It’s pretty clear by now what browser is most widely used by all web developers, Mozilla Firefox. Though it is far from the most widely used browser, that title is held by our friends at Microsoft and its Internet Explorer. It is definitely the first tool in a web developers toolbox. The Mozilla Foundation has done a fantastic job in creating a browser with the developers and technically savvy individuals in mind, keeping with W3 standards and providing a feature rich browser. Firefox by itself is a fantastic tool and, in recent years, a far superior browser, but we can make it so much more, and provide a more pleasing work environment for the everyday web developer. Here are a list of popular and essential Firefox add-ons that I recommend.
Firebug
This is pretty much the most widely used and most favored add-ons that is provided for Firefox and is absolutely essential for JavaScript development. Firebug’s HTML and CSS inspector is both clean and intuitive as well as interactive, giving the developer the ability to make temporary changes live in the browser.
Web Developer Toolbar
If Firebug is not the single most favored and most widely used add-on, WDT probably is. No web developer should be without it, in fact, most developers, quality assurance engineers, project managers, designers, and managers should not be without this tool. Combined with Firebug, WDT makes for a killer combination that can handle 99% of anything required in developing an application, besides the design and code of course.
Live HTTP Headers
This is another one of the essential tools highly recommended by developers, especially for those who require intimate knowledge of the header requests and responses. For those of you who develop client code for RESTful services this tool is a must have, giving you the ability to view details on requests and their responses without having to run traces or logs.
Aardvark
Now this add-on was part of my toolbox prior to the lethal combination I mentioned earlier, though I use it far less now, I still consider it an essential tool for many. It’s a little faster in getting to the information you need, providing a point and view experience. One could argue that this is no longer a favored tool amongst developers, I would say that it is still necessary, providing a faster way of interacting with the web page than Firebug or WDT.
Firefox Accessibility Extension
Prior to last year, I’ve never focused on accessibility for web applications outside the Flash/Flex environment. After working with an enterprise level portal application in which many thousands of individuals require access to information, with a percentage having disabilities making it more difficult to get to that information, I can easily say that accessibility conformity is one of those requirements very difficult to achieve. FAE makes it just a little easier to develop for those specifications.
Screengrab!
The name is self explanatory, it takes screen shots of web pages and can even provide timestamps. Especially useful for those who need to illustrate an explanation they are trying to convey. Ever since I gave up on Sametime, which had a built in screen grab, and moved over to Adium I required a tool that allowed me the same convenience of screen capture quickly and conveniently.
FlashTracer
When working in the Flash/Flex environments, I would say this is an essential tool, a must have, providing you with a trace output within the browser. Prior to this add-on, I used my own standalone Flash trace output which worked great, but now stick with a more condensed workspace.
IE Tab
I wish I could say I didn’t need this and that you don’t need this, but I can’t. IE is a fact of life all web developers are required to deal with. With this add-on however, you are able to take that IE icon from your quick link bar and your start menu bar so not further damage your eyes. (Sarcasm, I actually don’t hate IE, I just use it far less than Firefox and Chrome.) One draw back is that this is a Windows only add-on, unless you workaround the Linux and Mac environments.
FirePHP
FirePHP is not essential for all web developers, just those who work in PHP. If that is you, this add-on is essential, or at the very least, a convenient tool. It’s basically a logging tool for PHP, like Firebug is for JavaScript and FlashTracer is for Flash and Flex.
Greasemonkey
This is another add-on that is not essential for every developer, but many find it so. Greasemonkey gives the user the ability to change the look, feel, and function of web sites and application live. This is especially useful for those working in agile development environments.