Enhancing Firefox with Browser Extensions

Table of Contents

1. What are Extensions
2. Finding and Installing Extensions
3. Using the Extension Manager to Configure and Remove Extensions
4. Conclusion

What are Extensions

Firefox, and all Mozilla based applications, support small programs, or plug-ins, that add extra functionality to the browser. These programs are called Extensions. These programs can add a myriad of features ranging from a new toolbar button, a menu option, or even add games to the application. A large benefit of this extension model is that it allows the application itself to stay small and efficient, while allowing the end user to add new programs to it as they are needed. If a user wants a new feature that is supported in an extension, they simply download it and install it into their browser. If they no longer want this extension then they can easily remove it.

If an extension does not exist for the particular purpose you require, then create your own! Remember that Firefox is an open source application, so the source code for the entire application is freely available allowing you to modify and enhance, or destroy, as you feel. This does require advanced programming knowledge, but there is nothing stopping you from going out and learning these skills. Mozilla.org has a tutorial on creating extensions here: Creating a Mozilla Extension.

Finding and Installing Extensions

In order to install extensions you need to find them first. You can find a list of available extensions at the site below. By all means these are not all the extensions available, but will provide a good starting point for looking for extensions for Firefox.

Mozilla Update

To install an extension simply visit the site above and browse through the available extensions. If you find one that you want to install into Firefox you can either click on the Install link underneath the description or click on the home page for this particular extension to learn more about it. For this example we will install the popular GoogleBar extension. When I am at that extension information page and click on the Install link, Firefox will download the extension to your computer and display information about it as shown in the figure below.

Installing the GoogleBar Extension

The figure above shows that we are about to install the GoogleBar extension version 0.9.016. Next to the name and version of the extension you will see the word unsigned which means that it does not have a digital signature attached to it and therefore you can not verify for sure it can be trusted. This is an important thing to take into account as you do not want to install something that you do not know comes from a trusted source. In this situation, we know that the GoogleBar is a legitimate application and is listed on the mozilla.org site, so we are going to make the assumption that it is a safe application to install. If you still feel unsure about it, simply click on the Cancel button to stop the installation, otherwise click on the Install button to install the extension. It is important to note that most of the extensions listed on mozilla.org are currently unsigned extensions. When the installation is completed you will be presented with a screen similar to the one below:

After Installing the GoogleBar Extension

As you can see in the figure above, GoogleBar is now listed as an installed extension. It does state though that before you can use it, you must restart Firefox. Simply shutdown all open Firefox windows and start Firefox again. You should now see a new toolbar at the top of your screen that represents the GoogleBar extension that you had just installed. Pretty easy right?


Using the Extension Manager to Configure and Remove Extensions

Firefox has a built-in extension manager that allows you to remove, configure, and get more information about the extensions installed on your computer. To access the extension manager you simply click on the Tools menu and then click on Extensions. You can see this process in the figure below.

Accessing the Extension Manager from the Tools menu

Once you click on the Extension menu option you will be presented with Firefox's extension manager. The extension manager will look similar to the figure below.

Firefox Extension Manager

As you can see from the figure above the extension manager will list all the installed extension on a computer. Each listed extension will contain the name and version of the extension, a brief description, and the author of the extension. To the right of the extension you will see 3 small buttons, designated by the blue box in the figure above. The button that looks like a checkmark will allow you to go into the configuration page for that particular extension if one is available. The i button will bring up an about page for the extension which will generally tell you about the developers who worked on the extension. The last button that looks like a house will take you to the home page for that particular extension.

At the bottom of the extension manager window are two buttons labeled Uninstall and Update. The Uninstall button will allow you to remove an extension. Simply click once on an extension to highlight it. In the figure above we have highlighted the Tabbrowser Extensions. Then click on the Uninstall button. You will be presented with a prompt about whether or not you would like to continue uninstalling the extension similar to the figure below.

Uninstalling an Extensions

Click on the OK button if you would like to remove the extension, otherwise click on the Cancel button if you would like to keep it.

The other button labeled Update, will attempt to update the extension if there is a newer version.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to use extensions, go out there and find some that will suit your needs. There are some really excellent extensions that can enhance the functionality of the browser and make your browsing experience that much more enjoyable.

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Lawrence Abrams
Bleeping Computer Internet Applications Tutorial
BleepingComputer.com: Computer Support & Tutorials for the beginning computer user.