



Having a good set of bookmarklets on your browser's toolbar is like having a web-savvy Leatherman handy—you can take them anywhere, use them in many situations, and they just simply work. A bookmarklet is a little different than a plain old bookmark—it's a snippet of JavaScript that can perform all sorts of magic on the web page you're currently viewing. You add bookmarklets to your bookmarks collection to get all sorts of things done as you surf the web. Let's take a look at some of the best bookmarklets available, which can help you search and email, download videos, and work out some of the web's kinks.


To start using a bookmarklet, make sure your browser's bookmarks toolbar is visible. Then, drag and drop the bookmarklet link (enclosed in square brackets below each item on this post) to your bookmarks toolbar. When you're on a page where you want to use the bookmarklet? Just click its name on your toolbar.

10. YubNub Web Search


If you're the type who gives their upper-right search box a serious workout, the "web command line" YubNub could be right up your alley, and its bookmarklet makes it lightning-quick. Using the text box that pops up, type in gmaps Starbucks for a Google Maps look at local chain coffee joints, wp Hawaii for the Wikipedia entry on the 50th state, or whatever shortcuts suit your fancy. For even better browser integration, you can install YubNub in your Firefox address bar.



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[YubNub]

9. Supercharged GmailThis


Our own JavaScript tweaker Adam took a liking to the original GmailThis bookmarklet, which pops up a Gmail compose window with a link to the page you're browsing already inserted. The Supercharged edition is a custom fit for anyone who does their bookmarking with Gmail, but can also be used to set up multiple pre-addressed, pre-formatted messages: "Thought you'd like to check this out, Boss," "This week's discussion topic," etc. Set it up to your specifications, and it might be faster than your desktop email client.



Send a Webpage with GmailThis GMailThis is one of those fantastic, simple ideas that makes you slap your head and say "Why didn't Read more


Click to view<!—[GmailThis Supercharged]—>

8. Remove Bloat

Every so often, you find a web page that reminds you of that awkward stage in web development when every other page had auto-loading MIDI music, some kind of Flash animation, and iframes galore. The Remove Bloat bookmarklet, noted by CyberNet's roundup of bookmarklets, instantly strips out Java applications, Flash, music, and third-party iframes. When you just need to get at some text, or want to make your friend's MySpace page just a bit more tolerable, hit this button.




[Remove Bloat]

7. BugMeNot


If the web has more of anything these days (besides, you know, that), it's sites with login requirements. If you just want to check out a service or read that regrettably registration-required article, BugMeNot is your one-stop shop for borrowed free web site logins. Click the bookmarklet to fill out a user-submitted site's username and password fields. BugMeNot's been around for a long time, and it's hard to find a site not covered by its helpful submitters (Original post).




[BugMeNot]

6. Google site search


When you want to search within a particular web site which doesn't offer its own search engine (or the one it does turns up less than useful results), you want to use Google to search within that site. We use the site:lifehacker.com advanced Google operator pretty extensively at Lifehacker HQ for those very reasons. The search giant gets beyond a site's own categorization and keyword logic to find exactly what you're looking for, even on since-removed pages. Having the right search modifiers added with one click makes site maps and tag digging feel like relics of the past (Original post).




Click to view<!—[Google Site Search]—>

5. All-In-One Video Bookmarklet


There are tons of extensions and software apps for grabbing video off YouTube and other Flash-based sites, but you can just as easily grab videos in Flash, .avi, and iPod-friendly MP4 formats with this handy link. The bookmarklet supports YouTube, Metacafe, MySpace, Break.com, and many more video-focused sites, and is a nice work-around for locked-down systems. (Original post). Note: The All-In-One Video Bookmarklet is a monster, so click through to its homepage to get the bookmarklet link to drag and drop onto your toolbar.


4. View Passwords


Gina originally posted about this little gem way back in October 2005, but it's just as useful and relevant today. If you're trying to figure out just which typo is causing your online bank to give you the stern "incorrect password" error, or want to quickly see what your auto-filled passwords actually are, this client-side-only bit of code is a serious help.




[Show passwords]

3. Google Mobilizer


For mobile browsers and anyone pulling down a page that's ... just ... taking ... forever, Google's Mobilizer tool is a serious time (and bandwidth) saver. Web PR worker Steve Rubel has a custom bookmarklet that works great on iPhones, mobile browsers, or a desktop suffering from a slow connection (Original post).



Useful Mobile Browser Bookmarklets iPhone user Steve Rubel has three bookmarklets he uses to make browsing on his phone easier: one… Read more


[Mobilize This]

2. FormTextResizer


Some sites, whether through bad assumptions about monitor resolutions or just neglectful design, don't give you quite enough room to type out your comments, email text, or URLs. Web designer Cameron Adams' FormTextResizer enables you to grab, drag, and resize text fields on any page, no extension required. Internet Explorer users should grab an alternate bookmarklet from Adams' site (Original post).




[FormTextResizer]

1. TinyURL


For all the clones, mutations, and specific-use hacks of this service, TinyURL has become arguably the most recognized link-maker for the web's most awkward and lengthy addresses. Keeping its bookmarklet at hand cuts down on mangled email links, gives you more room to write in Twitter and Flickr cutlines and other tight spaces, and creates links you have a fighting chance of actually remembering. This bookmarklet lands you at a TinyURL page, which offers both a preview-enabled shortlink (more on that here) and all the info you'll need. Keep this one next to Embiggen for total TinyURL control (Original Embiggen post).



Avoid Blind TinyURL Clickthroughs If you're regularly sent TinyURLs but have been burned one too many times by clicking through to an Read more


[TinyURL]





What bookmarklets have stood the test of time on your own toolbar? What clever tools did we miss here? Share your links in the comments.