How to add new features in your browser without extensions

• NB: I write this post, because many people ask about this. Many Maxthon users can not find necessary extensions. Nitro users have no extensions! How to use browser without features? There are many reasons to write about this. For example, we need it for the second step in creating your own extensions for Maxthon. But I had only guide for Nitro in Russian. Not so many people believe that they can understand Russian post. Thats why we are here and thats why I am writing this. Get ready, it will be a long way!

Today we talk how to add new features in your browser without extensions. And the first question what you should ask is "Why? Why not extensions?". And I know two reason "why":

• Not all browsers support extensions. IE and Nitro don't have extensions and never will have. Its users have no choice.
• Almost all extensions work all time even if you do not use it now. It means that if you use any extensions your browser need more RAM. We'll add new features which will run only when we need it.

Absolutely everyone knows about IE. I don't agree that IE is so bad. But IE is not so fast and IE realy does not have features. As Google Chrome, but Chrome has thousands of extensions and if you need some feature you can add it without any priblems. But not in the case of IE.

Not so many people know about Nitro. This is the new browser from Maxthon Team. Fast, but empty. Empty and so fast. Early versions of Nitro does not have any functions: only address bar, tabs and favorites. Last beta of Nitro has localizations and even build-in AdBlockPlus. But this is still only beta and ABP in Nitro works so bad that I doubt that it really works. In addition, users need the functionality. Maxthon Browser has so many features, but even MX need extensions!

But today we talk not about Nitro or IE. Today we talk about bookmarklets. Word "bookmarklet" is very similar to word "bookmark":

bookmarklet = bookmark + applet

What it means for us? It means that we can add symple application directly to favorites and the script will work as bookmark. It means that script will run by click only. And it means that it works only when you realy need it and does not eat your RAM in background. I wrote about this on Maxthon forum and I very often wrote about this in Russian, but I don't know how to write about this in English and how write this interesting. So...

I hope you understand what is bookmarklet and now you want to know only one: examples! This is examples of bookmarklets that give you necessary functions in any browser. What do you need? Translators? Readers? Tools for sharing and screenshots? Just try these...

TRANSLATORS

1. Bing Translator

The only official bookmarklet for translations what I could find. It you use Maxthon Browser and know Wilser's Microsoft Translators, you know how this bookmarklet works. But if you want to use Bing Translator comfortable, you need the script specifically for your native language. So open Microsoft Language Labs page, choose your native language and drag "Translate" button bookmarks or just copy the URL by context menu and save it manually.

• If your native language is English just drag Translate via Bing in your favorites bar

2. Yandex.Translate

I asked Yandex support about official bookmarklet for translator as for Bing, but they gave me link to api. This is absolutely useless in our situation, so I used script from MultiTranslator for Maxthon. Remember this extension, because we'll talk about this many times. And try Yandex.Translate for Maxthon if you want to see how this script will work.

• Drag Translate via Yandex in you favorites bar to add script in your browser

3. Google Translate

The must popular online translator. And you need special bookmarklet for your native language again. Just open special Google page with all buttons for translation and drag link with your language in bookmarks or copy URL manually. If you use MX, you can look how this bookmarklet will work if install Google Translate for Maxthon.

• If you need to translate pages in English just drag Translate via Google in your favorites bar

4. PROMT Translator

PROMT is Russian company that develops software for automatic translation. It was very popular when many people did not have Internet at home. But Google... Bing... Yandex... And PROMT is almost forgotten... forgotten, but not dead! As I know, PROMT the only online translator which works with templates. So you can try also PROMT Translator for Maxthon. And scripts from MultiTranslator are used in this extension too.

• Just drag Translate via PROMT in your favorites bar

DOWNLOADERS

1. SaveFrom.Net

SaveFrom is popular extension which allows you to download video, audio and photo albums from popular websites. But SaveFrom extensions exist only for all browsers, except Maxthon. MX users can use only SaveFrom script with ViolentMonkey or SaveFrom Light. It works via bookmarklet which you can use in any browser.

• Just drag Download via SaveFrom in your favorites bar

2. KeepVid

Online service for download video from popular websites. Works very strange for most casual users. KeepVid does not have any extensions. If you want to download video you need copy URL in special field on the website. But for many websites you need special script KeepVid Helper. So if you want to try KeepVid, you need save script and bookmarklet. Too many actions for casual user! I tried to make KeepVid for Maxthon, but it does not work for many website and I can not do anything to fix it. But in Nitro and IE you have no choice. So...

• Drag Download via KeepVid in your favorites

3. Save2Go

Save2Go is Russian web service which downloads flash content from any website... in theory. In practice, find website where the script is working very hard. But this is the only script which allows you to download flash games in any browser (but not on any website) what I could find.

• If you want to try it, just drag Download via Save2Go in your favorites bar

After several tests, I realized that the site works better than the official script. If you manually copy URL with video or game in special field you'll get direct link to .swf everytime. So I made new simple bookmarklet:

• Drag Download via Save2Go in you favorites bar

4. Flickr Downloader

Fast download of pictures from Flickr in maximum size. This script was written by Russian developer of extensions for Google Chrome. But this is just script, not extension. Together we made Flickr Downloader for Maxthon. And now you can try this in any browser as bookmarklet. This script too big to publish it here. So just copy script from GitHub.

READERS

1. Clippable (ex-Readability2)

Original EverNote's Readability script has been improved by Brett Terpstra and we got Readability2: read mode (white or gray background) and night mode (black background). You can see how it works if you install Clippable for Maxthon or just try bookmarklet:

• Drag Clippable in your favorites bar

2. Squirt Reader

Very interesting tool for speed reading training. Squirt Reader converts text in running line. I don't know how you call this in English and I have no idea how to explain this to you. Just try this!

• Drag Squirt Reader in your favorites bar

TOOLS FOR SHARING

1. TL;DR-ify

Too long; didn't read... How often people reply this on your links? You can be right, but they are too leazy to understand it. But with TLDRify you can show selected part of page. And if your opponent needs he can also look at the original page. Very usefull! And TLDRify has extensions for Firefox, Chrome and Maxthon. But you can use bookmarklet in any browser.

• Just drag TL;DR-ify in you favorites bar

2. Kwout

Analogue of TLDRify, but for images, not for text. With kwout you can make screenshot of page and share it in your blog or email. If you want to see how it works, you can try kwout for Maxthon. But bookmarklet works in absolutely all browsers. And kwout has three bookmarklet:

• Drag this kwout in favorites bar if you need standart tool
• Drag this kwout in you need share screenshots in new tab
• Drag this kwout in you want to make screenshots in the same tab

3. AddThis

Almost all internet users know what is AddThis. This is the most popular service for fast sharing. And this is official bookmarklet:

• Just drag AddThis in favorites bar

4. Shareaholic

Analogue of AddThis, where you can create own account and edit your shared links. Shareaholic has extensions almost for all browser, except Maxthon. And in any browser we can use official bookmarklet:

• Drag Shareaholic in favorites bar

ONLINE SAVES AND SYNС

1. Pocket

Pocket is the place where you can save all information from the web. And even if the original page will be unavailable copy in Pocket will be available always until you remove it. Now Pocket is build-in tool in Firefox and Yandex.Browser. And Pocket is really popular: just look on apps, which use Pocket api. I think today Pocket has extensions for all browser, because we have MXPocket, Pocket for Maxthon. If you don't want to use extensions, you can use bookmarklets:

• Drag Pocket in favorites bar if you want to use official bookmarklet (fast save in one click)
• Drag Pocket in favorites bar if you want to use unofficial bookmarklet, which works via this page (two clicks with tags)

2. Symbaloo

This is the alternative to standard new tab in your browser. Symbaloo works online and on all browsers. And almost for all browsers Symbaloo has extensions. But almost all of my readers are interested in Maxthon... Yes, Symbaloo has two unofficial extensions for Maxthon: Symbaloo and Symbaloo Light. Symbaloo Team know about thes and maybe these will be official. But even if you browser does not have any extensions for work with Symbaloo you can just add website and bookmarklet in favorites:

• Drag Symbaloo in favorites bar to add official bookmarklet (for IE)
• Drag Symbaloo in favorites to add unofficial bookmarklet (works via this page)

I think that's all... It was very long, hard and boring work. Seriously...I tried to write this post for a long time. And I already have Russian post "How to add new features in Nitro" about bookmarklets in Russian section of official Maxthon forum. But it took too much time! Of course I will add Russian guide here very soon, but I need time to do this. 

If you want to help, just share this for your friends or write other usefull bookmarklets in comments. Thanks that you are here. It's really important for me!

Share via AddThis or Shareaholic

Перевод на русский

• All publications in English
• All publications in Russian