How To Install A Firefox Add-On

To install an ADD-ON for firefox you need to go to the website of that add-on and download it. This is normally done by visiting the firefox website and searching for the add-on you want, if it exists and is available of course. In this example I am going to download the latest Adobe Flash Player add-on, by visiting www.adobe.com, using firefox. This allows Adobe to detect the web browser in use (firefox) and give the correct download for it. After that I will show you the firefox add-on web page where you can search for firefox specific add-ons.

Note here that I am using ADD-ON loosely. Firefox ADD-ONs are split into three main categories. Extensions (extra codes that extend Firefox's functionality. An Anti-Virus guard and HTML Code Validator are two examples), Themes (which change the appearance (Graphical User Interface) of Firefox) and PLUG-INs (which are separate programs that interact with Firefox. Java and Adobe Flash are two examples). The word ADD-ON in general means to add/extend the functionality of a piece of software.

To download the Adobe Flash Player plug-in (ADD-ON) first go to the Adobe website and click on its GET FLASH PLAYER button. This will take you to the download page (Fig 4.1) where you then need to click on the AGREE AND INSTALL NOW button to save the install_flash_player.exe file.

Fig 4.0 Click on the GET FLASH PLAYER button to continue

Fig 4.1 Click on the AGREE AND INSTALL NOW button to continue

Fig 4.2 Click on the SAVE FILE button to save the install_flash_player.exe file

Fig 4.3 The install_flash_player.exe file is being downloaded

Fig 4.4 Click on the CLEAR LIST to clear the Downloads list

The SAVE FILE message requester in Fig 4.2 above saves files to the desktop by default, but for this example I changed the SAVE FILES TO destination (folder) to point to my DOWNLOADS folder. This ensures that any downloaded files will be saved into the DOWNLOADS folder from now on, by default, and not to the desktop as before. When the install_flash_player.exe file has been saved you can click on the CLEAR LIST button, if you wish, to clear the Downloaded Files list (Fig 4.4 above). On the other hand, if you want to keep a record of your downloaded files, do not click on the CLEAR LIST button.

To change the SAVE FILES TO destination (folder) in firefox you need to go to the TOOLS menu and select the OPTIONS menu-item. From there, click on the BROWSE button to navigate to your preferred (default) SAVE FILE destination (folder).

Fig 4.5 Click on the BROWSE button to change the SAVE FILES TO destination (folder)

With the install_flash_player.exe saved the next thing to do install it, by double clicking on it. Close down (completely exit) Firefox and then open the DOWNLOADS folder and double click on the install_flash_player.exe file (Fig 4.6 below). One of the beauties of installing a firefox add-on is that the installation process is normally quick and painless in general.

Fig 4.6 Double click on the saved install_flash_player.exe file, inside the DOWNLOADS folder, to continue

Fig 4.7 Click on the CONTINUE button to continue

Fig 4.8 Click on the CLOSE button to continue

As you can see. To download (save) and install the flash player add-on (install_flash_player.exe file) is simple. And it is the same when using the firefox ADD-ONs webpage. While you are on the Adobe website you should also download and install the Shockwave Player file (Shockwave_Installer_Slim.exe).

To get to the Firefox ADD-ONs webpage simply type https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox into the firefox Address Bar edit box and then press the ENTER keyboard key. From there you can either browse through the predefined categories, located on the left-side of the webpage, for a view of general add-ons or you can search for a particular kind of add-on as exampled below.

Fig 5.0 Type in the kind of ADD-ON you want to search for and then select its category from the drop-down menu

In the above example I am looking for an add-on that will help me Validate each of my web pages (their HTML code), so in the SEARCH edit box I have typed the keywords (search phrase) html validator. And as this comes under Website Developement I have selected Web Developement from the CATEGORY drop-down menu. All that I have to do now is click on the GO button for the search to begin.

Fig 5.1 Click on the GO button to begin the search

Fig 5.2 Click on the ADD TO FIREFOX (Windows) button to continue

When the search has completed there might be many results for your search phrase (keywords), spanning many results pages, in which case you could browse through them or refine your search by using the ADVANCED SEARCH button (located just underneath the GO button). In this example HTML Validator by Marc Gueury happens to be the add-on I want to download and install. If it was not I would of had to browse through these results pages for it.

Although though I am not normally a fan of reading through reviews I must recommend that you do in the case of looking for add-ons. This is because, as far as I can gather (and I have no reason to suspect otherwise), they are written by genuine users like me and you. Some of them are honest enough to say an add-on is not good, it crashes firefox and so on (in their experience of using that add-on). The star ratings are also worth consideration.

Once you have decided you want to download and install an add-on click on its ADD TO FIREFOX (Windows) button (Fig 5.2 above) to begin the installation (download and install) process. If the add-on, and more precisely its author, has not been authorized (verified as good) yet the INSTALL NOW message requester that appears (below) will display a warning message. If after reading that warning you still want to download and install the add-on click on the INSTALL NOW button to continue.

Fig 5.3 Click on the INSTALL NOW button to download and install this, unverified author, add-on.

Fig 5.4 The add-on is being downloaded and installed

Fig 5.5 Click on the RESTART FIREFOX button to continue

When the add-on has been downloaded and installed Firefox may need restarting, in order to initialize (set up) certain components of that add-on and/or to complete the installation process, which is denoted by the appearance of the RESTART FIREFOX button (above). In this example an options window appears (not shown here), after clicking on the RESTART FIREFOX button, that asks you to set up the HTML Validator. Once that is done Firefox display its Add-On Installation Complete window. The HTML Validator options can be configured manually by going to the TOOLS menu and selecting the HTML VALIDATOR OPTIONS menu-item.

Fig 5.6 Close the Add-On Installation Complete window by clicking on its red (x) button

Do not think Firefox add-ons are all about The Internet, even though plenty are!, because some of them are just plain useful.....like the Dictionary add-ons, the Media-Player plug-ins, the Music Toolbars, Themes, Tabs and so on.

The beauty of firefox is that it is a bare minimum web browser that can be extended through add-ons and plug-ins. It does not have "all the required add-ons and plug-ins" built-in as standard like other web browsers because it knows you may never use one of those "required add-ons and plug-ins". The Windows Media Player plug-in for example could be classed as a "required add-on and plug-in", if you require firefox to have the ability to play .wmv movie files as standard, but if you never need to play .wmv movie files through firefox the Windows Media Player plug-in could be classed as "useless".

The advantage of not having "all the required add-ons and plug-ins" built-in (installed) as standard is that firefox tends to be lighter than other web browsers as it is not using those otherwise unnecessary resources. However. The disadvantage is that when one or more of those "required add-ons and plug-ins" is needed, perhaps because someone sent you a link to a webpage requiring one or more of those "required add-ons and plug-ins", you are going to have to install the "required add-on(s) and plug-in(s)" yourself because they are not built-in as standard of course.

In this next example I will show you how simple it is to install the Windows Media Player plug-in. I have already downloaded it by going to this web page: http://port25.technet.com/pages/windows-media-player-firefox-plugin-download.aspx. This is also the link given if you click on the PLUGINS category, on the firefox add-ons web page, and then click on the Windows Media Player plug-in link. Once the Windows Media Player plug-in file (wmpfirefoxplugin.exe) is in your DOWNLOADS folder (or where ever) double click on it to begin its installation process. Doing so will bring up a UAC (User Access Control) security requester. Just click on its CONTINUE button to continue. From there follow these steps:

Fig 6.0 Click on the NEXT button to continue

Fig 6.1 Accept the License Agreement and then click on the NEXT button to continue

Fig 6.2 Click on the INSTALL button to continue

Fig 6.3 The Windows Media Player plug-in is being installed

Fig 6.4 Click on the FINISH button to complete the installation process

As you can see. Regardless of add-on or plug-in their installation procedures are roughly the same, if not the same. You simply search for an add-on or plug-in, download it and then install it.

If you need to update an add-on you do not need to uninstall it in order to install a newer one. All you need to do is click on the firefox TOOLS menu, select the ADD-ONS menu-item to bring up the Add-Ons window and then click on its FIND UPDATES button. It will then search through the installed add-ons looking for newer versions of them (not exampled here). If any are found it puts a tick next to each one, which you can untick if you wish, and gives you a newly available INSTALL UPDATES button to click on in order to install (download and update) the new updates.

Fig 6.5 Click on the FIND UPDATES button to find newer versions of the already installed add-ons

You can also use the Add-Ons window to DISABLE, ENABLE or change the OPTIONS of an add-on, if applicable. Clicking on the other tabs of the Add-Ons window (Get Add-Ons, Themes and Plug-Ins) allows you to get recommended add-ons, get new themes for firefox and modify plug-ins.