Mozilla’s Firefox browser continues to gain more and more share of the browser market, especially after it’s third official release earlier this year. It’s faster and more secure than Internet Explorer, but where it really shines is its expandability. With a library of thousands upon thousands of addons, the functionality of Firefox can be extended almost infinitely.
One feature that I use constantly, often several times a day, doesn’t require the installation of an addon; it’s built right into the browser. Using keywords with bookmarks, you can search virtually any site right from the Firefox address bar without first visiting the page. It’s easy to setup and can even get a little addicting.
For the first step we will have to visit the page first. Simply go to the website you want to create a custom search for and locate their search box. In this example I’ll be using NewEgg.com (not out of any sense of loyalty or preference over other online technology vendors, but because their search bar was close to their logo.) Then, right click in the search field and choose “Add a Keyword for this Search…”
Next, a window similar to this one will pop up. The “Name:” field will be what it’s listed as in your bookmarks; in this example, I gave it the name of the site. The “Keyword:” field is what you’ll use to invoke the search – egg in this example. And finally, choose a place to save the bookmark. If you want, you can create a special folder just for these customized searches. Just click the small button with the down-arrow to the right of the “Create In:” pulldown. This will give you the option to create a new folder. When you’re done, click the “Add” button.
Now you can use Firefox to search your favorite sites from anywhere on the web. All you have to do is type your keyword in the address bar, followed by the search terms. Using the New Egg example, it would look like the picture to the right. Once you hit Enter, it will take you to the results of your search. One thing you may want to keep in mind; this will navigate you away from whatever page you have open. Here’s a tip: hit Ctrl-T to open a new tab, then type in your keyword search.
As I mentioned, this keyword search feature can be used for virtually any site with a search function. Some of the sites I use the keyword search function for on a regular basis include Wikipedia, Google Image Search, and Google Maps. You could create keyword searches for video sites like Youtube, shopping sites like eBay or Amazon, or even the blogs you like to read. The only real limit to the number of keyword searches you can create is your own ability to remember them all.
I love tech, but don’t have as much time or money to spend on it as I’d like. I get what I need to sustain my Geek vicariously through other sources and pass it along to you.
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Interesting post, just signed up to your RSS feed, hope to find some more great content here :)