Firebug is a very popular Firefox add-on that allows you to explore and modify elements on a web page. With it, you will learn how web pages are built. It will also help with debugging your own project. The Safari Software Development Tools provide similar functionality. You can also use Firebug Lite to download a simplified version of Firebug on any website.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Development Tools for Safari
Step 1. Click on the Safari menu and select "Preferences"
Safari includes a suite of application development tools similar to Firebug. In order to work with them, they must first be turned on.
Step 2. Click on the "Add-ons" tab
This will open up the advanced browser options.
Step 3. Check the box next to "Show Develop menu in menu bar"
This will enable the Development menu. It will appear next to the Bookmarks menu.
Step 4. Launch the web inspector
The Web Inspector is very similar to Firebug. You can open it from the Develop menu. To do this, you can also press the key combination ⌘ Command + ⌥ Option + I.
Step 5. Select the "Resources" tab to display the objects of the web page
These objects include stylesheets, HTML files, scripts, images, and more. This is the standard view of the web inspector.
- In the navigation bar on the left, you will see all the folders containing the contents of the current page. Use these folders to quickly navigate between the assets you need.
- The selected resources will be displayed in the main panel. Here you will see the code of the website and other files. You can even edit the code and immediately see the changes on the page. These changes will only take effect until you close the site.
- Use the console to enter debug commands and inspect JavaScript objects.
- The right sidebar will contain details about the selected item. Changes made here will be immediately reflected on the site.
Step 6. Use the "Timeline" tab to view the activity on the site
The timeline displays when a piece of code was executed. You can also check the network request and view the events for JavaScript.
- At the top of the Timeline window, you will see three different timelines. Each line is responsible for its own category of the timeline.
- The left pane displays various events taking place on the timeline. The time of each action will be displayed in the main window.
Step 7. Use the "Debugger" option to find and fix JavaScript errors
The Debugger option provides the same debugging tools as Firebug. Use it to find and fix JavaScript codes. You can set code breakpoints to make the page stop at a specific place. This will allow you to fix errors in JavaScript and understand how it works.
Step 8. Change the user agent
Many people use the Firebug add-on to change the current user agent. A user agent is an identifier that tells web pages which browser and operating system you are using. This is a very useful option for loading mobile sites on your laptop or for viewing the site's appearance when using Internet Explorer on Windows.
- Click on the Develop menu and select User Agent.
- Select the desired user agent from the list of options. You can add your own user agent by selecting the "Other …" option and entering the desired code for it.
Method 2 of 2: Firebug Lite
Step 1. Go to the Firebug Lite website
Firebug Lite is a bookmarklet that provides access to some of the core functionality of Firebug. It works in any web browser. You can use it to make current changes to the HTML and CSS of the page. You can also execute console commands and test scripts. You can download Firebug Lite from this link: getfirebug.com/firebuglite.
Step 2. Scroll down to the Stable channel section
This is the most functional and stable version of Firebug Lite. If you want to try out the latest features, install the bookmarklet from the Beta channel section. The beta is more unstable than the regular one.
Step 3. Right click on the Firebug Lite link
In the menu that appears, select "Copy Link".
Step 4. Create a new bookmarklet
Open the Bookmarks menu and select Create Bookmark. You can also press ⌘ Command + D. This will open a new window to bookmark the current page.
Step 5. Paste the copied link into the corresponding field of the new bookmark
This will change the bookmark to Firebug Lite code. Name the bookmark, for example, "Firebug Lite".
Step 6. Use the bookmark to load the Firebug Lite interface
Click on the Firebug Lite bookmark on any site.
Step 7. Inspect the elements on the page
Click on the "Inspect" button on the Firebug Lite menu bar and then select an item on the page. The relevant part of the HTML file will be highlighted in the Firebug Lite frame.
Step 8. Use the tabs on the top panel of Firebug Lite
These tabs give you access to the various features of Firebug Lite. These include the editor for HTML and CSS code, work with the console and active scripts.