My Favorite Firefox Add-ons

Firefox Add-ons are some of the most helpful tools any web developer can have. In this post I will list and describe my favorite Add-ons and why I use them.

ColorZilla – I use ColorZilla nearly every day for finding the correct colors to add to a new site. It has Eyedropper, ColorPicker, and Page Zoomer functions. Basically, I zoom in on the area I want and use the Eyedropper to snag the color. It then tells me the Hex Code so I can simply add the information to my stylesheet.

Firebug – This is the most important Firefox Add-on that I have. The number one thing I use this for is editing my CSS right on the web page befoe I ever touch a line of code. This truly is a must-have for any web developer.

Flashblock – This handy little tool does exactly what it says, it blocks Flash. Flash is one of the most annoying things to me on a web site, Flashblock gives me the option to not have to deal with it, but also allows me to view it if I want. If you enjoy Flash or just enjoy watching things jump all over the screen, this is not the tool for you.

HTML Validator – HTML Validator also does what it says, it validates your HTML inside Firefox and tells you what is wrong in the source code.

IE Tab – Simply put, IE Tab will quickly let you switch your browser window back and forth from Firefox to IE. The only problem I have is Firebug does not work in the IE tab.

Screengrab! – This really helps when I’m working up a design for a client and they haven’t paid yet. I simply use Screengrab! to save the entire webpage as an image. Then I can send the image to a client, they can approve it and pay me, and I don’t lose my code.

SearchStatus – SearchStatus will display the Google PageRank, Alexa rank and Compete ranking. It also has many other SEO tools including a keyword density analyzer.

Web Developer – Another must have for any web developer, the Web Developer Add-on adds a menu and a toolbar with various web developer tools. I couldn’t live without the CSS and Resize tabs.

I’m sure I’ve missed some ‘must-have’ Add-ons out there, and please let me know what they are. Or if there is an option I missed on a listed tool, tell me, maybe I’m not using something to its full potential.

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