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Bookmarklets

Introduction

What are bookmarklets?

Bookmarklets and short scripts which appear as a bookmark on your browser's toolbar, but when clicked, instead of going to a site immediately, a short script is run. What that script can do is limited to a programmer's imagination.

As an example, you're reading something on the internet and you come across a word you don't know the meaning. You could open a dictionary if one is handy, or you could go to a dictionary site, type in the word, click submit and find the meaning of the word. Alternately you could use the Word Check bookmarklet listed below. You highlight the word and then click on the bookmarklet in your browser's toolbar. The highlighted word is sent directly to Word Check where you can see if the word is spelt correctly using the preferred Australian English spelling, and then click on a link to one of the dictionary sites if you'd like to know more about the word.

Below are bookmarklets I've either written or found on the internet which I feel are useful. To use drag the link to your browser's bookmark toolbar. You're then ready to use the bookmarklet.

To organise my bookmarklets so they don't clutter my Favourites bar, I create a folder on the Favourites bar and then put all the bookmarklets into the folder. The folder is typically called "Share" and that way I can simply use the names generated by dragging and dropping the links and I know these are bookmarklets and not links to the actual sites Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. How you edit the bookmarks and Favourite bar varies from browser to browser.

Installing bookmarklets

Each section below contains a link which is a bookmarklet. Drag the link to your bookmark toolbar for your browser. If your bookmark toolbar isn't visible, you'll need to make the toolbar visible. Bookmarklets cannot currently be added to Microsoft Edge. Use Internet Explorer 11 or Google Chrome instead.

Word Check

Want to know if a word uses the preferred Australian English spelling, is spelt correctly, or look up the meaning?

To use, highlight the word and then click on the Word Check bookmarklet.

Bookmarklet: Word Check

Spellcheck web page

Want to check the spelling on a web page. Works on macOS Safari. Open the web page. Click on the Spellcheck bookmarklet. Click anywhere near the start of the page and then press Command+; to step through spelling errors. Spelling errors are highlighted using the red squiggly line. You can't save any changes, but it does help you to spot and correct errors in your own pages, or the pages of others.

Bookmarklet: Spellcheck

LinkedIn

Want to share a link to a page or site on LinkedIn?

LinkedIn provide a bookmarklet at https://www.linkedin.com/bookmarklet

Bookmarklet: Share on LinkedIn

Facebook

Want to share a page or site on Facebook?

To use, highlight the text and then click on the Facebook bookmarklet.

Bookmarklet: Share on Facebook

Twitter

Want to share a page or site on Twitter?

To use, highlight the text and then click on the Twitter bookmarklet. The text is then provided as part of the tweet. If text isn't highlighted the title tag contents for the page is provided in the tweet.

Bookmarklet: Share on Twitter

Blogger

Want to share a site using Google's Blogger.

Note. Google doubles the linefeeds so only press Enter once to start a new paragraph. The extra line will be inserted. The web page title is used as the subject and also the first line. If you highlight some text this is added at the end of the first line in the comments.

To use, optionally highlight text and then click on the Share on Blogger bookmarklet.

Bookmarklet: Share on Blogger

Zoom YouTube Video

Want to zoom in and out of a YouTube video. Now you can by using freeRadio.

To use, highlight the YouTube video identifier and then click on the Zoom YouTube Video bookmarklet.

Bookmarklet: Zoom YouTube

Use freeRadio to radio whilst watching YouTube Video

Some YouTube videos don't have sound, others have sound that doesn't meet your tastes, now you can listen to streaming radio whilst watching a YouTube video.

To use, highlight the YouTube video identifier and then click on the freeRadio bookmarklet.

Bookmarklet: freeRadio

List YouTube Shorts Videos

I noticed a number of my YouTube videos had become Shorts but I don't recall making them all shorts.

To use, to get a quick list of your shorts, go to your videos section of your channel, hit the end key until all your videos are listed and then run this bookmarklet to display all your shorts.

Bookmarklet: Show Shorts

YouTube Video Speed

Want to speed through or slow down a YouTube video. Now you can from half the normal speed up to 16 times the speed. I created a folder on my Favourites bar and added all the speeds I wanted to the folder for quick access. Also, don't forget the x1 speed to return the video to normal speed.

To use, start the YouTube video then click on the bookmarklet.

Bookmarklet: x0.25
Bookmarklet: x0.5
Bookmarklet: x1
Bookmarklet: x1.5
Bookmarklet: x2
Bookmarklet: x4
Bookmarklet: x8
Bookmarklet: x16

NOTE: Keep in mind when speeding up YouTube videos, videos may pause frequently. I've found up to x4 is good for HD vidoes, but 4K videos may struggle above x2.