Tips and tricks for Firefox guidebook

[aconbere]

This was a quick how to I gave to a friend of mine to get him started, it covers how to install extensions, as well as a few that I think that no can contest as to being usefull (chrom edit and dictionary search). I also covers how to edit the config files to insert ad-blocking, goes over making quicksearches, and editing the toolbars.

I hope this is usefull

PS (I wrote it quickly and I'm sure there are errors both factual and in spelling, feel free to send me any updates to it and I'll repost with the edited versions. send them to Breathempty at hotmail dot com)


Dictionary search

in the tool-bar (top of the window) click "Tools" => Extensions => "get more extensions" (link at the bottom right)

here you'll find a list of all of the possible "add ons" for Firefox, small user applications to make browsing easier or more fun. In this way Firefox can remain as small as it is, being a very basic browser. While still offering all the nifty features of other browsers. This is called modular software and is popular because it makes you system more customizable. Here you will find the dictionary search program among others.

Dictionary search can be found by clicking the "search tools" on the link on the left hand bar. from there dictionary search is easily found. Click the "install" link, it wait several seconds then click the "install" button at the bottom right.

The reason you go through all this rigmarole is that this way forces the user to acknowledge the install to prevent foreign or malicious websites from installing viruses/ad-ware on your computer without your knowledge (this is different than IE)

at this time it might be useful to install the "Chrom edit" extension as we will use it in the next section.

this can be found at the firefox extensions page: http://update.mozilla.org/extensions/ ==> configuration tools (on the left hand bar) ==> "Chrom edit" (following the same instructions as above for installation)

after installing both of these close all the browser windows and restart Firefox


Ad Blocking

First install the extension "Chrom edit" as described above.

www.getfirefox.com => Firefox help (in the bottom right of the right hand bar) => tips & Tricks (middle of the left hand bar) [http://texturizer.net/firefox/tips.html]


At the tips and tricks section you'll find lots of helpful little tools for making browsing nicer, (disabling blinking things, flash, etc) and can be a great tool once you get used to using firefox and editing settings.

from there head to "ad blocking" [http://texturizer.net/firefox/adblock.html]

At this point it's necessary to try out our newly installed extensions. Go up to the tool bar and select "tools" => "edit user files" (bottom of the menu)

this program makes editing the four most common configuration files in firefox much easier.

open the tab userContent.css and copy paste the long page of code from the ad blocking page

(note # means a comment and is not executed in the code, you'll see that many little things are added into the these files automatically by the program, if any look interesting "uncomment them" by removing the # sign)

(note2 none of these files exist on your computer yet, simply select save at the bottom left of any tabbed page in Chromedit to create them)

After copying all the ad blocking code into "userContent.css" save the file (bottom left) and restart Firefox. If all has gone correctly ads will now be blocked!

Tool bar configuration

1) right click on the top tool-bar (the one that includes File, Edit, etc. select "Customize" (bottom of the menu)

2) once in the screen select the little "use Small Icons" button at the bottom. from here you can select and drag icons where you want them. (note I usually put the movement buttons to the left of the menu buttons as this maintains usability best in my opinion)

I typically find that the most useful configuration is to put all the icons, url - bar, and what not on the top little bar. this maximizes window space while diminishing clutter. (note I also remove the google search thing since I make "g" link to google... as will be explained later)

when you've done this right click again on the top tool-bar and deselect the navigation tool-bar and the bookmarks tool-bar.

now your tool-bars look clean and professional.

Quick Searches

How to make "g firefox" search for "firefox" in google (and hell any other website). Since this is pretty much already in the Firefox defaults editing this is easy and gives us a good starting point. Simply select Bookmarks from the menu bar => manage bookmarks.

From here you will see a nicely ordered version of your bookmarks. open up the Quick search folder, inside will be a google quick search, a dictionary.com quick search and a google "feeling lucky" quick search.

1) Delete the "feeling lucky quick search (right click - delete or hit the delete key while it's selected)

2) right click => google quick search => properties

here will be several properties
notice the field "keyword" has "google" in it's place, edit this to read "g". Below in the description you can also change "google" to g. This same process can be followed in the dictionary.com quick search changing "dict" for "d".

for making your own quick searches, go to the site you want to quick search, and search for something that will be easily recognized (I use a bunch of capital z's ie "ZZZ"). bookmark that page (put it in the quick search folder - this isnt' necessary but a helpful organizational tool). right-click - edit properties. fill in an appropriate keyword. in the URL field find the "Z's", they should be there standing out like a soar thumb (look hard). Remove all the Z's and in their exact place put "%s". This is the Firefox "put x here" command.

what this does is make it so that Firefox can put anything were %s used to go. For most search sites (not all, and some are tricky like imdb.com but I won't go into that here) the URL contains the search parameter in a specific spot every time, by adding the %s you've given Firefox the power to add anything you put into the URL bar into it's place, and thus "quick search".

[poningru]

Tabs better explained (and perhaps more SWM checkboxes). New people say, "If tabs are so great, why doesn't it do that all the time?" Somewhere it should be written 'middle-click to open link in tab or on tab bar to close tab' in big 50 pt. blinking marquee letters.

But, there is no middle click when you are on a laptop using a touchpad.

Ah but thats where you are wrong clicking both right and left key at the exact same time is used as a middle click in most laptops (compaq, vaio etc)

[malkajef]

But, there is no middle click when you are on a laptop using a touchpad.

Ah but thats where you are wrong clicking both right and left key at the exact same time is used as a middle click in most laptops (compaq, vaio etc)

Ah, I did not know that. However that is rather awkward. Pressing Ctrl while clicking on a link opens the link in a new window and is a lot easier for me.

[BenBasson]

The only two plugins that Fx doesn't auto find for me is Shockwave and Flash. Every other plugin I may use Firefox finds them itself; RealOne, Java, QuickTime, MediaPlayer, and Acrobat Reader.

Java and Flash were handled by IE previously, at the least, we should offer links to those... however, since we're appealing to the non-geek masses, including links for the others isn't necessarily going too far either.

[Uruviel]

It would be cool if the whole list of user.js (or about:config) changes would be in, there was a pretty big topic about it a while ago.
And also some general information about how to tweak the chrome css files, so that people can figure out how the XUL works,
Rather then just summing some tweaks up.

[Mozcerize]

Some great suggestions so far.

I think it would be a good idea to have a chapter containing tips for users migrating from other browsers. Specifically, it should contain an answer to as many questions as possible of the type "I can do xyz in IE/Opera; how do I do it in Firefox?" So things like (in no particular order):

get the Googlebar (I imagine this is a serious issue for people who use the Google Toolbar in IE - and it's a key factor in any Firefox vs Opera contest);

Get rid of the extra space around the toolbars (using css in the user files, documented somewhere deep on texturizer); this extra space can make the UI (and particularly the googlebar) seem so clunky, and first impressions can be everything to the migrating user;

always display the padlock in the status bar, even for insecure pages (using css in the user files, similar to the "always display style sheet switcher" tip on texturizer), and perhaps a javascript error indicator, a cookie indicator etc.;

reorder and control the display of (or even create new) items in the context menus (using css, the Menu Editor extension, or even editing the installation files). I can provide some details on this if you're interested;

get the Links Toolbar extension for site navigation.

[soccer_dude182]

There definitely needs to be more emphasis on Extensions. That would be the best tip, as that is Firefox's greatest strength (IMO).
Features that are avaialble in alternate browsers that are available as extensions for Firefox should be spotlighted. Some examples are: Add Bookmark Here, Sort Bookmarks, Paste and Go, Show Image, Image Toolbar, SessionSaver, and UndoCloseTab.

[the-edmeister]

One suggestion that I have is:

The default homepage (out of the box) goes right back to the link that the user just down-loaded Firefox from (at least that was the case on my July 2004 ZipArchive builds).

I think that it would be very helpful for new users if the default homepage was a new user's introduction to Firefox that contained the most basic ideas that have been brought forward in this thread.

[mmcmonster]

Any text on the screen can be selected and then drag-and-droped into a text box on the screen.

If the text is a valid URL that is not a link, selecting it and dragging it onto an open space on the tab bar will open it in a new tab. If the text is dragged off the FF window and back into the same window, it will open in the current tab.

[mmcmonster]

For those that download a .zip version of firefox, the following information saved in a .reg file will add the registry settings so that Macromedia Flash (and, presumably, other programs) knows where the program is. The settings below should be altered to reflect where the application is located on the hard drive.

REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Mozilla\Mozilla Firefox]
"GeckoVer"="1.0.1"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Mozilla\Mozilla Firefox\bin]
"PathToExe"="C:\\program files\\Mozilla.org\\Firefox\\firefox\\firefox.exe"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Mozilla\Mozilla Firefox\Extensions]
"Plugins"="C:\\Program Files\\Mozilla.org\\Firefox\\firefox\\Plugins"
"Components"="C:\\Program Files\\Mozilla.org\\Firefox\\firefox\\Components"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\mozilla.org\Mozilla]
"CurrentVersion"="1.5"

[Laeb]

Could you put something about accessibility informing that disabled people could use easyGestures (mouse gestures extension) and enjoy an easier use of the browser.
I make this suggestion here because of this note: http://easygestures.mozdev.org/notes.html#c45
Thank you.

[triceo]

one trick I guess many users don't know - selecting only portions of tables by selecting with CTRL key pressed.

really usefull, really well-unknown :)

[TomTopor]

Any tips about the idiosyncracies of extensions would be mighty helpful.

For instance, should they be installed in a particular order?

Do any of them conflict with one another?

Do any of them conflict with other functions of the browser (or operating system)?

Are any extensions more grief than they're worth? (This is subjective, I know, and the results might offend certain authors, but a tip guide is designed for users, not authors.)

Thanks.

tt

[mmcmonster]

Any tips about the idiosyncracies of extensions would be mighty helpful.

Whlie restarting Firefox is necessary to activate an extension once it is installed, a user can typically install many extensions and then restart to activate all of them. (As opposed to restarting Firefox after each extension is installed.)

[michaell522]

Some extensions do cause problems with functions of the browser, and some extensions do conflict with each other. For that reason, it's probably best to install them one at a time and use the browser for a little while in between. If you install a whole bunch of extensions at the same time and then have a problem, you won't know which one is causing a problem.

I'm not sure that level of detail really belongs in the type of guide we're talking about. The tips should be that extensions exist and how you can get them, and maybe also that it's not a good idea to install 20 extensions at once just to see how they all work.