IFoxer

IFoxer is an open source lightweight web browser developed based on C# and .NET 9, with an emphasis on customizability and ease of learning. It uses WebView2 as a rendering engine that supports the latest web standards and provides a modern browsing experience. This project aims to be a learning material for Windows Forms application development and a starting point for developers who want to create their own browser.

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✨ Main features

IFoxer covers the basic functions that a standard web browser should have, while leaving room for customization.

• Tab browsing:

• Intuitive tab addition, switching, and closing functions.

• Change the order of tabs by dragging and dropping.

• Close tabs by middle-clicking the mouse.

• Bookmark management:

• Easily register the currently displayed page as a favorite.

• Display a list of bookmarks and transition to pages from there.

• Browser History and Download Management:

• Track sites you've visited and revisit them any time.

• Manage file downloads from the web and their history.

• Advanced Customization:

• Search Engine: Switch to your favorite search engine at any time, including Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo.

• Theme Color: Freely change the accent color of the application and enjoy your own design.

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💻 Technology Stack

This project is built using a combination of the following technologies.

• C# 12 & .NET 9: The latest C# and .NET framework that handles the core logic of the application.
• Windows Forms: Builds the UI as a desktop application.
• Microsoft Edge WebView2: A rendering engine based on Microsoft Edge (Chromium). It draws HTML, CSS, and JavaScript quickly and accurately.
• PowerShell: A custom installer that automates the installation process.

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🚀 Installation and Setup

There are two ways to use IFoxer.

Method 1: Use the installer (recommended)

This is the easiest and recommended method.

1. Download the latest installer.7z from the release page and unzip it.

2. Right-click install.ps1 in the unzipped folder and select [Run with PowerShell].

• Note: If the script execution is blocked, run Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope Process in PowerShell and try again.

3. Follow the wizard displayed on the screen to set the installation destination, create shortcuts, etc.

4. The installer automatically detects the required components (.NET 9 SDK, WebView2 Runtime) and prompts you to install them if they are not present.

Method 2: Build from source (for developers)

You can also join the development by building directly from the source code.

1. Prerequisites: Install .NET 9.0 SDK.

2. Get the source code from this repository.

• If you use Git:

``bash

git clone https://github.com/Dreeam00/gHost-Browser.git

``

• If you don't use Git:

Click the Code button in the upper right corner of this repository page and select Download ZIP to download the source code. After downloading, unzip the ZIP file to a location of your choice.

3. In the project root directory, run the following command to build.

``bash

dotnet build

``

4. If the build is successful, IFoxer.exe will be generated in the bin/Debug/net9.0-windows/ directory. Run it.

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💡 Basic Usage

• Navigation: Enter the URL in the address bar at the top to browse the website. Back, forward, and reload buttons are also available.
• Settings: Open the settings screen from the menu button at the top right and change the search engine and theme color.
• Add Bookmark: Press the star button next to the address bar to add the current page to your bookmarks.

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🤝 Contribute

Contribute to this project! Bug reports, feature suggestions, pull requests, anything is welcome.

1. If there is something you want to improve, start a discussion by opening an Issue.

2. Fork and create a branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature) and make your changes.

3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature') and push them to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature).

4. Create a Pull Request.