Useful Add-Ons For IE7

No web browser is perfect, and no web browser does everything just the way everyone wants it to.

Enter add-ons. Also called extensions or plug-ins, add-ons let third-party companies and users with programming skills extend the browser's functionality in different ways. They are your ticket to a customized web.

Here are a few cool add-ons for Internet Explorer 7 ..

1. ieSpell
It's a shame a spell-checker wasn't built into IE7, but ieSpell corrects that oversight. Once installed, ieSpell does a nice job of staying out of the way until you need it. There are three ways to activate the spell-checker: from the tools menu, from its own top-level menu and from the contextual (right-click) menu. If you happen to use a branded version of IE7 such as those from MSN or AOL, ieSpell will only be accessible from the right-click menu. IeSpell is also available for Internet Explorer 6.

2. Inline Search
Supercharging Internet Explorer's searching capabilities, Inline Search provides find-as-you-type functionality on the web page you're currently visiting. A quick keyboard shortcut (Ctrl-F) will bring up a toolbar at the base of your browser window, a behavior that closely mimics Firefox's built-in search functionality. Inline Search lets you find as you type, highlight all instances of your search terms on the page or make your search case-sensitive. Regrettably, the keyboard shortcuts aren't customizable, so you'll want to memorize the following shortcuts: Esc closes the search pane when it's in focus, F3 or Enter will find the next occurrence of your search term and Shift-F3 or Shift-Enter will find the previous occurrence. Inline Search is also available for IE6.

3. IE7 Open Last Closed Tab
This add-on does exactly what its name implies: It creates a keyboard shortcut (Alt-X) to restore a tab after it's been closed. IE7 Open Last Closed Tab isn't the most glamorous of add-ons, but it will save you from fat-fingered mistakes and overly hasty decisions.

4. Add Search Providers
With this you can add new search engines to IE7's built-in search field with ease. Head over to the Add Search Providers page and choose your preferred service's pre-built tool. Don't see your favorite site listed ? Just follow the instructions for the Add Search Provider page's Create Your Own tool. IE7 does the rest.

5. Trailfire Toolbar
Leave behind virtual sticky notes on web pages for others to view. IE7 users can install the add-on and start sharing "trailmarks" with fellow Trailfire users. These marks are little notes on individual web pages that can be strung together to form your own interpretive trail across the web. Trailfire Toolbar is also available for IE6.

6. GooglePreviewIE
Want to see a preview of a web page before you visit? The GooglePreviewIE toolbar provides customized search-results pages with thumbnail previews for popular sites like Google, Yahoo and Amazon. GooglePreviewIE's thumbnail images are only visible when searching through the toolbar -- a normal web search will still give you default results. It's extra handy for image and product searches. GooglePreviewIE is also available for IE6.

7. Mouse Gestures for Internet Explorer
Mouse Gestures for Internet Explorer adds Firefox/Opera style mouse gesture support to IE7 allowing the user to execute commonly performed tasks by drawing a symbol on the browser screen.

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@shish {Cool Wizard}