Extensions
All major browsers offer the ability to add functionality to the browser. Sometimes they do it by using "Extensions" other types by "Add-ins". The exact method varies from browser to browser. Most of them support the Netscape 4 bookmarks file format". Older extensions or link bar add-ins were freqently written in javascript. An example would be one that changes the size of your browser windows to 800x600 and would look like this:
javascript:void(window.resizeTo(800,600))
Fortunately you do not have to be a programmer to extend your browser because many people have already done so and made their extensions and add-ins available for download. Some of them like those at by Tantek Çelik , lead developer of Internet Explorer 5 for the Mac and father of the Doctype Switch while others are created to help meet specific goals like the Accessibility Toolbar created by the National Information Library Service (Australia) to assist in creating accessibile documents.
Here is a partial list of browser extensions and add-in that are useful for web designers by browser.
Internet Explorer - Favelets (should work in other browsers)
- Tantek Çelik http://tantek.com/favelets/
- Gueleph Web Design http://www.guelphwebdesign.ca/pds/favelets.html
Internet Explorer - Toolbars (IE only)
- Accessible Information Solutions - Web Accessibility Toolbar - http://www.nils.org.au/ais/web/resources/toolbar/install.html
- CSS List Stylesheets Extension (adds to right click menu) http://www.mrgrieves.com/cssbrowser/
- NEUTools Extensions Manager http://www.nuetools.co.uk/bxman.html
- Google Toolbar - http://toolbar.google.com/
- Other Google tools - http://www.google.com/options/
Opera 7
- W3-Dev Menu http://www.goddamn.co.uk/tobyink/?page=10
Mozilla, FireFox & Netscape 7 (shouldwork in both unless otherwise noted)
- EditCss - FoxFire only http://editcss.mozdev.org/index.html
- PHN Developer's Toolbar - http://extensionroom.mozdev.org/more-info/pnhtoolbar
- Chris Pederick's Web Developer - http://extensionroom.mozdev.org/more-info/webdeveloper
- Click to View (stops auto-play of Flash and adds "start button") - http://extensionroom.mozdev.org/more-info/flashclick
- IE View (opens current page in Internet Explorer) - http://extensionroom.mozdev.org/more-info/ieview
- Nuke Anything (removes any object from the page display) - http://extensionroom.mozdev.org/more-info/nukeanything
- Google Toolbar (third party port not direct from Google) - http://extensionroom.mozdev.org/more-info/googlebar
- Other extensions are available at http://extensionroom.mozdev.org
Multiple Browsers
- Web Development Bookmarks - http://www.squarefree.com/bookmarklets/webdevel.html#edit_styles
If you have another toolbar, extensions or other item you'd like to contribute to this list please send it to sigleader@webtechsig.org