Bookmarklets work!

[SmartAlx]

If you don't know what a bookmarklet is, when you learn about them you should be shouting for joy. They give us additional power over the Safari browser. Basically they are a bookmark with a mini-javascript script. And they work on the iPhone. Javascript can be quite powerful.

Let me tell you, I suspect that these bookmarklets can be extremely useful for us. They can greatly enhance our Safari experience. I haven't tested but a couple, but there are javascript bookmarklets for translating the current webpage, there are bookmarklets for erasing cookies for only the website you are on, turning off images, increasing text size, and opening a copy of the current webpage! There are tons of bookmarklets available.

Here's a great website for some fantastic ones:
https://www.squarefree.com/bookmarklets/

*Warning*
Since I don't have iTunes on my work computer I can't test uploading the bookmarklets right from my computer. If you can't, since there's no copy/paste I suspect that you might need to enter the bookmarklets manually. This can be quite a chore, to say the least. Maybe someone more clever than I can figure out how to get the bookmarklets in the iPhone more automatically.

 

[SmartAlx]

Here's how you add the google translate bookmarklet manually in your iPhone.

• In your iPhone browser bookmark any website. I change the name here so I can find it later.
• Make sure your browser is in Landscape mode. You need it to get certain characters.
• Go to the bookmarks list and hit Edit.
• Now find the bookmark you just created and edit the link so it reads:

javascript:location='http://translate.google.com/translate?u=' + encodeURIComponent(location);

• Make sure it’s accurate. Double check.
• Now click Return on the keyboard.
• Click the Bookmarks button.
• And click Done.

Example usage:
Visit http://es.yahoo.com/ on your iPhone. Then go to your bookmarks and click your Google Translate bookmarklet.
The page will reload translated into English!

Very cool, isn’t it?

 

[wjp09]

Yeah too cool for me.

 

[SmartAlx]

Here's another great bookmarklet for http://similicio.us

javascript:location.href='http://www.similicio.us/search.php?url='+location.href

similicio.us is a website that gives you a list of websites similar to the website you are looking at.

If you do a similiciou.us search for youtube, you get a list of websites like video.google.com, flicker.com, metacafe.com

There's also a bookmarklet for http://del.icio.us
javascript:location.href='http://del.icio.us/post?v=4;url='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+';title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title)

 

[SmartAlx]

Other great websites full of bookmarklets:

http://bookmarklets.com/
http://pimpmysafari.com/bookmarklets/
http://mypage.bluewin.ch/a-z/yuppi/links/bookmarkletlinks.html
http://www.andybudd.com/bookmarklets/
http://del.icio.us/tag/bookmarklets

 

[godspropy]

I had never heard of bookmarklets but I use javascript:... in the URL bar all the time. I never thought to bookmark them though. The following bookmarklet will run the current page through google's Mobile Device HTML converter thingy. So, if a page is taking forever to load (and you can stop it without loosing it in the Address Bar) select this bookmarklet to have Google strip it down.

with images:
javascript:void(location='http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u='+encodeURIComponent(location.href))

with no images:
javascript:void(location='http://www.google.com/gwt/n?_gwt_noimg=1&u='+encodeURIComponent(location.href))

 

[lilnef]

If you don't know what a bookmarklet is, when you learn about them you should be shouting for joy. They give us additional power over the Safari browser. Basically they are a bookmark with a mini-javascript script. And they work on the iPhone. Javascript can be quite powerful.

Let me tell you, I suspect that these bookmarklets can be extremely useful for us. They can greatly enhance our Safari experience. I haven't tested but a couple, but there are javascript bookmarklets for translating the current webpage, there are bookmarklets for erasing cookies for only the website you are on, turning off images, increasing text size, and opening a copy of the current webpage! There are tons of bookmarklets available.

Here's a great website for some fantastic ones:
https://www.squarefree.com/bookmarklets/

*Warning*
Since I don't have iTunes on my work computer I can't test uploading the bookmarklets right from my computer. If you can't, since there's no copy/paste I suspect that you might need to enter the bookmarklets manually. This can be quite a chore, to say the least. Maybe someone more clever than I can figure out how to get the bookmarklets in the iPhone more automatically.

im not very good at this stuff can anyone simplify what a boomarklet is for me

 

[SmartAlx]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/bookmarklets
That should get you started.

But basically it's a javascript program written in the URL field of a bookmark. Usually the javascript gives you an ability that Safari doesn't have inherently.

Some bookmarklets that work in Safari are:
duplicate page
view source
go back 3 pages

And I can confirm that you can create the bookmarklets in your computer and sync them to the iPhone but when you sync any bookmarks/favorites from your computer you'll lose the bookmarks on your iPhone. Thos isn't due to the bookmarklets. Its a limitation of iTunes bookmarks syncing. That sucks. Can't believe Apple doesn't have a way of backing up your iPhone bookmarks.

 

[lucky8926]

Ummm so it's basically a bookmark, or favorite on your iPhone?

 

[SmartAlx]

Yes it's a bookmark, but rather than take you to a different webpage, it runs a javascript routine, generally on your current webpage.

 

[lucky8926]

Yes it's a bookmark, but rather than take you to a different webpage, it runs a javascript routine, generally on your current webpage.

Heh? I'm a little computer dumb, so can you explain it as if you were talking to a 10 year old.......oh wait most 10 year olds know quite a bit about computers these days. Explain it like you would an 80 year old..

 

[GreenCountry]

Heh? I'm a little computer dumb, so can you explain it as if you were talking to a 10 year old.......oh wait most 10 year olds know quite a bit about computers these days. Explain it like you would an 80 year old..

Not sure if anyone's still looking for a quick-and-simple explanation of
bookmarklets, but here's my go at it:

A bookmarklet is basically a bookmark that "does" something rather than "takes" you somewhere. The reason it "does" something is someone (e.g., Google, an independent programmar, etc.) has used the programming langauge "Javascript" to create a short sequence of actions that will be performed when you press the bookmarklet.

All that pressing the button itself does (regardless of whether it's a bookmark or bookmarklet) is put text into your browser's "go to" field, basically. Bookmarks put website addresses into the "go to" field and tell your browser to go to that website. Bookmarklets put Javascript into the "go to" field, which your browser understands as a certain set of instructions to perform an action (or to send you to a website that will perform the action for you, as Google does when it simplifies websites for mobile browsers).


Hope that helps, and for the geeks in the room, hope I haven't misstated anything.
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[Velodog2]

Ok I get it and its a very cool concept but I'm not seeing any apps that are particularly compelling. My loss I guess

 

[GreenCountry]

Ok I get it and its a very cool concept but I'm not seeing any apps that are particularly compelling. My loss I guess

Yeah to be honest I wasn't super impressed with any of the ones linked before, but I did a further search and found some good ones here, including "Search for text", "Open in new tab", "Search for in Dictionary/Thesaurus", and "Search for in Wiki":

http://www.lifeclever.com/17-powerful-bookmarklets-for-your-iphone/


As for the "open links in a new tab" bookmarklet, watch out because you also need another separate bookmarklet to turn off the feature (you'll see what I mean when you try it out). Luckily, someone did this already:

http://doctyper.com/archives/200707/fixing-a-small-iphone-annoyance/


Also, earlier in this thread I know people said you have to
go through a pretty complex process to put the bookmarklet on your iPhone (add it as a bookmark, manually edit the bookmarklet, etc. etc.). But here's what I did:

1. Using Safari on your Mac, drag the bookmarklet into your bookmark bar (even if you don't want it there, this seems to be a necessary intermediate step)
2. If you don't want the bookmarklet in the folder called "Bookmarks Bar", open up your Bookmarks on your Mac's Safari and drag it to the folder you want it in.
3. Sync your iPhone. (I have the 1.0.1 software update, and no bookmarks on my iPhone were lost, everything new on the iPhone and everything new on my Mac's Safari were retained.)
4. Use the bookmarklet on the iPhone from the bookmarks.

Enjoy,
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