Firefox Extensions, Vol. 1

23 July, 2009

• extensions
• firefox
• software

Michael Bartlett

Category: Web Development

If you’ve read the ‘fast facts’ in my profile, you’ll know that I really dig Firefox extensions. Over years I’ve trialled a silly number of them in the quest to find the perfect extension set. Now though I believe I’ve come out with a pretty good core set which I use in my day-to-day here at Feedia.

This list probably won’t shatter your world if you’re already an experienced web professional, but if you’re just starting out you might find these helpful.

Firebug (http://getfirebug.com)
Firebug is an excellent HTML / CSS / Javascript editor, debugger, inspector and more. Clicking on the small icon at the bottom of the screen pops up the main window, allowing you to inspect and analyse all aspects of the current page’s structure, code and performance. One of the most useful features is the ability to edit code on the fly, and see the changes in realtime, so you can plan small CSS changes on deployment sites without any trial and error.

Web Developer (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/60)
This addon adds a toolbar beneath your bookmarks toolbar with a vast array of web-related functions to help you build and test your sites. Everything is only a click or two away – wether you want to disable javascript, css, cookies, images, or other, manage forms, outline your page elements, resize your window, validate the current page, or just see a bunch of useful information. An essential part of any web professional’s toolbox.

DNS Cache (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/5914)
If you’re like me, you spend a lot of time managing DNS. DNS Cache allows you to disable and clear Firefox’s inbuilt DNS caching system, simply through clicking a single icon. This comes in very handy at deployment time!

Show IP (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/590)
External IP (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3372)
These are two of my favourites as they’re so simple but help make the small things better. Show IP displays the current page IP at the bottom of your window at all times, whilst External IP displays your current external (public) IP there as well. Incredibly useful for quickly checking on domain delegation and cross-referencing access logs.

Xmarks (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2410)
Do you use multiple computers across your business and home? Do you use a laptop when you’re out and about? Or do you just have multiple work machines that you would like to share some links across?

Xmarks allows you to automatically synchronise your Firefox bookmarks across multiple machines, securely. You can also use it to store password information, so you’ll never be left without that obscure website login / password at the wrong moment.

Screen Grab (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1146)
There are a multitude of screen capture options out there, but I’ve found that Screen Grab suits my needs the best. Copy or save either the entire screen, page or a selection of either with just a couple of clicks. Very useful!

All-in-one Gestures (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/12)
Gestures take a bit of getting used to, but once you’ve got the basics down it won’t be long before you’re flying around like a pro. With good performance and ability to create gestures for virtually any Firefox menu function (along with some great custom ones), All-in-one gets my vote.

Net Usage Item (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/225)
Designed primarily for Australian users with data-capped internet plans, this small but super-useful addon will constantly track and report on your quota usage, providing averages and guides as to your usage. Supports many Aussie ISPs, as well as peak / offpeak. Very handy indeed!

There are a few others that I use on and off, however I’ll leave them for next time. Do you have any extensions you can’t live without? Share your suggestions with everyone in the comments below!