SideCalc — Side Panel Calculator

Basic & scientific calculator in your browser's side panel: history, memory keys, keyboard input. Private, one click away.

SideCalc — Side Panel Calculator — User Guide Version 2.1 · by Trieu Ngo Overview SideCalc is a calculator that lives in your browser's side panel — the tall strip docked beside your page and kept open while you browse. That full height lets it be more than a keypad: a scrolling history, classic memory keys, a scientific mode, and a tidy settings popup. It sits right next to whatever you're reading, so you can do the math without leaving the page or switching to a separate app. Click the toolbar icon to open or close it. Key Features * Two modes: Basic for everyday math, and Scientific for trig, logs, powers, constants and more. Toggle between them with the flask icon in the header. * Full-height side panel: built for the panel's tall, narrow space — every bit of height is used, not squeezed into a floating box. * History: every result is saved. It shows as a scrolling tape at the top of the display (one line per calculation, "expression = result") and tucks away on very short panels; either way you can open the full history in a popup with the history (clock) icon. Click any entry to reuse its result. Clear the whole history from the "Clear" button inside that popup — or have it cleared automatically on close (see Settings). * Memory keys: MC (clear), MR (recall), M+ (add), M− (subtract), MS (store). MC and MR stay disabled until a value is stored, so you always know when memory is in use. * Real math engine: +, −, ×, ÷, decimals, negative numbers, parentheses ( ), percent (%), sign toggle (±) and square root (√x — wraps the value as √(…) so you can keep building the expression, e.g. √(9)+10=13). It never uses eval(), so expressions are parsed safely. * Scientific functions: sin, cos, tan, ln, log, powers (x², x^y), factorial (n!), absolute value (|x|), the constants π and e, and a DEG/RAD toggle for the angle unit. Implicit multiplication is supported, so 2π and 5(3) work as expected. * One-click copy: click the large result to copy it as a plain number (no separators, no exponent), ready to paste anywhere. * Readable numbers: thousands separators follow your locale automatically (e.g. 1,000,000.5 in the US, 1.000.000,5 in Vietnam); you can turn grouping off in Settings. * Keyboard status badge: turns green when the panel is focused (keystrokes reach the calculator) and grey when they go to the web page. * Automatic dark mode: the Auto theme follows your system's light/dark setting; you can also force Light or Dark. * Full keyboard support: type with your main keyboard or numpad — NumLock on or off. The Layout, top to bottom * Header (top): on the left, the keyboard badge and the settings (gear) icon; on the right, the mode toggle (flask) and history (clock) icons. * Display card — one panel holding both the history and the result. The history tape (scrollable list of past calculations) sits at the top; a thin line separates it from a small line showing the expression you evaluated and the large line showing the current value. Click a history line to reuse it; click the large value to copy it. The tape hides on very short panels — the history popup always has the full list. * Memory row — MC / MR / M+ / M− / MS. * Scientific row (Scientific mode only) — DEG/RAD, trig, logs, powers, factorial, |x|, π, e. * Keypad — digits, operators, parentheses, %, ±, √x, backspace, clear and equals. Scientific mode Press the flask icon to switch. The scientific function row appears. The history tape still shows when the panel is tall enough, and tucks away on shorter panels to make room — the history popup always has the full list. Angles for sin/cos/tan use the unit shown on the DEG/RAD key; tap it to switch. Your mode and angle unit are remembered. Settings Open the gear icon (top-left) for a popup with: * Appearance — Auto (follows your system), Light, or Dark, chosen from a segmented control. * Decimal places — Auto, or a fixed number of decimals from 0 to 10. * Thousands separator — turn locale grouping on or off. * Clear history on close — off by default. When on, the history isn't kept after the panel closes, so it's empty next time you open it (handy on shared computers). * Shortcut to open — shows the keyboard shortcut that opens SideCalc (none until you set one). "Change…" opens Chrome's own shortcuts page to assign or rebind it. Your memory value and settings are always saved locally and restored next time; your history is saved too, unless "Clear history on close" is on. Keyboard * Numbers & operators: 0–9, + − * /, the decimal point (.), parentheses ( ), power (^) and factorial (!) — from the main keyboard or the numpad (NumLock on or off). * Enter or = : calculate the result. * Backspace : delete the last character. * Delete or Esc : clear everything (Esc also closes the Settings or History popup). * % : percent. * Scientific functions (sin, cos, …) are entered from the on-screen scientific row. * Open SideCalc: set your own shortcut in Settings → Shortcut to open (Chrome assigns no default). Note: the shortcut opens the panel; because Chrome doesn't let extensions grab keyboard focus, you may still need to click the panel once before typing if it was already open. How to Use * Open / Close: click the extension icon in your browser toolbar to show or hide the panel. It stays docked as you move between pages and tabs. * Calculate: enter an expression with the on-screen keypad or your keyboard, then press = or Enter. * Switch modes: click the flask icon to move between Basic and Scientific. * Reuse a result: click any line in the history tape, or open the history popup and click an entry. * Copy a result: click the large result display. * Adjust behavior: open Settings from the gear icon. Permissions & Why They're Needed This extension requests only the minimum required to work, and it never reads, collects, or transmits the content of the pages you visit. It requests no access to websites at all. * sidePanel — lets the extension show its calculator in the browser's side panel. * storage — remembers your history (unless "Clear history on close" is on), memory value, and settings (including mode and angle unit) between sessions, so they are restored when you reopen the panel. Easy to use — Fast — Always docked beside your work. Need Help? If you need support, please contact the extension developer.