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14.5 Customizing Firefox
Firefox can be customized extensively. You can install
extensions, change themes, and add smart keywords for your online
searches.
14.5.1 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 https://addons.mozilla.org/.
14.5.2 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 14-4.
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A new window appears with the Web site https://addons.mozilla.org.
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Choose a theme and click .
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Confirm the download and installation.
-
After downloading the theme, a dialog appears and
informs you about your list of themes. Activate the new
theme with .
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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
.
14.5.3 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 https://en.wikipedia.org.
-
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,
.
-
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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