Greasemonkey

Greasemonkey can drastically enhance the functionality you get from your Firefox browser and from webpages and online services. The application allows you to run various scripts, scripts that you can download from the web or create some of your own. These scripts can perform a variety of functions: batch delete Facebook friends, watch videos without needing the Flash Player, perform autoclick functions, and generally change how webpages look and behave.

If you’ve ever installed a Firefox add-on, you shouldn't have any problems getting Greasemonkey up and running; it is a standard add-on setup procedure that won’t pose any problems. After you restart your browser (you will be asked to do this to complete the installation process), you will be directed to a webpage (only opens once) that gives you the lowdown on using Greasemonkey. You will also be invited to share anonymous usage statistics when you first get started with Greasemonkey.

While Greasemonkey is enabled, you will see a cute looking monkey face in the upper left hand corner of the interface. If you click the monkey and the icon grays out, it means Greasemonkey is disabled. If you click the arrow next to the monkey, you will be presented with a dropdown menu that allows you to access the Options, Manage User Scripts, New User Script, and User Script Commands functions.

The functionality you get when using Greasemonkey depends on the user scripts you run. That is what Greasemonkey does – it allows you to run small bits of JavaScript that change the way webpages look and function. The possibilities here are endless. You can get all sorts of scripts that perform a large variety of actions. And, if you want to, you can also create scripts of your own. To keep track of all the scripts you installed, go to the Firefox Add-ons Manager – from there you will be able to access each script’s options, enable/disable scripts, and remove scripts.

Greasemonkey is your gateway to a lot of useful functionality.