Bookmarklets - Browser Power

Did you know you can do much more with any web page than the author designed it for?

Wouldn't it sometimes be nice for example to:

  • Get a list of all links found on the page, like this: List All Links.
  • Change the text color on those pages where the color is too close to the background color - Change Text Color.
  • Automatically send specific search words to a search engine such as Google, like this: Search Google
  • Know exactly when a web page was last modified?
  • Remove annoying background images?
  • etc, etc.

Well, you can with bookmarklets.


What are Bookmarklets?

A bookmarklet is simply some Javascript code. You can execute Javascript code directly from the browser's address bar. Simply type  javascript:  followed by the script code.

Example:

Enter this URL in your browser:
javascript:alert('Bookmarklets!')

It will produce this result.
Note: Make sure Javascript is enabled in your browser.

You can execute bookmarklets from any web page, either by typing them directly, or by saving them as a bookmark/favorite and then selecting them.

A bookmarklet has complete access to the current web page. This allows you to change colors, scale fonts, calculate the number of words, etc. Bookmarklets are very powerful this way.

In fact, maybe you already use bookmarklets without knowing it. Search bookmarklets are all the rage these days. The most famous is probably Google's version, but all of them work the same way: you select some text on the current page, then call the bookmarklet. A new window will open (or maybe not) and you will be redirected to the search results of the selected word(s).


How Do I Install Bookmarklets?

Since bookmarklets act as links you just add them to your bookmarks/favorites. You can then use them whenever you want. Could it be any easier? And bookmarklets are supported by all the different browsers.

Here's a tip for you: The Links toolbar in Explorer (or the similar toolbar in other browsers) is an ideal place for your bookmarklets. Here's a screenshot of how I have arranged my bookmarklets in my own browser, using subfolders. This way they're just a click away.

Take a look at the collection of bookmarklets I've made, or use the links page to find bookmarklets.



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Updated 13 Apr. 2006