OpenSource is perhaps one of the greatest things about the web. Using OpenSource programs, however, can sometimes be frustrating because when some programs are updated, others are not. Usually, you will have to either wait for updates of your non-workable programs or delay the updating of other programs to retain functionality. With FireFox extensions, however, you can usually update yourself. Let me tell you how.
1. Download the extension you want to update to your hard drive.
2. Rename the extension from *.xpi to *.zip
3. Open the file with your .zip application.
4. Open "install.rdf" with your favorite text editor.
5. Change the "maxVersion" setting as in the following example.
REPLACE maxVersion=1.0+ WITH maxVersion=1.5.*
6. Replace the "install.rdf" file with the one you just edited.
7. Rename the extension from *.zip to *.xpi
8. Install your updated extension.
Congratulations! You just updated your extension, which in most cases will work with the higher version. It is that easy.
By now, you have figured out (correctly) that an XPI file is just a modified ZIP file. It is not exactly the same, however. You will notice that this does not work if you create an entirely new zip file. You must edit the original one. In addition, you will also notice that the file "install.rdf" is actually an XML file, which also makes sense. Many OpenSource applications put installation settings and other important instructions in XML files.
Without a doubt, the best way to learn about how things work on the web is to jump in and do things yourself. Updating your non-workable FireFox extension is a great example.
Copyright 2006 Majella.us
By David Picella
How to Manually Update any FireFox Extension XPI File
Efficient Directory Submission with Firefox
A proven link building strategy is submitting your website to multiple directory sites.
Here is simplified process of how directory submission works:
* Collect a list of quality directories
* Submit your site to the listed directories.
* Wait for further instructions or acknowledgment into the directories.
Yes, it’s easy to do but can be very time consuming process.
Many services and tools are available that will submit to these directories. However, this can get expensive and sometimes the results are not certain.
For the best results you need to manually submit your site to the directories.
Here is an efficient way to manually submit your site to many sites using Firefox.
Install the following extensions
* Zotero
* InformEnter
Step 1) For each site you are submitting for, create a profile in InformEnter. In each site’s profile, have ready and enter basic information about your site, for example site name, URL, description, contact email. etc. These are the most common attributes a directory wants. InformEnter also has the option of adding to your profile on the fly.
Step 2)Create a Zotero collection containing the URLs of successfully submitted directories. You add URL’s to Zotero collection with the click of a button and Zotero automatically timestamps the URL’s when added.
Step 3) Start submitting to directories!
You now have a method of submitting to directories that only takes seconds to do.
Additionally you also have a record of when and where you submitted your website.
This is a great method of keeping track of what directories work and don’t work and how effective directory submitting can be.
Happy submitting!
By Ryan Stevenson
Top 10 Firefox Extensions
Firefox extensions are the pure reason why I choose to use Firefox over Internet Explorer. Over the past couple years of using Firefox, I have came across many new extensions, some that were great, others just the opposite. Here is a list of my favorite Firefox extensions and what they do.
- StumbleUpon Toolbar, I wouldn't call this extension a useful one, but I love using it. Simply click stumble, and based on your interests, Stumble sends you to random sites, many you probably have never seen before. Stumble also works as a good bookmarker.
- ReminderFox- If you find yourself on the computer a lot, and you find yourself wasting a couple of hours, when you should be doing something else, ReminderFox is for you. Simply put up a reminder, like in Outlook, and when it is time to do that thing, ReminderFox tells you, you should be doing so and so, making it my favorite online scheduler.
- ScrapBook- I recently started using it, and it has become very useful to me. If you need to save a whole webpage, or parts of a webpage without paying for an expensive program, just download this, and your problems are solved. You can choose to save it from different levels of links, and choose to save certain types of files in it.
- Del.icio.us Buttons- Using online bookmarks presents a big advantage over computer saved bookmarks. Not only do you not have to worry about losing your favorite sites, but you can access your bookmarks from anywhere. If you want the best of the online bookmarking toolbars, then Del.icio.us is for you.
- Gspace- This used to be one of my favorite ways to save and archive files, but with Google's new limit on the size of the file, it gets harder to upload big files unless you compress it into small files. Gspace uses gmail to save files like an FTP kind of service. It sends an email to your gmail with the attachment and everything; if you want to make even more use out of it, create a label and a filter so all of your downloaded files go straight to your label for easy downloading.
- Adblock- Adblock is a multi featured ad-blocker for Firefox. Truth is, I no longer use it anymore because it wouldn't let me run certain things, and I would have to unblock them, because it thought they were ads. Adblock still works very well, and if you are tired of advertisements simply "block" them. Adblock also supports custom ad blocks, you can block certain ads like Yahoo's, and keep Google's.
- Restart Firefox (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/1249) - This is one of my favorite Firefox tools, and the title says it all: it restarts Firefox, and it comes in handy a lot of the time.
- FasterFox- FasterFox finely tunes your browser's settings for optimal settings, and if you know how to use it very well, you can fine tune it yourself.
- iMacros (http://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3863) - If you have heard of Macros, you should be familiar with what they do. If you don't know, in one short sentence: they are a set of inputted commands that do things for you take save time and energy. If you constantly have log in and go to a website, just record your actions, and whenever you need to go a certain page you want, just click run, and it does all the steps for you. If you know VBA, iMacros provides many many more possibilities.
- Google Notebook (http://www.google.com/notebook/download) - Last, but not least Google Notebook is a simple notebook where you can write anything you want down, and save for reference. It is much easier than going to a text editor, writing saving a piece of text or something you need, and on top of all that, your notes are available online with your Google account.
by Alex, he is the Founder of The Teen Review, where you can find unbiased reviews of products/sites/etc from a teen's point of view. You can view the site at http://theteenreview.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alex_A
13 Great Firefox Extensions for Web Professionals
Like most web developers or SEO professionals, I use a vast array of tools to get the job done. I use a combination of desktop and web applications, some purchased and some free. Everyone I know has downloaded a free copy of Mozilla Firefox, but few realize that by installing some of the 1,500 free extensions they can eliminate the need for most of the other applications they currently use. Below are my 13 favorite extensions for web professionals (in no particular order):
HTML Validator (http://users.skynet.be/mgueury/mozilla/) – validates web pages to the W3C HTML standards with a simple green check in the corner of the page if the page validates, a red check if it doesn’t, and a yellow exclamation point if there are warnings. It also includes an enhanced view of source code that allows you to see where errors are within the code.
FireFTP (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/684/) – free, secure, cross-platform FTP client that provides easy and intuitive access to FTP servers. This eliminates a piece of software for those of you who use a separate program for FTP.
Professor X (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2823/) – lets you view header information without having to view source code. The page “slides” down and Professor X shows you the contents of the page's head element, including Meta, Script and Style content.
NikkelWHOIS (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2646/) –view the WHOIS information for any page by clicking the button on the top-right of the browser.
IE Tab (http://ietab.mozdev.org) – sick of swapping between Internet Explorer and Firefox when testing out a web page you’re developing? With IE Tab you can view Internet Explorer in a Firefox Tab!
FireBug (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1843/) – an advanced debugger console that lets you monitor your JavaScript, CSS, HTML and Ajax.
Codetech (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1002/) – web page editor that has the feel of Dreamweaver. An amazing extension for anyone doing web design that doesn’t want to fork out a few hundred dollars for Dreamweaver.
Server Switcher (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2409/) – easily switch between sites on your development and live servers by clicking the switch server icon.
SEO for Firefox (http://tools.seobook.com/firefox/seo-for-firefox.html) – pulls useful market research data right into Google's and Yahoo!'s search results, including Google PR, Age, links, Alexa rank, WHOIS, and more. It also adds a few helpful links to the top of the search pages, including Google Trends, Google Traffic Estimator, and the Overture View Bid tool.
Yet Another Window Resizer (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2498/) – allows you to resize browser window to default screen resolutions.
AdSense Preview (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2132/) – preview the Google AdSense ads that would appear on that page. This is incredibly useful if you are considering putting AdSense on a page and don’t want to go through the hassle of signing up for an account and putting the ads up just to see what type of ads will show.
Screen grab (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/1146/) – takes a screenshot of the webpage and saves it as an image file. This saves a ton of time compared to the method I used to use – take a screenshot and open Adobe Photoshop to crop the image.
Server Spy (https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/2036/) – indicates what brand of HTTP server (Apache, IIS, etc.) runs on the visited site on the lower-right side of the browser.
by Adam McFarland, owns iPrioritize - simple to-do lists that can be edited at any time from any place in the world. Email, print, check from your mobile phone, subscribe via RSS, and share with others.
