Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) has a feature called Accelerators. Accelerators allow user to perform browsing task quickly without leaving the navigating website.
You can create your own accelerator easily for your IE8 and share your accelerator with other user. Once you have setup the accelerator, other users can simply add your accelerator to their IE8 simply by clicking a link or button.
For example, if you have a dictionary website. You can create a accelerator for IE8 that lets user search words directly through your website when the user highlight the text on other website and click on your accelerator.
To create a accelerator, you will need to have some knowledge in HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and XML (Extensible Markup Language). At first, you will need to define in a XML document the kind of action/service that your accelerator going to provide (for example search), put in the related parameters that your website should receive to perform the action (for example a query parameter). After that you will need to upload the xml to your website and add a button to your website that allow user to add your accelerator to their IE8. Your button will need to run a javascript that triggers the accelerator installation: window.external.AddService(). The new function is only working in IE8 and not other browser.
TheWindowsClub forum has created a step by step tutorial in creating IE8’s accelerator. Click here to read more:
http://winspark.net/2009/05/01/create-your-own-custom-accelerator-for-internet-explorer-8/
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