Linux Workshop
Modding Mozilla - Themes & extensions can enhance Firefox and Thunderbird
June 29, 2005
Firefox
- Extensions
- Themes
- RSS feeds
- Left-click on status bar (creates bookmark)
- NY Times
- Opening Thunderbird on mailto: links
- Use the program gconf-editor
- desktop->gnome->url-handelers->mailto
- Set the key command to mozilla-thunderbird %s
- Adding search engines
- Insert files into ~/.mozilla/searchplugins/ and restart firefox
- For Vanderbilt
- Search criteria file: vanderbilt.src
- Image file: vanderbilt.png
- Configurations
- Enter about:config in the Location text box
- Automatically search for text string- set accessibility.typeaheadfind to true (or Edit -> Preferences -> Advanced -> Accessibility -> Begin finding when you begin typing)
Adding protocol support
If you want to add an unsupported protocol (i.e. rtsp://), edit your
~/.mozilla/firefox/<gibberish>.default/prefs.js
file and add the following line:
user_pref("network.protocol-handler.app.<protocol>", "<program>");
For example:
user_pref("network.protocol-handler.app.rtsp", "/usr/local/bin/mplayer");
tells Firefox to open mplayer to handle the rtsp:// protocol.
Make sure you close Firefox before you change the prefs.js file, as Firefox will delete your changes if it is open.
Thunderbird
- Actions for attachment file types
- Getting Thunderbird to use Firefox for links in messages
- Stop Thunderbird.
- Find your Thunderbird profile directory (it will be something like /home/vunetid/.mozilla-thunderbird/d2dn4kj6.default/) and cd to that location
- Create or edit the file "user.js" to contain the following two lines:
-
pref("network.protocol-handler.app.http","mozilla-firefox");
-
pref("network.protocol-handler.app.https","mozilla-firefox");
- In Firefox (Edit menu...Preferences...Advanced...Tabbed Browsing): set desired behavior for links being opened from Thunderbird
- Configure junk mail controls
- Tools -> Junk Mail Controls...
- Enable the Adaptive Filter
- Configure Thunderbird to use Vanderbilt LDAP
- Edit menu ... Preferences item
- In Options window, click on the Composition item
- Define the directory server like this:
- Name: VUdirectory
- Hostname: vudirectory.vanderbilt.edu
- Base DN: dc=vanderbilt, dc=edu
- Port number: 389
- Bind DN: blank
- Use secure connection (SSL) can be checked or unchecked (I like checked)
- Extensions
- Extensions are small add-ons that add new functionality
- https://addons.mozilla.org/extensions/?application=thunderbird
- Install an extension
- Right-Click the link above and choose "Save Link As..." to Download and save the file to your hard disk.
- In Mozilla Thunderbird, open the extension manager (Tools Menu/Extensions)
- Click the Install button, and locate/select the file you downloaded and click "OK"
- Representative extentions
- DictionarySearch
- QuickNote
- Quote Colors
- Delete Junk Context Menu
- Themes
- Themes are skins for Thunderbird. They allow you to change the look and feel of the user interface.
- https://addons.mozilla.org/themes/?application=thunderbird
- Install a theme
- Right-Click the link above and choose "Save Link As..." to Download and save the file to your hard disk.
- In Mozilla Thunderbird, open the theme manager (Tools Menu/Themes)
- Click the Install button, and locate/select the file you downloaded and click "OK"
- Representative extentions