Google Toolbar Button for Google Notebook

In my previous post, I discussed making a button for the Google toolbar which links to Google Reader. In this post, I will make a similar button, but for Google Notebook.

This button is much simpler than the last one because Google Notebook doesn’t have any feeds to link to. It’s basically just a link with an image. Google Notebook DOES have a search capability, but I can’t seem to be able to implement it with this button since it’s an Ajax-y search.

Anyway, here is the finished button:

<?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”utf-8″?>
<custombuttons xmlns=”http://toolbar.google.com/custombuttons/”>

<button>

    <site>http://google.com/notebook</site>
    <title>Google Notebook</title>
    <description>Google Notebook</description>
    <icon mode=”base64″ type=”image/x-icon”>
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KQD///////////////////////////////////////9osno/kE0yKQDm5ubm5uYyKQD////Jl1LI
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Af//AAH//wAB//+AAf//gAH//wAB//8AAf//gAH//8AB///gA///
    </icon>

</button>

</custombuttons>

Again, just copy that to the text editor and save it in the corresponding folder (C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Custom Buttons for Windows and /home/<your username>/.google/custombuttons for Linux).

It looks like this:

Again, you can modify the code all you want, I don’t care. Use it as you wish, and enjoy this button. Oh, and if you DO manage to incorporate search into this button, please tell me.

Google Toolbar Button for Google Reader

I’ve recently fallen in love with Google’s numerous applications — from Google Calendar, to Gmail, to Google Desktop, and now the Google Toolbar. I previously considered it unnecessary clutter to my Firefox configuration, but now that I use so many Google services, it’s become pretty handy.Google maintains quite large repository of buttons for the toolbar. So I quickly added the buttons for the services I used. But I did not like the Google Reader button at all. First of all, it’s green of all colours when there are no new items in your Google Reader account. Second, there is no drop-down menu like there is for Gmail and Gcal buttons.

So I decided to make my own button.

All the documentation necessary to make buttons is available on Google’s website. Making a button was extremely easy this way.

I extracted the favicon from the Google Reader site to use as the button, and created a second button by editing it with The Gimp, for when I had new unread items. Also, unlike the button available in the gallery, this one has a drop-down menu to see your new items in your feeds. The only downside is that it has to be user-modified to work with your Google Reader items. Also, since Google Reader doesn’t have a search functionality, this button doesn’t search for anything.

Here is the finished button:

EDIT: (16.June.2007) The code that used to be here is obsolete and incorrect. I have updated the button so it now includes search, and editing it is no longer necessary for the feed to work. You can download the updated version here.

The button looks like this:

It will automatically check for new items every five minutes. The button’s colour will change when there are new unread items in Google Reader.

So there you go. Enjoy. Feel free to modify the code above to suit you Google-Reading needs.

Thanks to everyone who has commented and contributed on this. I’ll submit the button to the Google Button Gallery ASAP.

My Favourite Firefox Extensions

1. All-in-One Gestures

The ultimate must-have for Firefox in my opinion. The only reason I haven’t switched to other faster browsers like Epiphany is this extension. It’s actually a collection of extensions all packed into one convenient package. I actually don’t use the typical mouse gestures (right-click and drag) but rather a mixture of rocker gestures and scrollwheel navigation. This extension makes browsing so much faster, and best of all, it’s completely custumizable! If you haven’t tried it yet, do so. You won’t regret it.

2. Adblock Plus

This, along with one or two filter subscriptions, will make your browsing experience 99.9% ad-less. It’s just amazing. Removes text ads, image ads, and just about any other annoyance you might find on a webpage.

3. Foxmarks

If you use Firefox on multiple computers, this is EXTREMELY useful. With it, your bookmarks will be the same on any computer you use. I use some 4 different computers, and this is the only way that I can keep everything with me. And, if you have to use a public computer or for some reason you can’t use the extension, you can access your bookmarks online!

4. StumbleUpon

This is definitely NOT a must-have like the other 3, but it is extremely fun to have! It’s extremely addictive: you can easily press the ’stumble’ button many times in a single minute. It’s the best way to discover new pages related to things you like. It’s got to be the most fun Firefox extension ever.