Facebook Group Post Age Highlighter

WHAT IT DOES

This script highlights Facebook group posts based on their age, making it easy to see how recent each post is at a glance. When you open a Facebook group, the script scans each post for its timestamp (e.g., "2 hours ago," "yesterday," "January 15") and calculates the post's age in hours or days. Each post receives a colored left border and an age badge showing the exact time since it was posted. The colors indicate urgency: green for posts less than 1 day old, yellow for 1-3 days, orange for 3-7 days, and red for 7+ days. You can customize the age thresholds and colors in the settings panel to match your preferences. The script updates dynamically as new posts load, so you always see up-to-date highlights.

WHERE IT RUNS

The script runs on Facebook group pages (*.facebook.com/groups/*). It works in the group feed on both desktop and mobile views.

HOW TO USE

After installation, the settings panel appears on the left side of the screen with the gear emoji (⚙️). Open the panel to configure the script:

- The "Enable age highlighting" toggle enables or disables the script.

- The "Thresholds" section lets you customize the age ranges and colors. Each threshold defines a number of days and a color. Posts younger than the threshold days get that color. Add, remove, or edit thresholds as you like.

- Click "Refresh posts" to manually re-scan the current group feed.

- Click "Reset thresholds" to restore the default settings.

The script works automatically—just browse your groups and posts will be highlighted.

TECHNICAL SECTION — REAL MECHANISM

The script detects group pages by checking the URL for /groups/. It finds posts using selectors like div[role="article"] and Facebook's class names. For each post, it extracts the timestamp by searching for elements with aria-label containing time indicators (e.g., "ago," "hours," "minutes," "days"), time elements, or by scanning the post text for patterns like "X hours ago," "yesterday," or date strings like "January 15." The timestamp is parsed using a relative time parser that handles "X minutes ago," "X hours ago," "X days ago," "X weeks ago," "X months ago," "X years ago," "yesterday," and "today." The parser also handles absolute dates like "January 15, 2024." The age in days is calculated by comparing the parsed date to the current time. The color is determined by finding the first threshold with days greater than the post's age. A colored left border and a badge are applied to the post using style properties (never innerHTML). A WeakSet tracks processed posts to avoid duplicate work. A MutationObserver watches for new posts and applies highlights dynamically.

THE PANEL

The settings panel is built with BotGentz's BGPanel component. It is draggable via its header, allowing you to reposition it anywhere on the screen. The panel snaps to the left edge by default but can be moved freely. Click the gear emoji to collapse the panel into a small bubble, and click the bubble to expand it again. The panel remembers its position per page session. Press the Escape key to quickly close or minimize the panel. The panel includes a status flash bar that provides visual feedback when settings are changed or actions are performed. All settings save automatically via GM_setValue.

PLEASE NOTE

This script requires the free BotGentz browser extension to run. It does not function as a standalone Chrome extension and does not use chrome.* APIs. Facebook frequently updates its interface and class names, which may affect the selectors used to find posts and timestamps. If the script stops working, please check for updates. The timestamp parsing relies on text patterns—if a post uses a non-standard date format, the script may not detect it correctly. The script stores only your preferences via GM_setValue. No data is sent externally—all data is stored locally in your browser. The script never reads or writes password fields, hidden inputs, or file inputs. All DOM operations use safe methods (style properties, textContent, appendChild) and never use innerHTML.