Size of Download in Firefox??

[Ehtyar]

Hi all,
Ever since i started using firefox, i would infrequently check the addons sections for addons that do things i wanted in firefox. A few days ago i found the second last one i was looking for, Secure Login, thanks to Carol Haynes. I am at a loss however, when trying to understand why there is no way to see the size of a file download in the download prompt, prior to actually downloading the file. This behavior is provided in other browsers, and is the last feature that my firefox is still lacking. If anyone is aware of such an addon, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could link me, because i cannot find one through the addon page or google.
In case there happens to be any firefox addon gurus around, I imagine all that would be required for a plugin of this kind is that if the Content-Length header exists, display its value (properly formatted i guess) in the download prompt.

Thanks, Ehtyar.

[f0dder]

Hm, interesting, I never really noticed that firefox lacks this - but indeed it does!

I guess I'm spoiled by my 20mbit connection

[Ehtyar]

I have 9mb, so it doesn't bother me in that regard, i just like to know what I'm downloading i guess.

Ehtyar.

[f0dder]

I have 9mb, so it doesn't bother me in that regard, i just like to know what I'm downloading i guess.

-Ehtyar (September 11, 2007, 05:27 PM)

Would be nice indeed, even if the very-large downloads are being done through torrents, and I use FlashGet for things like linux isos or big game/movie trailers...

[Ehtyar]

Would be nice indeed, even if the very-large downloads are being done through torrents, and I use FlashGet for things like linux isos or big game/movie trailers...

-f0dder (September 11, 2007, 05:32 PM)

Hah, ditto

Ehtyar.

[Lashiec]

Indeed there's one. I knew there was one for Opera, and the Opera Wiki mentioned it was also available for Firefox and Internet Explorer as well. Well, it turned out that it didn't work with Firefox, but the page gave a link for the page hosting it. Again, the link was dead, but after some googling I found something that could be what are you looking for.

The extension in question is File Size (Statusbar), which shows the file size of the file you want to download in the status bar after you hover the mouse over the link to the file. A picture is better than 1,000 words.

[f0dder]

That's pretty cool Lashiec!

I personally would prefer the "save as" box showing file size, because of old habits, but I guess this one is actually more convenient...

[Ehtyar]

I have to say i would prefer the download box solution, for a couple of reasons.
1. Your browser already knows the size of the file when the download prompt appears, thus you need only get it to display the information.
2. Your browser is not making arbitrary get requests then closing the connection, just to see the headers.
3. This extension appears to be a little buggy in that it displays the size for links that do not appear beneath the cursor when your mouse is just moving over the page, not hovering above a link.

Thank you for your solution lash man, but if anyone else has a suggestion, please do not hesitate to post it.

Thanks, Ehtyar.

[Ehtyar]

Well I'm afraid i just uninstalled the plugin. It was causing just far too many problems related to point two above. Ever since i installed it I've been having a lot of trouble with my forums, I'll explain why. The plugin finds the size of the data on the end of a href you're hovering over by requesting the page, caching the headers, then closing the connection. This creates major problems when the link reacts to being visited. It causes problems with links like "View new posts", "Search", and in particular "Logout". The "Logout" problem was what drove me to uninstall the plugin, as I was tired of being logged out from websites simply because i moved my mouse a little too slowly over a logout link.

Ehtyar.

[Curt]

From your text, Ehtyar, I get the idea that you did not first install Extended Link Properties, though it is required before installing File Size Statusbar) ??

My version of this combination is working flawless.

[Ehtyar]

I did install it (though reluctantly). You misunderstand, it is not the fault of the plugin itself, but the fault of its method of operation. In gathering the headers as it does, it tricks certain webpages into thinking that you followed a link that you really didn't, and thus causes undesired results. The plugin actually works just as advertised, just has nasty side-effects.

Ehtyar.

[Lashiec]

Firefox is ridiculously extensible. The only thing capable of being even more ridiculous is the same extensions. You can brand the "About" window with the FC Barcelona football team (W-T-F), you can transform the browser in a file manager (!) and you can know the water level of German rivers (!?), but you can't (or no one is bothering to do a extension for that) show the size of a file in the f******* download dialog. This is one of the things that made me rant the other day about the ludicrous state of Firefox addons, anyone can make the most stupid extension ever and have it hosted in the official site (!?), but when it comes to real needs, you're all alone

OK, after the angry rant, I'll simply say that I have searched back and forth the web and didn't find anything else. If someone finds or codes something, I'll give him/her a cookie . Either that, or we'll have to wait 'til ¿Firefox 3?

EDIT: I think I've found a solution to use the Opera addon I talked about earlier. There's this extension for Firefox, Launchy, that lets you launch any element in a web page in an external application. What's more, it lets you define your own programs using an XML file, you can find the details at the extension webpage. Read the FAQ of the other addon to see how it works with Opera, as you can use the same commandline (I think you won't need any arguments, only the path to the addon), and let me know if it works