For the implementation of this project KB_Soft team
used a set of tools and technologies, different for each browser. Microsoft Visual
Studio 2005 abilities and .Net Framework platforms were used to create a toolbar
for MS Internet Explorer. JavaScript abilities and the language of interface description
XUL were used to create a toolbar for Mozilla Firefox.
We developed a toolbar structure, supporting necessary
control elements and implemented it for both browsers. The first part of the structure
was a menu with information about toolbar and product site, and also searchbox for
search with the help of Google.
The control's architecture is also flexible enough
to allow further enhancement (addition of new charts, indicators, rendering technologies,
etc.)
A mechanism at which the toolbar checks the presence
of fresh updates on the product site was created for the update of the structure.
For that, it downloads update_config.xml file from the product site in which all
buttons and their menu are described and it also contains a date pointing if the
structure of each button was updated or not.
This fragment demonstrates one of the records in update_config.xml
file for toolbar button:
<button index="1" version="2008-06-26T10:53:46-04:00">
<url>http://www.jeaks.com/games/update/cheatssearch.xml</url>
</button>
Version attribute indicates a date when this file was
updated. If after downloading of this file it is discovered that the date was modified,
a file, the address of which is indicated in element <url> (in this case it
is cheatssearch.xml), will be downloaded. This file described the structure of one
button of the toolbar.
We used Inno Setup Compiler to create an attractive
installer. Thus, for the installation of a toolbar, a user have to go over several
steps of installation wizard in order to installer the toolbar into both browsers.
Further an arbitrary number of buttons, opening either
list of links, RSS channel and other images followed: