Forum Search Plugin for FF, IE7+, Chrome.

[Rescator]

OpenSearch plugin for the PureBasic english forum, using Google's search engine, site specific search, and search-as-you-type, also site specific.
Firefox, IE7+ and Chrome support this, just click to install it. (opera users, please kick Opera in the rear )

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/155820

(It's still pending review by the AMO staff, but you can use it now by checking the "Let me install this experimental add-on".)

The cool part of the site specific search as done by this plugin is that you will not see site: in the search field of Google,
and you can enter new search criteria in the result page and you will still remains searching within the forum.
As the search-as-you-type is also site specific it will only suggest common words that are found in this forum rather than the entire world.
(not entirely sure how Google maintains this but I assume if more people use this plugin, the suggestions will improve over time as well as Google will auto-update it's word look-up database)

I'll make sure to keep this updated in case any tweaks are needed in the future.

PS! Fred, Freak, if either of you guys have registered at https://addons.mozilla.org/ then please email/msg me (via this forum) with the url to your "about" page at AMO so I can add you as Creator/Developer of this plugin too. I created the plugin but it's kinda the PureBasic community's really so it's only fair that you are able to maintain it's source as well.

[yrreti]

? I think this would be a great addon for FireFox, but I always get this error when I try to install it ?

Firefox could not install the search plugin from "https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefo ... &confirmed" because an engine with the same name already exists.

[Rescator]

*scratches head*
Well, by the looks of it, as it states, you already have it installed, or something exactly like it.

Click the lil icon to the left of the search field, and you should see "Manage Search Engines..."
If it's not in there then I got no idea why you get that error, as it should only happen if it's already installed.

[Peyman]

thanks very useful,
thanks again.

[blueznl]

CodeCaddy and Alt+F1 do the same thing, and you don't even have to exit your PB IDE...

[yrreti]

Hi Rescator

I am scratching my head?

*scratches head*
Well, by the looks of it, as it states, you already have it installed, or something exactly like it.

Click the lil icon to the left of the search field, and you should see "Manage Search Engines..."
If it's not in there then I got no idea why you get that error, as it should only happen if it's already installed.

I checked what I have installed and do not see any "Manage Search Engines...". I do have foxlingo installed which
displays a search box. I don't know if that is interfering with your program. I would like to try your program, as now
I always have to do it manually.
eg: +"ListViewGadget()" +"example" site:http://www.purebasic.fr/english/ - Google Search -
Could you give me the exact name of your install program so I could search for it.
Thanks for your help and input.

yrreti

[Rescator]

This is how it looks in my browser, Chrome should be similar, so should IE, although their interfaces/GUI will vary somewhat.
It can be confusing to some, so it's a shame that search engines are not found under Add-ons in Firefox as well.



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[netmaestro]

Works very well with IE8 here, thanks for sharing this!

[yrreti]

Thanks Rescator,

My bad. I had a FoxLingo search bar and confused it with what you were talking about,
and also kept looking under my addons for it.
But your clear picture explained it all. I do have it installed already, ?, although I don't
remember ever installing it? Any way thanks much.

[idle]

thanks makes searching a lot easier

[Rescator]

I'm amazed at how popular this is, over 70 downloads of this opensearch plugin already.

Also https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/155820 is now reviewed by AMO, basically this means the Mozilla Addons reviewer approved it. (checking if it follows the standards etc. kinda like a quick QA)
so the search plugin is now "green", and as far as I understood, any future updates will be automatically updated though Firefox's Addon updater. Although I doubt any changes are needed, it's just a simple search thingy.
Maybe this plugin could be linked to in the Forum FAQ as an alternative search?

Besides working in FF, IE7+ and Chrome, it should work in Thunderbird and pretty much anything else that support OpenSearch.

[Vera]

Hi Rescator,

thanks for your engagement
the download-rate of your addon is nearly doubled today - if only I could have downloaded it, but I only get the XML-page as reply on the DL-button.

But after doing a site-search for PureBasic Forum (EN) I came to a result page where the ADD-button works fine and where one may also choose it for other applications.


Still, I wanted to post an alternative for those, who don't have any of these apps, or don't like addons or would like to search the german or french forums or even all of them together. I worked around the adress your addon produces and increased the results up to 50.

So anyone who likes: use the following links and then bookmark it/them for later access:
~ search on english forum
~ suche on german forum
~ recherche on french forum
~ pure search on them all

regards ~ Vera

[IdeasVacuum]

Rescator, very very useful, thank you!

....and Vera, that's the 'icing on the cake', thank you too.

I feel like writing a new app right now just so I can quickly search for tips

[Rescator]

Thanks I appreciate it.

I only did it because the phpBB search is kinda whacky at times depending on search words and it annoyed me and a few other people on the forum,
and the Google site search has one of the most powerful search engines behind it so it was obvious to piggyback on it (IMO).

And yeah, that search plugin can be used on any OpenSearch (or at least should) supporting software, this includes (I believe) even Thunderbird.

I'm very surprised how popular this turned out to be.

[Amundo]

Hi Rescator,

Thanks for this (and the links, Vera).

I'm trying to use a fork of K-Meleon (the CCF one), so I'll try to get it working with it sometime.

I think the reason this is so popular, as you rightly point out, is the shortcomings in the forums native search facility. I almost hesitate to search for a particular subject, knowing that the results it will turn up will not be very helpful - if any results are returned at all!!!