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Bookmarklets

 

Quick Links
    Introduction
    Sample bookmarklets
    Recommended sites
    Bookmarklet functionality in browser extensions

 

 

Introduction

As you may be aware, bookmarks can be used to mark Web pages, Newsgroups, Telnet, and other accesses. In addition to the URL, the bookmark can include options, such as the query string for a search engine or account and password information. Bookmarks can also contain JavaScript, and this is exactly what bookmarklets are.

Bookmarklets are very small JavaScript programs (<255 bytes) that reside entirely in a bookmark. Because bookmarklets reside in your bookmark file(s), they are always available to you. I find that bookmarklets are easiest to use when they are placed on your browser toolbar.

 

 

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Sample

Sound confusing? Well maybe the best way is just to show you. Click on the links in the table below to see three bookmarklets in action. Bookmark them and use them whenever you want to. These came from the http://www.bookmarklets.com/ site.

Want to see your IP address? This one only works in Netscape

The actual code looks like: javascript:if(navigator.javaEnabled()==true){alert('Your IP address is '+java.net.InetAddress.getLocalHost().getHostAddress())}else{alert('Enable your Java for this to work! (in your Preferences)')}
Want me to scroll this page for you? This one only works in Netscape. Press any key to stop the scrolling.

The actual code looks like: javascript:var wN2scRl;Sa5gNA9k=new Function('clearTimeout(wN2scRl)'); document.onkeydown=Sa5gNA9k;Sa5gNA9k(); void(wN2scRl=setInterval('if(pageYOffset<document.height-innerHeight) {window.scrollBy(0,2)}else{Sa5gNA9k()}',50))
Confidence booster This one work in Netscape 3.0, 4.0 and Internet Explorer 4.0.

The actual code looks like: javascript:alert('You\'re a wonderful person and I know you will succeed at anything you try!');alert('I really mean it.');alert('Would I tell you that if it weren\'t true?')

 

 

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Recommended sites

Here are several sites I recommend for finding out more about bookmarklets.

  • A great place to grab bookmarklets. This site includes indicators of which browsers support particular bookmarklets. http://www.squarefree.com/bookmarklets/

  • Another good place to grab bookmarklets others have created and to get a feel for what they can do: http://www.bookmarklets.com/ note: This site does not appear to be maintained, based on browser support information, but still contains good explanations for what it has.

  • Although this site is titled Bookmarklets for Opera , I found that most of them also worked in Netscape 6.2+, Mozilla, and Firefox.. http://www.philburns.com/bookmarklets.html

  • For a good explanation for building your own bookmarklets, as well as a 'bookmark builder utility' contact: http://www.webreference.com/js/column35/

 

 

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Bookmarklet functionality in browser extensions

The browser extension functions discussed here are not bookmarklets, but the functionality was certainly inspired by bookmarklets. Bookmarklets are great, but grabbing them one by one can be tedious and challenging.

Chris Pederick has put together an impressive set of functions that will be handy for any web developer. Once you install the extension, the functions appear as drop downs on an additional toolbar at the top of your browser. Functions are available for a wide range of tasks handling CSS, image, cookies, forms, and much more. Having installed them on both my copies of Mozilla and Firefox, I wish they had been available years ago!

 

 

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