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- Extensió_(Mozilla)
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- הרחבות_(מוזילה)
- Mozilla_Add-ons
- 拡張機能_(Mozilla)
- Расширение_(Mozilla)
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This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (June 2007) |
Add-ons are installable enhancements to the Mozilla Foundation's projects (and compatible variants such as Portable Firefox). Add-ons allow the user to add or augment application features, use themes to his or her liking, and handle new types of content.
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Extensions
Extensions can be used to modify the behavior of existing features to the application or add entirely new features. Extensions are especially popular with Firefox, because Mozilla developers intend for the browser to be a fairly minimalistic application in order to reduce software bloat and bugs, while retaining a high degree of extensibility, so that individual users can add the features that they prefer.
Extension technologies
- CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)
- DOM (Document Object Model) – Used to change XUL in real-time or to edit HTML that is currently loaded
- JavaScript – The primary language of Mozilla browsers
- XPCOM (Cross-Platform Component Object Model)
- XPConnect
- XPI (Cross-Platform Installer)
- XUL (XML User Interface Language) – Used to define the UI (User Interface) and interaction with user.
Uses
Adding features
Extensions are generally used to add functions to the application. Examples of functions which an extension might add include RSS readers, bookmark organizers, toolbars, website-specific client programs, FTP, e-mail, mouse gestures, proxy server switching, or developer tools. Many Firefox extensions implement features formerly part of the Mozilla Suite, such as the ChatZilla IRC client and a calendar.
Modifying how the user views web pages
Many extensions can change the content of a webpage as it is rendered. For example, Adblock extensions can prevent the browser from loading images which are advertisements. Another popular extension, Greasemonkey allows the user to install scripts which modify the look of specific pages or the Web in general.
Other uses
Extensions also exist for frivolous, humorous or satirical purposes. Some allude to historical features of the Firefox browser, for example restoring the "delicious delicacies" placeholder text removed in Firefox 0.9, or generating random browser names to allude to the Firefox name changes.
Updating extensions
The extension manager periodically checks for updates to installed extensions, although checks for updates can be manually initiated by the user. By default, the update service will look for updates at Mozilla Add-ons, but if the developer includes provisions to check elsewhere, the service will do so.
Plugins
Common plugins include Acrobat Reader, Flash Player, Java, Quicktime, RealPlayer, Shockwave, Windows Media Player.
See also
External links
- Mozilla Add-ons, the official add-ons repository.
- Extensions documentation on Mozilla Developer Center
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