Appendix A. A Firebug Primer

If you're a web developer, the Firebug extension (http://www.getfirebug.com) for Mozilla's Firefox browser (http://www.getfirefox.com) is one tool that you'd be remiss to leave unnoticed, and this is especially the case when you're working with a high-powered JavaScript toolkit, because Firebug is absolutely essential for streamlining your debugging efforts. This appendix systematically glosses many of Firebug's key features in hopes of familiarizing you with possibly the best way to debug a web application (or deconstruct a page just for the fun of it).

Tip

This appendix is more of a primer for motivating Firebug novices than a comprehensive tutorial.

Installation

Like any other Firefox extension, installing Firebug is a piece of cake. Head out to http://www.getfirebug.com and click on the installation button. Take note that a yellow warning bar may appear at the top of your screen and prevent the installation from taking place, so you may need to click on the "Edit Options . . . " button to authorize the installation. Once Firefox restarts, you should have a Firebug item in your Tools menu and a Firebug icon in the bottom-right corner of your browser window, as shown in Figure A-1.

Left: once Firebug is installed, an item appears in the Tools menu and presents you with a few standard options; right: in addition to the Tools menu item, an icon appears in the bottom-right corner of the browser window

Figure A-1. Left: once Firebug is installed, an item appears in the Tools menu and presents you with a few standard options; right: in addition to the Tools menu item, an icon appears in the bottom-right corner of the browser window

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