While you could use the Ctrl-f combination for that, it is not the most comfortable thing to do. SearchWP adds another interesting option. The Firefox add-on adds word highlighting capabilities to the Firefox search bar.

It works automatically once it has been installed in the browser. All search terms that you enter into the search bar are automatically converted to buttons. These buttons act as word highlighters for that particular page.

A click on one of the buttons highlights the next instance of that word on the page. This interestingly enough works on other open web pages in the browser as well. Just enter a word or words into the search form without searching. The add-on converts the words automatically into buttons which can then be used on all pages to highlight the text there.

Firefox users who have the add-on installed in their version of the browser can cycle through all instances of the word on the active page easily this way. They can also search backwards on the page by holding down the Shift key while clicking. Phrases can be added by using quotation marks around the phrase.

Many users have used the extension as a replacement for a similar feature of Google’s Toolbar which has been discontinued a while ago.

The extension ships with three options. It is first possible to enable or disable word highlighting with or without case matching. The other two options let users select the minimum number of characters a search word needs to have to be converted into a button, and the option to group all word tokens into a single menu at the end of the search form.

SearchWP is a handy add-on for Firefox users who want their search terms highlighted in the search results. The add-on can be downloaded from the official Firefox add-on repository over at the Mozilla website.

Highlight to Search for the Google Chrome browser optimizes this process. It essentially removes the need to paste or type the term into a search form on the Internet or the web browser.

Here is how Highlight to Search works. When you encounter a term on a web page, highlight it. The extension will automatically recognize the highlighted text and displays a search icon beneath it.

A click on the icon displays a search form on the page, with the highlighted text automatically filled in. In addition, Google suggest search terms appear below the search form. Now it is possible to interact with the search form in three ways.

Pressing the enter key, or clicking on the search icon again will display the search results of the selected search term in Google Search.

Clicking on a suggested search term will do the same for that keyword.

Finally, it is possible to enter text manually in the search form before submitting it to Google Search.

The extension has three options:

• Always open new tab to show search results (enabled by default)
• Enable Highlight to Search in HTTPS page (disabled by default)
• Show magnifying glass button below the selected text (enabled by default)

The extension is currently limited to searching on google.com. An option to change the default search engine (including selection of the encrypted Google search) would be welcome by many international users.

Highlight to Search is available for download at the Google Chrome extensions gallery.

The Firefox add-on Find All adds functionality to the on-page search in the web browser.

A search is still initiated the same way, the functionality added by Find All becomes apparent after pressing Enter in the search form.

This increases the size of the Find bar, basically adding a new pane beneath it. This new pane displays all instances of the search phrase on the page in their context.

Each search result is displayed in its own line, with the possibility to jump between instances by clicking with the left-mouse button on a line or using the cursor keys to do so.

find all firefox

The add-on offers two benefits over the standard find on page search in the Firefox web browser.

The first is the listing of all instances of that search phrase in their context. This alone can be very helpful to find relevant information faster.

The second is the ability to navigate between those instances easily either with the mouse or the computer keyboard.

Find All is compatible with all Firefox 3.6.x releases. A download is provided at the official Mozilla Firefox add-on repository. (via Download Squad)

The Firefox extension Wired-Marker adds text highlighting capabilities to the web browser. The tool becomes available via the context menu and the Tools menu after installation.

A total of eight different markers are available by default with the option to create additional markers easily. Each marker is represented by its own distinct color and a main folder, useful for working on different projects.

Text is highlighted by a right-click and the selection of one of the available markers. The markers can be renamed for easier recognition.

The add-on saves the highlighted text automatically and will display it every time the page is opened in the web browser.

Previously highlighted text is also available in the sidebar. All textual information that have been highlighted are recorded and available by clicking on a marker and selecting the properties of an item. That’s helpful considering that the notes remain stored in the browser even if the page they have been highlighted on gets deleted.

A double-click on a previously saved item will open the web page at the beginning of the highlighted text. This can be used to bookmark specific positions on web pages.

highlight text

Another interesting observation is the fact that the extension displays a highlight-bar at the right side of the screen that can be used to jump to highlighted areas of that page.

highlight

The add-on comes with a search form to search the text that has been highlighted. Other options are to access text sorted by date it was highlighted or by project folder if those have been created.

The options of Wired-Marker contain additional settings that include how images should be handled, and if text should be merged with previously highlighted text. There is also an export option to txt and HTML files.

Wired Marker is a useful application for researchers and other users who work with text on a daily basis. The add-on is compatible with Firefox 3.6 and available at the Mozilla add-on repository.

The information are stored in a local databases which can be moved to different computers without problems. The add-on for Firefox is highly customizable. It is possible to create additional databases and manage pretty much everything.

Two features make Wired-Marker stick out a little bit from similar add-ons like Yawas. A scrollbar can be displayed that lets the user quick-jump between marked text snippets. That comes in very handy when reading large texts. The default colors and names can be changed as well. Instead of using Color1, Color2, Color3 you could change them to Important, Source and Critical or whatever you like.

The main use for Wired Marker is in my opinion research. It really only makes sense to use it on large texts, essays for instance.