Script Your DOM with Chickenfoot
Users who are grappling with Greasemonkey’s bugs in Firefox Release Candidate 1 should check out Chickenfoot.
Chickenfoot is similar to Greasemonkey, a firefox add-on providing user-generated page scripting, but goes a step forward by manipulating the browser’s Document Object Model (DOM). The DOM represents the interactive abilities of the web includes things like links, text boxes, radio buttons, and check boxes. The ability to manipulate the DOM empowers users to change site code, interactions, and submissions based on preference or whimsy.
Besides being available to Firefox 3 RC1 users, Chickenfoot offers some functionality that Greasemonkey lacks. Scripting in Chickenfoot has an easier learning curve including functions like “click(”This Link”) from the sidebar menu. Manipulating the same command in Greasemonkey involves an intermediate level of JavaScript knowledge, a text editor, and a page refresh.
Scripts can be written on-the-fly and run, or “triggered” while browsing. You can also set triggers on patterns and links just like Greasemonkey.
Scripting a web page is useful for aesthetic changes and manipulating basic functionality. However, Chickenfoot looks very promising for quality assurance testing. For instance, you could write up a script mimicking basic user interactions and drill into a web site while looking for errors.
Chickenfoot’s interface is a sidebar that runs parallel to the browsing window. It includes a text box to script on-the-fly and an area that allows you to see the output and control the pattern and trigger matching preferences of your scripts.
Bundled with Chickenfoot are some sample scripts that include an “icon search” to Google image searches, one that highlights SAT words and adds tooltips for their definition, and one that allows text boxes to be resized by dragging a small image on the corner.
Chickenfoot’s latest release, 1.0.3, was released April 23rd, 2008. Updates and news are available on the Chickenfeed blog.
