If you are an advanced World Wide Web surfer you must have first-hand knowledge of the word of “toolbar”. Toolbar is a special kind of browser extension. As it is obvious from its name a toolbar is a supplemental bar containing tools in a browser window. There are several usual tools supported by the most of toolbars:
- quick search bar with keyword suggestion and search history;
- highlighting of a word in page content;
- pop-up blocker;
- direct buttons to run different applications from browser;
- special widgets which display different information such as weather, user balance, promotions, etc.
- management tool which let developers to debug web-pages;
- set preferences;
With the help of toolbars users can expand the basic functionality of their browsers – quickly find necessary information, make routine operations by pressing one custom bottom (for example: auto filling in of common personal information into forms). Thus, a user can flexibly customize browser interface to correspond his needs. There is no need to run separate applications (or to open new web-page) for keeping an eye on stock prices, checking email or learning weather forecast. Although browser plug-ins require minor additional memory recourses usage users don’t notice any slowing-down of surfing.
For online services owners toolbars allow to involve a large number of users into their systems. Creating their own toolbars, they have an ability to use the area free of tools for displaying advertisement or their service news.
Below, we will review the most popular toolbars that offer users different sets of tools.
Let’s start with the most popular nowadays toolbar – Google Toolbar.
This toolbar is developed by Google Company and offers the following features:
- auto filling in of forms – automatic insertion of user personal info;
- spell checking;
- pop-up blocker;
- translation feature;
- quick search;
- words highlighting in page content;
Google Toolbar supports the next browsers: Internet Explorer 6+ and Mozilla Firefox 2+.
For those who are addicted to Yahoo Service there is Yahoo! Toolbar:
This toolbar adds the following functions into browser:
- dangerous sites alarm;
- search window with related search phrases;
- slight changing of the list of applications in “My Apps” panel.
Yahoo! Toolbar supports the following browsers: Internet Explorer 6+ and Mozilla Firefox 2+.
The next one is MSN Toolbar which was realized by the software giant –Microsoft company and is notable for its unusual graphic design.
This toolbar enables to supplement browsers with the following additional tools:
- quick search bar;
- buttons for quick access to information about news, entertainments, weather forecast;
- ability to change toolbar layout;
MSN Toolbar supports the following browsers: Internet Explorer 6+ and Mozilla Firefox 3+.
This toolbar can be used in Windows OS only.
To develop your own toolbar you should keep in mind that different browsers have their own unique methods for plug-ins integration. So, in fact, it’s necessary to developed a separate toolbar for each browser. Because of the differences in browsers architecture companies designing toolbars usually create toolbars for the most wide-spread browsers only. Currently, these browsers are Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox.
If you decided to develop your own toolbar we recommend you to look through the following instructions:
Internet Explorer Toolbar Creation
Firefox Toolbar Tutorial
It’s important to know that creation of a toolbar for Mozilla Firefox requires JavaScript and XML knowledge. Toolbar for Internet Explorer is a little more complicated in terms of development and requires knowledge of the following programming languages: C++, C#, Delphi/Object Pascal.
Orbitscripts Company offers their customers the service of Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox toolbars development. You can take a look at the ready-made example of our toolbar here:
www.orbitscripts.com/toolbar-plug-in.html
This toolbar offers users the following options:
- direct link to the online service;
- search by the major engines;
- highlighting search keyword on a page;
- direct link to the toolbar’s settings;
- news, music and video quick search;
- weather information;
- ticker which displays fresh news of your service;
New functions that would correspond to special features of the particular online service can be added to the described above functions;
Thereby, you can expand functional abilities of your browser with the help of one of described above toolbars or create your own toolbar which will meet all your requirements.
Nowadays there is a big numbers of different browser toolbars. And it’s up to you to decide which of them to choose for expanding the capabilities of your browser – one from the listed above or your own toolbar.
Note: This article is a cross-post from OrbitScripts Blog.
Link your comments here