OmniWeb Help

Using Plug-Ins

OmniWeb's capabilities can be expanded by adding software components called plug-ins. A plug-in can provide any number of things -- support for a new Internet protocol, a new pane for the Preferences window, or support for a particular image or media format, to name a few. Some common web browser plug-ins include Macromedia Flash for animations and interactive content, the QuickTime Plug-In for video, audio, and interactive movies, and the Macromedia Shockwave plug-in for games and other interactive multimedia.

OmniWeb supports most components designed to the standard for Mac OS X web browser plug-ins. (In other words, it supports the Netscape plug-in API.)

The Java plug-in that OmniWeb uses can be configured with Apple's Java Plugin Settings application. It is located in /Applications/Utilities/Java/Java X.X Plugin Settings, where X.X is the latest version number.

Adding a new plug-in to OmniWeb

Most plug-ins will come with an installer and/or instructions for how to install the software. Follow the instructions provided with the plug-in to ensure proper installation.

That said, the following general information regarding plug-ins may be useful:

If it's a generic web browser plug-in, it goes in the Internet Plug-Ins folder in your Library folder. This will make it available to OmniWeb and any other web browsers you use.

Your Library folder can be ~/Library (the Library folder in your home folder), /Library, or /Network/Library. Choosing the first one will make the plug-in available only to you; the second will make it available to all users on your Mac, and the third will make it available to all users on your network. Installer software usually installs plug-ins into /Library making them available to all users of the machine.

In addition to generic web browser plug-ins, OmniWeb has its own plug-in format that can be used, for instance, to add a new Preferences pane to the application. OmniWeb-specific plugins can be installed directly into your copy of OmniWeb. This way, if you back up or copy OmniWeb to another disk or another computer, the plug-ins will come with it. Note however that if you install a new version of OmniWeb, the plug-in stored inside the older version will be deleted.

To put a plug-in into OmniWeb's application bundle:

1. Select your copy of OmniWeb in the Finder and choose Get Info from the File menu. Plug-ins is one of the items listed on the Get Info panel. Click the disclosure triangle next to the title to have the section displayed.
2. Click the Add... button.
3. In the panel that appears, navigate to and choose the plug-in.

When plug-ins are added, updated, or removed, it may be necesary to quit and restart OmniWeb for the changes to take effect. You can monitor the status of, enable and disable OmniWeb's plug-ins using Plug-In Preferences.

Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Macromedia Flash is a trademark of Macromedia, Inc.
Macromedia Shockwave is a trademark of Macromedia, Inc.
QuickTime is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.