Web development, although exciting, can prove to be quite challenging at times. Supporting a growing number of browsers and keeping up with the latest technologies is no easy feat, even for the simplest of websites. Having the right tools on hand can be crucial for staying ahead of the game and producing the best site possible. The following free add-ons, listed in alphabetical order, provide much needed assistance to both novice and experienced developers alike.
Add N Edit Cookies
Add N Edit Cookies allows realtime editing of both saved and live session cookies stored by your browser. The ability to edit values as well as expiration dates within specific cookies can be very helpful for developers who require this type of manipulation to implement and verify their code.
ColorZilla
ColorZilla integrates a number of color-related analysis tools with your browser. The Eyedropper feature displays the RGB numbers, corresponding hexadecimal code, X/Y axis location, as well as the CSS properties of any specific pixel that you place your mouse cursor on. An advanced Color Picker not only allows for standard RGB and hex but also includes hue, saturation, and value (HSV) color space components.
Firebug
Firebug adds an impressive group of Web development tools to your browser. Displayed at the bottom of your browser or in a separate window altogether, the integrated toolbox gives you the ability to view detailed network activity, debug and execute JavaScript, edit HTML, and take full control over your CSS.
FireFTP
FireFTP lets you access a full-featured File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client from right within your browser window, giving you the ability to upload and download files to and from FTP servers.
Fireshot
Fireshot gives you the ability to not only take screen shots of Web pages but also add images and text to them. You can either capture entire pages or just selected areas and save them as one of the following file types: .png, .gif, .jpg, .bmp.
Flagfox
Flagfox provides instant access to a website's server information. A small flag denoting the server's country of origin is automatically displayed in the bottom right hand corner of your browser window.
FoxyProxy
FoxyProxy lets you take control of the browser's proxy switching settings. Configurable rules allow you to specify which proxy servers are utilized based on the URL that is being loaded. Even the most novice user can easily define several URL patterns, allowing total dominion over certain sites loading via specific proxies.
Greasemonkey
Greasemonkey allows you to modify the way web pages display by utilizing JavaScript code. Thousands of unique scripts tailored to a large number of sites are available free of charge.
HTML Validator
HTML Validator performs HTML validation right within your main browser window, eliminating the need for external tools. An icon located in the right hand corner of Firefox's statusbar depicts the number of HTML errors and warnings that exist on the page that you are currently viewing.
