no global namespace pollution

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🎯 Get Started Now

Install Simple Reader Line today and experience the difference a reading guide can make. Whether you are battling eye strain, managing dyslexia, or simply want a better way to read online, this reading aid is for you.

Click "Add to Chrome" to install. Open any article. Enable the reading line. Start reading with focus and comfort.

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