Highlight and Share Web Snippets with MASHA

Productivity Sauce
Bookmark sharing services are a dime a dozen nowadays, but what if you want to give your visitors the ability to share specific text snippets from a web page without relying on third-party services? Then MASHA (which stands for MArk and SHAre) is just the ticket. This nifty little tool provides a simple and elegant solution for highlighting text fragments on a web page and sharing them with other users.
Deploying is not particularly complicated, even if your web coding skills are not up to scratch. Grab the latest release of the software from the project's GitHub repository. If you have Git installed on your system, you can do that by executing the following command:
git clone https://github.com/SmartTeleMax/MaSha.git
Copy the src directory containing all MASHA's parts to your server (you might want to rename the directory to something more descriptive, e.g., masha). To enable MASHA on a specific web page, you need to add a few elements to it. First of all, insert the following code between the <head></head> tags:
<!--[IF IE]> <script type="text/javascript" src="ierange.js"></script> <![ENDIF]--> <script type="text/javascript" src="masha.js"></script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="masha.css"> <script type="text/javascript"> // if jQuery is not available if(window.addEventListener){ window.addEventListener('load', function(){ // can be called by domready MaSha.instance = new MaSha(); }, false); } else { window.attachEvent('onload', function(){ // can be called by domready MaSha.instance = new MaSha(); }); } // if jQuery available: $(document).ready(function() { MaSha.instance = new MaSha(); }); </script>
Make sure that all the links in the code point to the right files in the src directory. Next, you have to mark selectable content in the page using the <div id="selectable-content"></div> tags:
<div id="selectable-content"><p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit</p></div>
Finally, insert the code that enables the clear selection button somewhere at the bottom of the page:
<div id="upmsg-selectable"> <div class="upmsg-selectable-inner"> <img src="../src/img/textselect/upmsg_arrow.png" alt=""> <a href="#" class="upmsg_closebtn"></a> </div> </div>
That's all there is to it. Open the MASHA-enabled page in a browser, and select a text fragment. MASHS then automatically highlights the selection and generates a URL which you can share with other users. Besides simple highlighting functionality, MASHA has a few other handy features, including the ability to share a selection via Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. The source code distribution contains sample pages that demonstrate MASHA's more advanced functionality.
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you've found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Fedora 39 Beta is Now Available for Testing
For fans and users of Fedora Linux, the first beta of release 39 is now available, which is a minor upgrade but does include GNOME 45.
-
Fedora Linux 40 to Drop X11 for KDE Plasma
When Fedora 40 arrives in 2024, there will be a few big changes coming, especially for the KDE Plasma option.
-
Real-Time Ubuntu Available in AWS Marketplace
Anyone looking for a Linux distribution for real-time processing could do a whole lot worse than Real-Time Ubuntu.
-
KSMBD Finally Reaches a Stable State
For those who've been looking forward to the first release of KSMBD, after two years it's no longer considered experimental.
-
Nitrux 3.0.0 Has Been Released
The latest version of Nitrux brings plenty of innovation and fresh apps to the table.
-
Linux From Scratch 12.0 Now Available
If you're looking to roll your own Linux distribution, the latest version of Linux From Scratch is now available with plenty of updates.
-
Linux Kernel 6.5 Has Been Released
The newest Linux kernel, version 6.5, now includes initial support for two very exciting features.
-
UbuntuDDE 23.04 Now Available
A new version of the UbuntuDDE remix has finally arrived with all the updates from the Deepin desktop and everything that comes with the Ubuntu 23.04 base.
-
Star Labs Reveals a New Surface-Like Linux Tablet
If you've ever wanted a tablet that rivals the MS Surface, you're in luck as Star Labs has created such a device.
-
SUSE Going Private (Again)
The company behind SUSE Linux Enterprise, Rancher, and NeuVector recently announced that Marcel LUX III SARL (Marcel), its majority shareholder, intends to delist it from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange by way of a merger.