25 + useful Firefox add-ons for web developers and designers

USA: Firefox from Mozilla is a web browser application that is available worldwide. You can download the application both on your computer and the smartphones.

The new version of Firefox has the option to choose various themes and personas that help you personalize your web browser. Apart from this, there are other certain features as well that make this web browser popular.

The new version of Firefox comes with plug-in updater that detects the outdated plug-ins and notifies you to update the same. This allows the user to open multi tabs in one window. The user can drag and move the tabs for rearrangements.

There are various extensions that are useful, for example the URL Corrector and URL Fixer, which correct typos in the address bar such as protocol mistypes. Besides these of course, there are various useful and innovative extensions helping users to be more productive.

Below are some of the most useful extensions/add-ons of Firefox for augmenting your productivity:

Debugging and Performance

Firebug: The Firebug extension of Firefox is an important tool, which enables the users to bring various developmental tools like CSS, HTML and JavaScript on fingertips. This extension proved to be productive by enabling the user to modify style and layout of web page in real time by inspecting HTML. This extension has the ability to analyze network usage and performance accurately.

Web Developer: Web Developer extension is one that adds many different types of web developer tools for HTML and CSS debugging. This extension runs seamlessly on any platform that supports the Firefox browser. Adding this extension will speed up the development process and enables the user to troubleshoot and edit webpage projects that too without stepping away from Firefox.

YSlow: Adding the YSlow extension to the Firefox browser is advantageous. This particular extension analyzes the webpages. This extension also suggests ways that can improve the performance of the same depending upon the set of rules that are set for high performance of the web page. Useful information is available in the http://yslow.org, which is official open-source website by Yahoo for this extension.

HTML and DOM Manipulation Add-ons

DOM Inspector: This extension is the tool that is useful for inspecting and editing live DOM on any web document or XUL document. The navigation in DOM can be done through a two-paned window that displays different types of views on the document and the nodes that it has.

HTML Validator: HTML Validator is an extension from Mozilla that adds HTML Validation for Firefox. This extension enables to look at the errors on the web page which is displayed in the form of icons in the status bar while browsing. The details of the errors can be viewed when checking the source of the HTML code. This add-on is based on Tidy and OpenSP.

FireQuery: FireQuery is the extension for Firefox that is integrated with Firebug. This extension is meant for the jQuery development. This extension requires Firebug to be installed for its functionality. The expressions for jQuery expressions are intelligently integrated in the DOM Inspector and Firebug Console. The jQuerify enables the jQuery to be injected in any web page.

Speed Dial: Speed Dial extension is a valuable extension for Firefox. This extension works as a shortcut to reach a particular website. Through Speed Dial extension the user can have direct access to the most visited website. This saves the time for the user and allows to quickly access the favorite website. This extension is highly customizable and the user can control the way to launch the speed dial website along with the change in the layout and size of the thumbnail.

Design Related Plugins

Aardvark: Aardvark is a tool that is useful for the web designers and developers as well as casual users. This extension can be installed and used any time from the bookmark menu or toolbar. The extension helps the user in cleaning up the extra unwanted banners especially just before printing a page. This element enables the designer to view the source code of more than one element and also helps to see how the page is created.

Measure It: As the name suggests, Measure It is the extension that help the web designers to measure the height, width and alignment of web page in terms of pixels. The new version of this add-on has the feature of adjusting the background along with the ruler color and opacity.

Colorzilla: As the name suggests, this Firefox extension meant for the activities that requires coloring. This extension possesses Advanced Eyedropper, Color Picker, Gradient Generators along with other colorful applications.

Rainbow Color Tools: This is a color tool extension for Firefox. This is basically advanced version of Colorzilla. This extension also has an Eyedropper and color picker along with the option for saving colors. This extension also offers the user to try colors with the ease of drag and drop.

Font Finder: Font Finder is one of the most versatile for developers, designers and typographers. This extension allows the user to analyze any font of any element on the web page. Font Finder extension helps the user to capture the vital font information such as font color, background color, font size and family, font weight style and variant, element type, line weight s well as alignment.

Testing and Responsive Design

Fire Sizer: This extension of Firefox allows the user to resize the window to a specific dimension according to the requirement. Fire Sizer extension has status and menu bars that helps in resizing of the window. The key feature of this extension is that it allows setting the size of the entire window and not only the HTML area. The extension draws its inspiration from "Yet Another Window Resizer" by Galoca.

User Agent Switcher: This extension adds a menu and a tool bar button that help in switching the user agents of a browser. The extension is available for Firefox and this runs on any platform which supports the browser. User Agent Switcher is a useful for developers as it helps them quickly switch the user agents while developing or designing a webpage.

Modify Headers: As the name suggests, this extension enables the user to add, modify or filter the HTTP request headers that are sent to the web servers. This extension mainly finds its application in the mobile web development, HTTP testing and privacy.

Web Service Development and Debugging

HTTP Fox: This extension for Firefox helps in analyzing the HTTP gateway; it analyzes all the incoming and outgoing HTTP traffic that gets generated between the browser and web servers. The functionality of this add-on is similar to HTTPWatch or IEInspector.

Rest Client: The Rest Client extension for Firefox supports all types of HTTP methods including RFC2616 (HTTP/1.1) and RFC2518 (WebDAV). It generally uses the URI and HTTP Request Body requests. The custom HTTP requests can be constructed using this extension. What's more, the constructed HTTP request can directly be sent for testing in the servers.

Poster: This add-on was developed by Alex Milowski and is essentially a developer tool, which helps to interact with the web services with other web resources and inspects the results. This tool helps the developer to create HTTP requests along with setting of the entire body and content type as well.

JSON View: This extension is the tool for viewing JSON documents, which is a text-based open standard design for data interchange that is readable for humans. This extension was developed by Ben Hollis. With the help of JSON View, JSON documents can be viewed in the browser.

Utility

FireFTP: FireFTP is a featured Firefox extension that is free, secure and cross-platform FTP/SFTP client. This extension allows the user to access the FTP/SFTP client easily. Moreover, FTP helps the user to transfer files quickly and efficiently and saves time as well. FTP also has advanced features such as directory comparison and syncing.

Console Two: This extension is the next generation error console that replaces the JavaScript. The previous version of this extension was extensively available in their company website only. This extension also enables the user to capture the CSS errors. With the help of Console Two, the developer can display errors by filtering by type (Errors, Warnings, Messages), language (JavaScript, CSS) and context (Chrome, Content).

Cookies Manager Plug: Cookies Manager Plug is the extension that enables viewing, editing and creating new cookies. Apart from these functionalities, this extension allows editing multiple cookies at one time, along with taking backup and restoring them. Cookies Manager Plug also helps the designer to customize cookie information that requires being seen, reordered or hidden.

Clear Console: This featured extension was developed by QBurst and is a very useful add-on for Firefox. If you have this add-on in your Firefox browser, with a click, all your browsing history, cache, cookies and logins will be cleared.

Auto Refresh: The add-on, developed by Grizzly Ape, enables the refresh of a single page or group of web pages at regular intervals. The user can select an individual or group timing for auto refreshing the pages.

Hackbar: This is a security audit tool that detects unsecure penetration of hackers. It can read most complicated URL's and all the functionalities work on the currently selected text.

Unicode To HTML: This add-on is pretty useful one as it converts a selected Unicode text into the HTML character codes just with a right click. After the conversion, it automatically copies the HTML code to the clipboard. This extension was developed by Jordan Marshall.

Summary

Though there are countless extensions, choosing the right one for is essential. For example, if Poster extension is not related to your field of expertise, it is better not to install the same and bloat your browser, as unnecessary add-ons can lead to sluggish performance and browser crashes. Hence, cherry picking the apt add-ons will definitely streamline your work and increase productivity.

Source: FromDev, by Sachin, USA.