20 Must-See Greasemonkey Addons (No Coding Required)
Exploring the Capabilities of Greasemonkey Addons
Several months ago, a discussion regarding Greasemonkey, a highly effective and widely used Firefox extension, was presented. This article expands on that topic, showcasing a selection of the most useful Greasemonkey addons – often referred to as scripts – available. These scripts enable a variety of functionalities, including downloading Apple trailers and clips from popular video platforms like YouTube and Google Video, integrating Google Reader directly into Gmail, and adding mirror links to Digg listings, among other features. No specialized technical expertise is needed to utilize these addons.
General Browsing Enhancements
These scripts aim to improve the overall browsing experience by adding functionality and removing unwanted elements.
1. GoogleTagCloudMaker generates a tag cloud from Google search results, positioning it above sponsored links. This is a valuable tool for refining searches and discovering related keywords.
(Click the image to enlarge it and view it in a new window)
2. Disable Text Ads effectively eliminates intrusive inline contextual text advertisements from three major ad networks: VibrantMedia (IntelliTXT), Kontera, and Linkworth.
3. RSS+Atom Feed Subscribe Button Generator simplifies the process of finding RSS and Atom subscription links. The addon automatically identifies these links on webpages and inserts subscription buttons into the top left corner of the page.
This is demonstrated in the screenshot taken from del.icio.us.
4. Textarea Backup prevents the loss of typed text in emails, forum posts, feedback forms, and blog comments. It automatically saves entered text every 10 keystrokes, ensuring restoration even if the page crashes or is unexpectedly closed.
5. LookItUp allows users to highlight any word and quickly access definitions or information from sources like Wikipedia or a dictionary without navigating away from the current page. The results are displayed directly on the webpage and can be easily dismissed.
6. Linkify ting automatically converts plain text links into clickable hyperlinks, eliminating the need for manual copying and pasting. For example:
- https://www.makeuseof.com (will be auto-converted to) -> http:www.makeuseof.com
- https://www.makeuseof.com -> https://www.makeuseof.com
- www.makeuseof.com -> https://www.makeuseof.com
- makeuseof.com -> https://www.makeuseof.com
7. Google MP3 is a useful script that adds a play button next to MP3 files encountered while browsing, allowing users to preview music before downloading.
Video and Trailer Management
These addons focus on enhancing the experience of watching and downloading videos and movie trailers.
8. Apple Trailer Download simplifies the downloading of full movie trailers from apple.com. When on a trailer page, it adds a small menu (see screenshot below) allowing users to select their preferred resolution and download the trailer using the 'right-click -> Save Link as' option.
9. Download Video is a powerful addon that enables the downloading of video clips from platforms such as YouTube, Google Video, Myspace, Metacafe, Break.com, Putfile, Dailymotion, and Sevenload. A download menu appears at the top of supported video pages (image below). (Files will typically be saved in .flv format, or you can change the extension afterwards).
Gmail Productivity Tools
These scripts are designed to improve the functionality and usability of Gmail.
10. Gmail Super Clean provides a clean and distraction-free Gmail interface.
11. Gmail + Reader Integrator integrates Google Reader directly into Gmail, saving users the need for an additional tab. This is a highly recommended addon.
(Click the image to enlarge it and view it in a new window)
12. Gmail Spam-count Hide hides the spam count in Gmail, as it is often unnecessary information.
Site-Specific Addons
These scripts offer enhancements tailored to specific websites.
13. del.icio.us Prettifier allows users to customize the font and link colors on del.icio.us. Note that this addon requires some basic HTML knowledge.
14. IMDB enlarge actor pictures on hover enlarges actor pictures in IMDB cast lists when the cursor is hovered over the corresponding table row. A demonstration is available.
15. AdSlicer for MySpace removes all advertisements and the blank spaces they create on MySpace.
16. YouTube Googler modifies the appearance of YouTube video pages to resemble Google Videos. It moves comments to the sidebar and expands the video frame to maximize screen space.
17. Facebook Auto-Colorizer gives each Facebook profile a unique look by colorizing the page based on the user's profile photo. A demonstration is available.
18. Digg - Add Mirror adds links to DuggMirror, Coral Cache, Google Cache, and Archive.org below the digg-count on Digg stories. This ensures access to mirrored versions of stories even if the original source is unavailable.
19. Last.fm Artist Fan Rank displays your or the page owner's fan rank on Last.fm artist, track, album charts, and album track listings.
20. A Quick Guide to Installing Greasemonkey:
- Install Greasemonkey from http://www.greasespot.net (for Firefox users only).
- Restart Firefox (you should see a small monkey face at the bottom-right corner of the screen).
- Click on a link to one of the preferred addons described in this post.
- Locate the "Install" button in the upper-right corner of the opened page.
- Installation is complete. Test the addon to ensure it functions correctly.
