Bookmarklets

Bookmarklets are a fast and easy way to add capabilities to your Web Browser.  Bookmarklets have been created to do many things, including Internet searches, modifying web page displays, etc.  A very helpful Bookmarklet I have referred to in this website is the BugMeNot Bookmarklet.

Bookmarklets are tiny pieces of JavaScript that are written as a link.  When you click on the link, your browser runs the JavaScript.  When developing websites, it's often easier to add the JavaScript in this way, than to enter it in the Head of the document and call the javascript via an onClick command.

Bookmarklets can also be added to your list of Favorites or Bookmarks (which is where they got their name).  This allows you to select the Bookmarklet when viewing pages.  To add a Bookmarklet to your browser, you typically right hand click on the link and then select "add to favorites" or "add to bookmarks."  You will usually encounter a prompt asking if the link is safe.  As with any download, only get Bookmarklets from sources you trust.

It's important to note that although some Bookmarklets work on all browsers, not all Bookmarklets will work with all browsers.  If a Bookmarklet does not work with your browser, it may have been designed to display a prompt informing you it will not work.  If not, chances are it will do nothing.  The great things about Bookmarklets is that they are much safer to download than are conventional programs, you do not have to install them, and they're 100% free.

To start you off using Bookmarklets, I have included a few on this page.  The Bookmarklets on this page only work with Microsoft's Internet Explorer, but I have posted others that are cross-platform and are used to perform general measurement conversions in another article. You can get more Bookmarklets and find out more information by visiting Bookmarklet.com.

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• Dictionary:  You highlight a word on a web page and select this Bookmarklet.  It will return the definition of the selected word using Merriam-Webster Online.
• Thesaurus:  Same as dictionary, but returns the synonyms from M.W.O.
• Google Search:  You highlight a word(s) and it will do a Google Search on your selection.
• Google News:  You highlight a selection and this will search news articles via Google News.
• Autofill Anonymous:  This Bookmarklet will fill each text box in a form with the word anonymous.
• Add Domain:  This will add the domain you are at to your Favorites or Bookmarks.  This is useful if you're viewing a page deep in the web site's directory and want to add the top domain to your favorites.