FAQ

Q: How do I block Facebook?

1. Open SelfControl and click "edit blocklist"

http://visitsteve.com/foryou/eyebeamdev/first%20question-1_step.png

2. Add sites by pressing the + button and typing them in (i.e. facebook.com)

http://visitsteve.com/foryou/eyebeamdev/first%20question_2-step.png

3. Set the timer for 5 minutes and try to visit Facebook.

http://visitsteve.com/foryou/eyebeamdev/first%20question_3-step.png

Repeat these steps for any site you'd like to block

Q: How do I disable SelfControl once it has started?

You can't. That's the idea. Just wait.

http://visitsteve.com/foryou/eyebeamdev/second%20question_firefox.png

http://visitsteve.com/foryou/eyebeamdev/second%20question_safari.png

Q: I deleted the application, will that do anything?

No.

Q: The block is over but I still can't access the site, how can I fix it?

Refresh the page. If that doesn't work, set the timer for 1 minute, do another block, and try again once the time has expired.

http://visitsteve.com/foryou/eyebeamdev/third%20question_1-step.png

Q: SelfControl's timer is at 00:00 but it hasn't stopped blocking and I can't start a new block

This is a bug that happens occasionaly. Get in touch via visitsteve.com/contact and we'll send you a fix.

Q: I blocked a website with SelfControl but I can still access the site, what do I do?

SelfControl blocks websites based on the machine the site is hosted at, not the actual website address. Sometimes this won't work that well. Try adding other subdomains of the website (e.g. new.facebook.com in addition to facebook.com).

Example with Myspace website:

http://visitsteve.com/foryou/eyebeamdev/fifth%20question_1-step.png

http://visitsteve.com/foryou/eyebeamdev/fifth%20question_3-step.png

http://visitsteve.com/foryou/eyebeamdev/fifth%20question_4-step.png

http://visitsteve.com/foryou/eyebeamdev/fifth%20question_5-step.png

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Q: Are you planning on making a Windows version?

No, but you could. Or you could hire someone to. It might cost less than you expect. We have a ticket to track progress on this: http://dev.eyebeam.org/projects/selfcontrol-app/ticket/242 Who will step up?

Q: Can I specify ports instead of web addresses?

Yes. using :port or *:port notation, gives some flexibility. For example, if you wanted to run torrents and do nothing else, the following steps might help:

Set as a whitelist

Add an entry for *:6881, or whatever port number your client is set to use (check your settings).

Add entries for the trackers you use, for example to allow The Pirate Bay you would add tracker.thepiratebay.org:80.

Add any other things you want to whitelist.

Start! You can use File—> Save to save blocklists for easy loading later.