When typing into the location bar, an auto-completion drop-down box opens, showing the addresses matching what you have typed. The phrase that is matched is highlighted with bold letters. The drop-down box shows all matching addresses, bookmarks, page titles and tag names from your browsing history and your bookmarks list. Matching even works across word boundaries. Entries visited most frequently and recently are listed first.

List entries from the bookmark list are marked with a star. Bookmarks with tags are marked with an additional label followed by the tag names. List entries from the browsing history are not marked.

Use ↑ and ↓ or the mouse wheel to scroll through the list. Press Enter or click an entry to go to the selected page. Del removes an entry from the list if it is an entry from the history. Bookmarked entries can only be removed by deleting the associated bookmark.

Firefox offers two zooming options: page zoom, the default, and text zoom. Page view zooms the entire page as is, with all elements of a page, including graphics, expanding equally while text zoom only changes the text size.

To toggle between page and text zoom, choose View › Zoom › Zoom Text Only. To zoom in or out either use the mouse wheel while holding the Ctrl key, or use Ctrl–+ and Ctrl–-. Reset the zoom factor with Ctrl–0

If you often use more than one Web page at a time, tabbed browsing makes it easier to switch between pages. It allows you to load Web sites in separate tabs within one window.

Use the left side of your browser window for viewing bookmarks or browsing history. Extensions may add new ways to use the sidebar as well. To display the sidebar, select View › Sidebar and select the desired contents.

Firefox has a search bar that can access different engines like Google, Yahoo, or Amazon. For example, if you want to find information about SUSE using the current engine, click in the search bar, type SUSE, and hit Enter. The results appear in your window. To choose your search engine, click the icon to the left of the search bar. A menu opens with a list of available search engines.

16.2.1.1 Customizing the Search Bar #

If you want to change the order, add, or delete a search engine, establish an Internet connection and proceed as follows.

1. Click the icon to the left of the search bar.

2. Select Manage Search Engines from the menu.

3. Click Remove to delete an entry and Move Up/Down to change the order.

   To add a search engine, click Get More Search Engines. Firefox displays a Web page with available plug-ins. You can choose from Wikipedia, IMDB, Flickr, and numerous others. Click Download Now to install it.

Figure 16.2: Manage Search Engines #

Some Web sites offer search engines that you can add directly to the search bar. Whenever you enter such a Web site, the icon to the left of the search bar turns blue. Click the icon and select the “Add” entry from the menu.

16.2.1.2 Adding Smart Keywords to Your Online Searches #

Firefox lets you define your own smart keywords: abbreviations to use as a URL shortcut for a particular search engine. If you define ws as a smart keyword for the Wikipedia search for example, you can now type ws SEARCHTERM into the location bar to search Wikipedia for SEARCHTERM.

To assign a shortcut for a search engine from the search bar, click the icon to the left of the search bar and open the Manage Search Engines dialog. Mark a search engine and open the Edit Keyword dialog.

It is also possible to define a smart keyword for any search field on a Web site. Proceed as follows:

1. Right-click the search field and choose Add a Keyword for this Search from the menu that opens. The Add Bookmark dialog appears.

2. In Name, enter a descriptive name for this smart keyword.

3. Enter your Keyword for this search.

4. Choose the location where to save this smart keyword with Create In.

5. Finalize with Add.

Tip: Smart Keywords for Regular Web sites

Using smart keywords is not restricted to search engines. You can also add a smart keyword to a bookmark (via the bookmark's properties). For example, if you assign suse to the SUSE home page bookmark, you can open it by typing suse into the location bar.

To search inside a Web page, click Edit › Find in This Page or press Ctrl–F. The find bar opens. It is usually displayed at the bottom of a window. Type your query in the text box. Firefox finds the first occurrence of this phrase as you type. You can find other occurrences of the phrase by pressing F3 or the Next button in the find bar. Clicking the Highlight All button will highlight all occurrences of the phrase. Checking the Match Case option makes the query case-sensitive.

Firefox also offers two quick-find options. Click anywhere you like to start a search on a Web page, type the key / immediately followed by the search term. The first occurrence of the search term will be highlighted as you type. Use F3 to find the next occurrence. It is also possible to limit quick-find to links only. This search option is available by typing the key '.

The Library can be used to manage the properties (name and address location) for each bookmark and organize the bookmarks into folders and sections. It resembles Figure 16.3, “The Firefox Bookmark Library”.

Figure 16.3: The Firefox Bookmark Library #

To open the Library, click Bookmarks › Show All Bookmarks. The library window is split into two parts: the left pane shows the folder tree view, the right pane the subfolders and bookmarks of the selected folder. Use Views to customize the right pane. The left pane contains three main folders:

Organize your bookmarks using the right pane. Choose actions for folders or bookmarks either from the context menu that opens when you right-click an item or from the Organize menu. The properties of a chosen folder or bookmark can be edited in the bottom part of the right pane. By default, only Name, Location, and Tags are displayed for a bookmark. Click More to gain access to all properties.

Use drag and drop to rearrange your bookmarks. Left-click a bookmark and drag it to a new position while holding the mouse button pressed. Drop it by releasing the mouse button. You can use this technique to move a bookmark or a folder to a different folder, or to change the order of bookmarks in a folder.

Tags offer a convenient way to file a bookmark under several categories. You can tag a bookmark with as much terms as you want. For example, to access all sites tagged with suse enter suse into the location bar. What's more, a smart bookmark folder for each tag is automatically created in the tags folder of the library. Drag and drop a smart bookmark for a tag onto your bookmark toolbar or into a folder of your bookmarks menu to easily access it.

To add tags to a bookmark, open the bookmark in Firefox and click the yellow star in the location bar. The Edit This Bookmark dialog opens where you can add a comma separated list of tags. It is also possible to add tags via the bookmark's properties dialog which you can open in the library or by right-clicking a bookmark in the menu or the toolbar.

If you used a different browser in the past, you probably want to use your old bookmarks in Firefox, too. Firefox can automatically import bookmarks from other browsers installed on your system, such as Netscape or Opera. You also can import bookmarks from a file exported from a browser on a different computer or from a backup.

To import bookmarks from another browser or from a file in HTML format, open the library by choosing Bookmarks › Show All Bookmarks. Start the Import Wizard by choosing Import and Backup › Import Bookmarks from HTML and choose an import location. Start the import by clicking Next. Bookmarks from another browser are imported to a separate folder under the bookmarks menu named From Browser Name . Imports from an HTML file are imported as is.

Exporting bookmarks is also done via the Import and Backup dialog in the library window. To save your bookmarks as an HTML file, choose Export Boomarks to HTML. In order to create or restore a backup of your bookmarks, choose Backup or Restore. Firefox uses the JavaScript Object Notation file format (.json) for backups.

Live bookmarks display headlines in your bookmark menu and keep you up to date with the latest news. This enables you to save time with one glance at your favorite sites. Live bookmarks update automatically.

Many sites and blogs support this format. A Web site indicates this by showing an orange icon in the right part of the location bar. Click the icon and choose Subscribe Now in the page that opens. A dialog opens in which to select the name and location of your live bookmark. Confirm with Add. This page also lets you choose alternative applications to subscribe to, such as Bloglines, or My Yahoo.

Smart bookmarks are virtual bookmark folders that are dynamically updated. By default, three smart bookmark folders are already predefined: the Most Visited links are available from your bookmarks toolbar, Recently Bookmarked links and Recent Tags are located in the bookmarks menu. You can create new smart bookmarks by searching for certain entries in your library.

To create a new smart bookmark, open the library by choosing Bookmarks › Show All Bookmarks and proceed as follows:

Tip

Creating a smart bookmark from your saved bookmarks creates an up-to-date filtered view on your bookmarks that only changes when you add or delete bookmarks matching the search term.

A smart bookmark folder based on your browsing history dynamically changes as you surf the Web. Every time you browse a site that matches the search term, it gets “added” to your smart bookmark. For this reason, it is recommended to use search terms that are as specific as possible. If you are interested in links to SUSE Linux-specific topics as opposed to general Linux topics, use SUSE Linux rather than Linux.

Warning: Impact of Clearing Private Data

Clearing the private data also deletes the browsing history (unless configured otherwise) and so will also clear history based smart bookmarks.

The Bookmarks Toolbar is displayed beneath the location bar and lets you quickly access bookmarks. You can also add, organize, and edit bookmarks directly. By default, the Bookmarks Toolbar is populated with a predefined set of bookmarks organized into several folders (see Figure 16.1, “The Browser Window of Firefox”).

To manage the Bookmarks Toolbar you can use the library as described in Section 16.3.1, “Organizing Bookmarks”. Its content is located in the Bookmarks Toolbar Folder. It is also possible to manage the toolbar directly. To add a folder, bookmark, or separator, right-click an empty space in the toolbar and select the appropriate entry from the pop-up menu. To add the current page to the bar use drag and drop: left-click the Web page's icon in the location bar and drag it to the desired position on the bookmarks toolbar while pressing the mouse button. Hovering over an existing bookmark folder will automatically open it, enabling you to place the bookmark within this folder.

To manage a certain folder or bookmark, right-click it. A pop-up menu opens which lets you Delete it or change its Properties. To move or copy an entry, choose Cut, or Copy and Paste it to the desired position.

Firefox allows you to check the identity of a Web page with a single glance. The color of the Web site's icon (also called favicon) in the location bar to the left of the address indicates which identity information is available and whether communication is encrypted or not:

To view detailed identity information, click the Web site's icon in the location bar. In the opening pop-up click More Information to open the Page Info Window. Here, you can view the site's certificate and the encryption level, as well as information about stored passwords and cookies.

With the Permissions view you can set per-site permissions for image loading, pop-ups, cookies and installation permissions. The Media view lists all images, background graphics and embedded objects from a site and displays further information on each item together with a preview. It also lets you save each individual item.

Figure 16.4: The Firefox Page Info Window #

export NSS_USE_SHARED_DB=1

Each time you enter a user name and a password on a Web site, Firefox offers to store this data. A new toolbar on top of the page opens, asking you whether you want Firefox to remember the password. If you accept by clicking Remember, the password will be stored on your hard disk in an encrypted format. The next time you access this site, Firefox will automatically fill in the login data.

To review or manage your passwords, open the password manager by clicking Edit › Preferences › Security › Saved Passwords. The password manager opens with a list of sites and their corresponding user names. By default, the passwords are not displayed. You can click Show Passwords to display them. Delete single or all entries from the list using Remove or Remove All, respectively.

To protect your passwords from unauthorized access, you can set a master password that is required when managing or adding passwords. Open the Security tab on the Preferences dialog and check Use a Master Password.

By default, Firefox keeps track of your browsing history by storing content and links of visited Web sites, cookies, downloads, passwords, search terms and formula data. Collecting and storing this data makes browsing faster and more convenient. However, when you use a public terminal or a friend's computer, for example, you might want to turn it off. In Private Browsing mode Firefox will not keep track of your browsing history nor will it cache the content of pages you have visited.

Enable the Private Browsing mode by either clicking File › New Private Window or by pressing Ctrl–Shift–P. The current Web site and all open tabs will be replaced by the Private Browsing information screen. As long as you will browse in private mode, the string (Private Browsing) will be displayed in the window's titlebar.

Disable Private Browsing by closing the private window.

To make Private Browsing the default mode, open the Privacy tab in the Preference window as described in Section 16.6.1, “Preferences”, set Firefox will: to Use custom settings for history and then choose Always use private browsing mode.

Warning: Bookmarks and Downloads

Downloads and bookmarks you made during Private Browsing mode will be kept.

Firefox offers a wide range of configuration options available via Edit › Preferences, see Figure 16.5, “The Preferences Window”. Each option is described in detail in the online help, which can be accessed by clicking the Help button.

Figure 16.5: The Preferences Window #

Extensions let you personalize Firefox to exactly fit your needs. With the help of extensions you can change Firefox's look and feel, enhance existing functionality (such as the download manager or tabbed browsing), and add functions (such as a blog editor, Bit Torrent support or even a music player). Certain extensions also assist Web developers, while others increase security by dynamically blocking active content. More than 5000 extensions are available for Firefox. With the add-ons manager you cannot only install new extensions, but also disable, enable, or delete them. It also finds updates for installed extensions.

If you do not like the standard look and feel of Firefox, install a new theme. Themes do not change the functionality, only the appearance of the browser.

16.6.2.1 Installing Add-ons #

To add an extension or theme, start the add-ons manager with Tools › Add-Ons. It opens with the Get Add-Ons tab either displaying a choice of recommended add-ons or the results of your last search. Use the Search All Add-Ons field to search for specific add-ons. Click an entry in the list to view a short description and a screenshot. Install the add-on by clicking Add to Firefox or open a Web page with detailed information by clicking the Learn More link.

Figure 16.6: Installing Firefox Extensions #

If you want to browse all available add-ons or want to use advanced search options, click Browse All Add-Ons. This opens the Firefox add-ons Web page. To install an extension, click on the Add to Firefox button on the page describing the add-on.

In order to activate freshly installed extensions or themes, Firefox needs to be restarted via the Restart Firefox button in the add-ons manager. Restarting the browser with this button ensures that the complete session will be restored.