Quick Tip: 2 Chrome Extensions you Must Install
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Quick Tip: 2 Chrome Extensions you Must Install

on Mar 14th 2011 with 47 comments
Tutorial Details
  • Topic: Chrome Extensions
  • Format: Video
  • Length: 5 Minutes

In this video quick tip, rather than focusing on some specific coding technique, we’re going to review two excellent Chrome extensions that I highly recommend you install: StyleBot and Vimium.


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I'm the editor of Nettuts+, and love making the process of building for the web as easy as possible. Also, I'm finishing up my latest book on Laravel Testing! If you want be friends, say hi on Twitter.  

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  • http://jacobdubail.com Jacob

    Vimium looks pretty excellent. I’ll definitely be playing with that one this week. Great birthday tip to me:)

  • Alex

    Nice! I have three extensions installed, two of which are vimium and stylebot.

    The other one I would highly recommend for web developers: Michromeformats. It really helps take advantage of the semantic web.

    https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/oalbifknmclbnmjlljdemhjjlkmppjjl

  • Marcel

    nice, getting rid of all the ads on nettuts right now! ;)

    • SalmanAbbas007

      you are soo selfish ;)

  • DubiousT

    Why not just a couple of sentences to give context to the video? Watching the agonizing slowness of the execution just wastes time.

  • http://marshallklickman.com Marshall

    You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to read Penny Arcade without getting a headache… #giddy

  • Sam

    If you’re a Firefox fan, give vimperator a try: http://vimperator.org/vimperator. Will work for Firefox 4 too!

  • kankuro

    Thanks a lot for this mr. way… great article…

  • Akshay

    Nice idea, already disabled all the ads on nettuts :).

  • http://marketplace.tutsplus.com/user/NikolaMalich Nikola Malich

    Wow, Stylebot looks really great!

  • Mudassir

    would vimmium/vimperator override the default shortcuts on google reader?

    • http://jayj.dk/ Jay

      By default, Vimmium is disabled in Google Reader and Gmail.

  • http://ashish4design.wordpress.com/ Ashish

    Wow, I liked the stylebot… It’s great!

    TY….

  • http://www.sz-media.org Nico

    i disagree on vimion. its NOT a nessasery extension for any webdeveloper. only if you are familiar with vim!

  • Johnie
  • Mihhail Maslakov

    Also, if anyone likes StackOverflow and other StackExchange sites, I would recommend my Chrome extension that aggregates questions from those sites and puts them on your start page.

    https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/omcplobmjajgpmpcdnbdiblienjeljan?hl=et

  • terry

    This feature of blocking content was embedded in Opera long time ago, with this browser there is almost no need for extentions eating extra memory.
    Vimium – seems nothing useful for me too, while my mouse is working. :)
    But thanks for tut anyway

  • http://www.hambrook.co.nz Rick Hambrook

    You show off Stylebot so well, but why do you encourage hiding ads on websites when your website runs so many ad spaces itself? I choose to leave ads displaying on sites I wish to support.

  • http://jaytillery.com Jay

    I can’t see where Vimium is a beneficial plugin. Just my .02.

    • Aaron

      Jay, You aren’t a vim user, are you?

  • notime

    a video? just list the extensions

    • http://www.jeffrey-way.com Jeffrey Way
      Author

      I did. In the very first paragraph.

  • http://bibikova.com ben

    Brilliant, I definitely love Stylebot.
    Now let me test how it work blocking ads on this site…..it works

  • http://www.magpielab.com/uk/ London Web Development

    Brilliant, as far as we seen there are thousand of Chrome extensions available, but a problem, that is mainly when we install the extension the address bar is getting narrow :D

    • http://endigodesign.com chris

      If you hover between the URL bar and the extension button area you can drag the url bar over and hide certain apps. They drop into a drop-down list on the end.

      You can drag and re-order the buttons so the most used are always available.

  • http://code-junkie.com Brannon

    Yay! Finally I can hide YouTube comments so I’m not tempted to read them. Now I just need a plugin that detects trolls and hides their posts specifically on every website I visit.

  • http://alistairrossini.com Alistair

    Stylebot pretty lame.. Yeah nice these guys put together these things, but it’s a clumsy tool and lacks the ability of digging into all elements.

    Thanks for the post Jeff..

    • http://www.jeffrey-way.com Jeffrey Way
      Author

      For more control, you should be using Firebug or the Web Developer toolbar. But for smaller changes, StyleBot works great.

      • http://alistairrossini.com Alistair

        Actually yes I now agree, the perfect use cropped up late into last night. Had uploaded final changes to a new portfolio site and was browsing it on this laptop and decided to have a play. Previously that would have been done in Firebug or Web Developer like you say, but would have had to make a few more clicks to copy out or more often than not would have tried to memorise or write a note in Wunderlist about the conceptual changes. Now they are here, ever present come rain, hail or shine.

        Apologies for the hasty comment. Thanks again.

  • Oskarbravo

    Stylebot will make permanent changes to a page (until you delete the generated stylesheet) whereas other extensions are only temporary. In terms of Vim commands within Chrome, I can see the benefits when writing code but not really when viewing a website. Everybody that has posted a comment saying that they’ve removed the adverts on this blog – seriously, do you have to make this public knowledge? Unless you are subscribing (Premium Member) this is like saying “Thanks for putting in the effort Nettuts, but you’re not going to earn a single penny for it”. Give respect where respect is due.

    • http://hultner.se Alexander Hultner

      I don’t it makes much of a difference, most people visiting this page probably know how to block ads on the internet and those who like to support the site probably either buy premium or disable their blocking techniques for ads. After all we’re all web developers, we probably have a higher knowledge of the web and browsers then the average Joe.

  • http://www.ashmenon.com Ash Menon

    How is Vimium a must-install extension for Chrome? VIM is hardly the most-used editor I’ve seen, and even then, Vimium is basically (as far as I can understand in the video) to give a more VIM-like experience to Chrome browsing. Unnecessary.

    Thanks for Stylebot, though! It looks fantastic.

  • http://www.f5-design.com Alex

    Useful tips .
    Thanks

  • Val

    It’s not working on Google apps/email pages :(

  • http://jondunbar.com Jon

    Thanks for this.

    I’m now using Stylebot, Chrome Sniffer, Pendule and Feedly.

  • Daniel

    Is there anyway to acomplish the same functionality like stylebot in firefox, like using firebug to make changes permanent or other tool?

    Thanks Jeffrey.

  • http://www.johnfront.com Ivan Tsankov

    The stylebot extension is just great! Very useful for getting rid of junk as adds and unneeded javascript.
    Jeffrey you’ve just saved my time! For which I thank you.

    Vimium is not my cup of tea, can’t see the real use of this…I mean it wouldn’t hurt if you use your mouse for some simple tasks like links and stuff.
    I guess hackers can’t live without it :)

  • wazz

    i clicked to install stylebot. then the message appeared,

    “Install StyleBot?
    It can access:
    Your data on all websites
    Your bookmarks
    Your tabs and browsing activity.”

    Pass.

  • Alimsky

    I like the StyleBot, it’s quite cool.
    Try please my chrome extension too. It’s Magic Inputs Filler,
    It allows you to fill all the inputs, textareas and selects on the page with random values depending on it’s type.
    It is very helpfull when you work with huge forms, like a checkout process or registration procedure.
    Just check it out:
    https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dgchjemniofpmdkgnoejdkgomjldfgmh

  • http://www.virtualidstudios.com David Hobson

    Cool beans. I’ve used greasemonkey scripts, RIP (Remove it Permenantely), and some other style configuration tools before, but this looks like it’s taken it to a more advanced level, especially targeted for developers. I’ll keep this tool in mind.

  • http://www.almoomyza.com fatema alHagbani

    أنها أشياء مفيده بالطبع . انني أستعمل هذا المتصفح الجميل

  • http://express-html-css-seo.blogspot.com/ Rostislav Kavan

    Nice tips.

    Thx.

  • http://www.kompresory-info.sk Lubo

    Great post
    thanx. Stylebot is very good

  • ANgelo

    Thanks Jeff! Your videos rule!

  • http://www.fmrwebdesign.com Rajar

    Awesome extensions! good to know! I started using chrome over a year ago and since then I have been in love. I would like to mention the CSS Reloader extension. This extension saves me so much time! If you guys are not aware..read about it..

  • Dexter

    Stylebot is absolutely fantastic. I’ve never more been a Wikipedia reader because of its poor fonts. Changed all of that to verdana-15px using Stylebot and I’m in love with reading stuff online :) And yeah thanks to chrome without whom nothing could have been achieved.

  • Josh Chapman

    Great video! I also noticed there’s another extension installed on his browser, the one with the key icon next to the settings button. What extension is that?