Command-Tab » NerdLab

Widerbug for Firefox 3.5+

Collin — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 02:23:56 +0000

I’ve just updated Widerbug to 1.4.0, keeping in step with the most recent Firebug update. Most notably, this release is compatible with Firefox 3.5 and newer. Head over to the Widerbug download page to install it. Or, if you already have Widerbug 1.3.3, you should receive it via automatic update.

jQueryize Bookmarklet

Collin — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 03:45:20 +0000

While developing web applications at my day job, I've come to rely quite heavily on the jQuery JavaScript library. In fact, it's the client-side backbone upon which our company software is built. It comes as no surprise, then, that I sometimes find myself poking around in others' web application code with Firebug (or Widerbug) and wishing I had jQuery at my immediate disposal to perform manipulations with its succinct syntax and practical API.

A day ago, I stumbled upon the answer I was looking for on the Learning jQuery blog: a browser-ready jQuery-loading bookmarklet. For the uninitiated, a bookmarklet is a standard bookmark placed in your Bookmarks Bar, except it runs some JavaScript code instead of pointing your browser at a web destination. In this case, the bookmarklet manually fetches and inserts jQuery into the current page. I've modified the following version slightly to flash "jQuery Loaded" on the page when the load is complete, using the just-loaded jQuery, naturally.

To install the tool, just drag the following link to your Bookmarks Bar, and click it to temporarily install jQuery on whatever page you're visiting: jQueryize

Widerbug: Widescreen Firebug

Collin — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 23:41:07 +0000

If you do any amount of web developing with CSS and JavaScript, it’s probably a safe bet that you use the Firefox and Firebug combo to test ideas, tweak appearance and behavior of pages, and debug problems when they crop up. You might also use a widescreen monitor to provide more screen real estate to flip between your code and the rendered output. In an arrangement like this, the open Firebug panel takes up precious vertical space, while spare pixels on the side go unused.

After a few trivial changes to Firebug, I’ve modified it to open on the right side of the browser as a sidebar. With the stock plugin, you can achieve a similar layout by detaching Firebug from the current tab and moving its window in the same position, but this has a generally unwelcome side effect: the separate window doesn’t update when you switch tabs. With Widerbug, you can open the Firebug sidebar, and it will keep up with you as you switch tabs and maintain its width.

Release History

Widerbug is Retired
January 6, 2011
Firebug 1.9.0 added widescreen support, making Widerbug obsolete
Widerbug 1.5.0
Released on January 25, 2010
Merged Firebug 1.5.0 changes, for Firefox 3.6.*
Widerbug 1.4.0
Released on July 17, 2009
Merged Firebug 1.4.0 changes, for Firefox 3.5.*
Widerbug 1.3.3
Released on May 25, 2009
Merged Firebug 1.3.3 changes, for Firefox 3.0.*
Widerbug 1.3.0
Released on Jan. 8, 2009
Merged Firebug 1.3.0 changes, for Firefox 3.0.*
Widerbug 1.2.1
Released on Sept. 13, 2008
Merged Firebug 1.2.1 changes, for Firefox 3.0.*
Widerbug 1.0.5
Released on Jan. 19, 2008
Initial release, for Firefox 2.*

Download

Install Widerbug
(You may have to temporarily allow command-tab.com to install Firefox extensions. Also, if you’re currently using Firebug, please uninstall Firebug first, restart Firefox, and then install Widerbug, just to be safe.)