Facebook is the second most popular website on the internet according to Alexa, so I can probably assume most of you are already using it. If that’s the case, you can add dozens of features to Facebook with FFixer, a highly customizable script for Firefox and Chrome.
FFixer adds great features such as the ability to view the full versions of thumbnails by hovering your mouse over the image, better photo albums, and keyboard shortcuts (just like Gmail).
Follow me through this guide to see how it all works!
Getting Started
Installation for FFixer is different depending on the browser you’re using, so make sure to follow the correct procedure below.
Mozilla Firefox
Step one: FFixer is a Javascript application and requires the Greasemonkey add-on to operate. Head over to the Greasemonkey add-on page and click the bright green Add to Firefox button as shown below.
After installing Greasemonkey, you will need to restart Firefox by closing all browser windows and re-opening the browser. Alternatively, you can click Restart Firefox in the add-on installation window (all of your open windows will be saved and re-opened).
Step two: Go to the FFixer Userscripts page and click the green Install button as shown below.
You will then receive an installation prompt where you will need to click Install again.
After the script installs, you’ll notice a brief message in your toolbar next to the little monkey icon. FFixer is now installed and will be active on Facebook!
Google Chrome
Note: Although FFixer wasn’t natively written for Chrome, I ported it over and it seems to work great. Please note that some unexpected behavior may occur when using the Chrome version.
Installing FFixer in Chrome is very easy. Just head to the FFixer Chrome Extension page and click the blue Install button.
You will need to confirm the installation by clicking the Install button in the dialog box.
After the script is installed, you’ll notice a brief message in the top right corner of the browser window. FFixer is now installed and will be active on Facebook!
Features of Facebook
Quickly View Full-sized Images
This, by far, is my feature and the one I use the most in FFixer. To view any full-sized version of an image, just hover your mouse over the image. This works for profile pictures, photo album thumbnails, and even images from external sites.
Better Photo Albums
You can view photo albums with all full-sized images by clicking the Show Big Pictures link at the top of any photo album. (This feature can be enabled by default in the Facebook Account menu ““> Configure FFixer ““> Pictures tab ““> Automatically show bigger album pictures when the page opens”¦)
If you’re dealing with a multi-page album, you can click the All button near the album navigation to view the entire album in a single page. (This feature can be enabled by default in the Facebook Account menu ““> Configure FFixer ““> Pictures tab ““> Automatically load thumbnails for all images in an album on a single page”¦).
Homepage & Feed Customization
Facebook includes a lot of information on the homepage, and FFixer allows you to decide exactly what appears on your screen. To customize the homepage, open the Facebook Account menu, select Configure FFixer, and click the Home Page tab. In this menu, you can enable or disable anything that appears on the homepage.
If you want to filter certain stories from the News Feed, click the Feeds tab and enable or disable any items you like.
Bookmarks
This newly-added feature of FFixer allows you to bookmark any Facebook Profile or Page for quick viewing in the future. This feature can also be disabled in the FFixer settings under the Menus/Chat tab.
Keyboard Shortcuts
If you’ve ever used keyboard shortcuts in Gmail, you know how quickly you can move while using them (and how addictive they can be!). For example, you can jump directly to your inbox by typing I (these are case sensitive), or go directly to your profile by typing P.
For a complete list of keyboard shortcuts, open the Facebook Fixer settings and select the Keyboard Shortcuts tab.
Video Downloads
FFixer gives you the ability to download any video uploaded to Facebook. When viewing a video, simply click the Download Video link near the bottom of the page.
DOZENS Of Other Features
FFixer includes more features than I could ever include in this article. Spend some time in the FFixer settings menu to see what it’s capable of, and check out a couple more great features like automatic Calendar integration for birthdays, screen names converted into a clickable link in profiles, and enhanced chat settings.
Let us know what you think in the comments, and be sure to check out the rest of our articles about Facebook!
Image credit: mfinleydesigns
Tagged: addons • customize • Facebook • greasemonkey
