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9.5 Customizing Firefox
Firefox can be customized extensively. You can install extensions,
change themes, and add smart keywords for your online searches.
9.5.1 Extensions
Mozilla Firefox is a multifunctional application, which means
that you can download and install add-ons, known as extensions.
For example, add a new download manager and mouse gestures. This has
the advantage that Firefox itself stays small and unbloated.
To add an extension, click . In the bottom-right
corner, click to open the
Mozilla extensions update Web page where you can choose from a variety
of available extensions. Click the extension to install then click
the install link to download and install it. When you restart Firefox,
the new extension is functional. You can also look at the various extensions
at addons.mozilla.org.
9.5.2 Changing Themes
If you do not like the standard look and feel of Firefox,
install a new theme. Themes do not change the
functionality, only the appearance of the browser. When installing
a theme, Firefox asks for confirmation first. Allow the installation
or cancel it. After a successful installation, you can enable the
new theme.
-
Click .
-
In the new dialog
that appears, click . If you already
installed a theme, find it in the list, as in Figure 9-4.
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A new window
appears with the Web site addons.mozilla.org.
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Choose a theme
and click .
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Confirm the
download and installation.
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After downloading
the theme, a dialog appears and informs you about your list of themes. Activate
the new theme with .
-
Close the window
and restart Firefox.
If a theme is installed, you can always switch to a different
theme without restarting by clicking then .
If you do not use a theme anymore, you can delete it in the same dialog
with .
9.5.3 Adding Smart Keywords
to Your Online Searches
Searching the Internet is one of the main tasks a browser
can perform for you. Firefox lets you define your own smart
keywords: abbreviations to use as a command for
searching the Web. For example, if you use Wikipedia often, use
a smart keyword to simplify this task:
-
Go to Wikipedia.
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After Firefox
displays the Web page, see the search text field. Right-click it
then choose from
the menu that opens.
-
The dialog appears. In , name
this Web page, for example, .
-
For ,
enter your abbreviation of this Web page, for example, .
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With , choose the location of the entry in your bookmarks
section. You can put it into ,
but any other level is also appropriate.
-
Finalize with .
You have successfully generated a new keyword. Whenever you
need to look into Wikipedia, you do not have to use the entire URL.
Just type wiki Linux to view
an entry about Linux.
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