How to automate and record tasks on Firefox
The repetitive tasks on Firefox like filling the different web forms or entering passwords can be really irritating. Fortunately, there ARE some tools and extensions that can help you record and automate different tasks on Firefox. One such useful Firefox extension is Selenium IDE that automatically records and automates all the tasks on opening the browser. Another popular extension for this purpose is iMacros which can be used not only on Mozilla Firefox but also on other leading browsers like chrome and internet explorer. This post provides detailed information on how to automate and record tasks on Firefox with the help of Selenium IDE and iMacros.
Automating Tasks with Selenium IDE
Selenium IDE is quite popular and is also being misused by the spammers these days. All of us have some fixed sites that we visit every time we log in the computer. Thus we can say that every user has a fixed routine on his system. Now entering all the details like url, usernames and passwords is time consuming. Moreover, there is no point in doing these repetitive tasks daily after starting the system. You can use the Selenium IDE plugin that allows you to first record your routine. Thereafter this Firefox add-on will do the entire repetitive tasks for you automatically. One of the unique features of this add-on is that you can change the recording capability of this tool as per your convenience. You can also save your tests in different formats like HTML or ruby tests. It is also supported by different operating systems and utilizes different testing frameworks. The main purpose of the developers of this tool is to make application testing easier.
Automating Tasks with iMacros
iMacros is another useful Firefox add-on that allows you to automate and record different tasks. For instance, you need not enter the same details while filling same type of forms. iMacros records all the details and then stores it in text files. The passwords are also stored but they are in protected form. You can also use this add-on for automating tasks like downloading of images or text. Similarly, you can also perform the task of uploading data to a website. Therefore, if you manage multiple websites, this can be a handy tool for you. Another useful application of this tool is data abstraction. You can automate tasks like scraping websites. It will export all the text and images present on the website in csv files. iMacros also supports different languages. Web testing can also be performed with this add-on but it requires some experience on the part of the user. Finally, you can also perform social bookmarking with iMacros that allows you to share your favorite web pages with others. The best thing about this add-on is that it is completely free. You can use it either for personal use or for commercial purposes like web testing without paying any money. This add-on is also compatible with most of the popular Firefox add-ons like NoScript, Fasterfox and Flashblock.