Just download some small extension and have a go at modifying it. See what works and what does not. This is NOT rocket science, people. In the time it took you guys to respond to this blog, you could have been well on you way already..

I like to gives user a chance to suggest there website in my personal web directory, or if its already there then review and comment for that site. User can gives vote / rank for that site with the selected category.

How to implement this feature for my personal use using FFE ,as i am very new for this type of extension. I need that xpi who makes my work simpler.

Please help me out.

Thanks!!

Here is the absolute essential starting point if you want to start learning anything instead of crying about how hard it is:

http://roachfiend.com/archives/2004/12/08/how-to-create-firefox-extensions/

Also absolutely essential: http://www.xulplanet.com/

Worth a look for sure: http://nexgenmedia.net/docs/extensions/

None of this requires any experience as a full-fledged app developer. You don’t have to be a C programmer. You DO have to be able to look at the source code for a project knowing what it does and start figuring out how it works by examining and playing around with the code.

If that’s too scary for you, you should just forget it and suggest your ideas to other people more capable to do something with them. If you never ask yourself your questions before you ask them to someone else, I’m talking to you especially.

Otherwise have fun.

As others have mentioned, this is the crude reality of OSS software – poor, often non-existent documentation. Many times I have had to consult other pieces of code, dig into headers, look at embedded README files and docs hidden in source trees to even get an inkling of how to do something.

I remember when I worked on getting an LDAP-driven virtual mail server going using Courier IMAP/POP and Postfix. It took me literally months to piece together hundreds of disparate chunks of “Howtos” people had written (at least THOSE were out there) to get it working. It was, needless to say, hard-fought and -won knowledge. Many times consulting forums and mailing lists were the only way to piece together the final bits of information to get over the hump where I got beyond conceptual into functional.

I have been an avid OSS user since ‘92 a Linux junkie for well over a decade but I am continually amazed at the lack of documentation available. I admin systems and networks professionally, but many times you have to hope there is a good O’Reilly or WROX book out there that details how to install, configure, and maintain XYZ piece of software. Otherwise you waste days, weeks, months groping around for the material you need.

I suppose that is all part of the “hidden cost” of using OSS and the attitude of moral superiority by OSS coders who couldn’t be bothered to make their stuff accessible to a large chunk of the OSS-using population only exascerbates the problems.

Ulike others I disagree about the need for “formal” documentation. The Open Source hacker community is by nature into tearing things appart and rebuilding them. The reason there are so many extensions despite the lack of docs is because people simply pick an extension they like and modify it to suite their need.

This is common practice in the Open Source comunity where there aren’t enough resource to write up formal documentation. I suggest that every one here search for good docs take their favourite extension and tinker with it. You’ll be amazed the amount you can get done just in the process of playing with other people’s code.