How to: Make a Google Reader button for the Google Toolbar

I’ve recently fallen in love with Google’s numerous applications — from Google Calendar, to Gmail, to Google Desktop, and now the Google Toolbar. I previously considered it unnecessary clutter to my Firefox configuration, but now that I use so many Google services, it’s become pretty handy. Google maintains a quite large repository of buttons for the toolbar. So I quickly added the buttons for the services I used. But I did not like the Google Reader button at all. First of all, it’s green of all colours when there are no new items in your Google Reader account. Second, there is no drop-down menu like there is for Gmail and Gcal buttons.

So I decided to make my own button.

All the documentation necessary to make buttons is available on Google’s website. Making a button was extremely easy this way.

I extracted the favicon from the Google Reader site to use as the button, and created a second button by editing it with The Gimp, for when I had new unread items. Also, unlike the button available in the gallery, this one has a drop-down menu to see your new items in your feeds. The only downside is that it has to be user-modified to work with your Google Reader items. Also, since Google Reader doesn’t have a search functionality, this button doesn’t search for anything.

Here is the finished code for the button:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8">
<custombuttons xmlns="http://toolbar.google.com/custombuttons/">

<button>

<site>http://www.google.com/reader/view</site>
<title>Google Reader</title>
<description>Google Reader RSS Aggregator</description>

<icon>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</icon>

<feed refresh-interval="300">
<!–Insert your GReader feed here!!–>
</feed>

<feed-icon>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</feed-icon>

</button>

</custombuttons>

That’s it. Copy that to a text editor (eg. Notepad). All you need to do now is put your Google Reader reading list feed where the red text is. To find your feed, go to the Google Reader site and click on the RSS button next to the address bar:

Now copy what’s in the address bar to where the red text is, and save the file as google-reader-button.xml in the custom buttons folder. In Windows XP, this is located under C:\Documents and Settings\(your username)\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Custom Buttons. In Linux, this is in /home/(your username)/.google/custombuttons.

So, there it is. The finished button looks like this: