Making a browser toolbar?

Question

I would like to make a browser toolbar like google toolbar for my website. It should be compatible with all popular browsers.

Which language should I use to make it? Is there any examples/guides I could use?

Answer 1

Browser toolbars are not compatible with other browsers. Some toolbars give you a different download link based on your browser, while others install plugins for each browser they recognize and detect.

But regardless, you will be writing one for each browser you want to support, unless they share a plugin model.

See Corbin's answer for ie and firefox, for safari, get started at:

http://developer.apple.com/documentation/InternetWeb/Conceptual/WebKit_PluginProgTopic/Tasks/WebKitPlugins.html

Answer 2

For Firefox, start here: https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Extensions

Internet Explorer, here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb250489%28VS.85%29.aspx

You can use Javascript and Xml (XUL) to write Firefox extensions and any language that can generate a COM component implementing the IObjectWithSite interface (VB, C++, C#...) for IE.

IE Examples:

• http://articles.techrepublic.com.com/5100-22_11-5078098.html (VB)
• http://www.codeproject.com/kb/cs/attach_bho_with_c_.aspx (C#)

Firefox:

• http://www.rietta.com/firefox/Tutorial/overview.html
• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Getting_started_with_extension_development

Answer 3

You CANT make a single toolbar that is compatible with both IE and Firefox. You need to create two toolbars.

For IE you need to create a Deskband (http://www.codeproject.com/KB/shell/ietoolbartutorial.aspx), a kind of plugin that interfaces with IE via COM. You need to know C++ and COM to do this.

For Firefox, you need to create a Firefox Extension. https://developer.mozilla.org/en/Extensions is a good place to start. You need to know JavaScript and XUL (XML User Interface Language, what Mozilla uses to create user interfaces)

Answer 4

Have you tried http://www.Conduit.com/ ? It's completely free of charge! I love it. Even the big guys use it.

With regards to your game... Is it available online? Can I play it?