There is so much information on the internet that converging into one problem can sometimes become difficult. And for this reason, we have to be very specific and focused on our search. Choosing the right search engine, entering the right query string, and filtering the results are some of the ways to search smart. One must also learn to search efficiently from the browser’s address bar and the search bar.
This article will reveal a set of actions that can help you optimize the way you use the search bar and the address bar to search in Firefox. Let’s start with two shortcuts..Ctrl+K brings the cursor to focus in the search bar and Alt+Enter opens the search results in a new tab.
Manage the search bar
The search bar has one engine set as the default, and all queries from there are taken to that search engine. You can change this default and choose the tool of your choice from the drop-down menu. The bolded part is the currently placed tool.
You can expand the list by going to Manage Search Engines > Get More Search Engines. I recommend trying out the custom Google Search add-on for Firefox. It is a great tool for creating and converting between custom Google searches. You may also want to read our detailed article on how to create a custom search engine using Google CSE.
Use the address bar to search
Many people prefer to use the address bar instead of the search bar. The address bar now also touches a specific search engine for every query. However, you can change the default and redirect things your way.
Open a tab and type about:config in your address bar. Filter your search for browser.search.defaultenginename.
Double-click the result and enter the name of the tool that you want to use as the default. I have it set to Google.
Also, filter your search for keyword.URL and set a string value for the tool of your choice. For example, following list:-
Google: http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&q=
Bing: http://www.bing.com/results.aspx?q=
Yahoo: http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=
Note: If you have filled in both options, Keyword.URL prioritize. If none are in use, your address bar search isn’t working.
Use keywords
You must have noticed (in the second picture) that I have set keywords for Google and Bing. It plays an important role when we use the address bar to search instead of the search bar.
Say, Google is your default search engine, but sometimes you want to use Bing or Wikipedia. Do you have to start over with about:config? Are not. You can add any keyword before your query string and your search will be redirected accordingly. Use Query.
I have set Google as default but the query in the image shows results on Bing. b is the keyword for Bing in this case.
Conclusion
We have tried to cover most of the things related to managing the search bar in Firefox and using the address bar to search efficiently. However, if you know more tricks or think we’ve missed something, let us know in the comments. We are delighted to expand our description.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
