Custom Firefox search shortcuts
I’ve come across a little trick that isn’t complicated at all, but saves me a ton of time searching through CPAN. You can add a custom search shortcut that allows you to skip typing search.cpan.org, then typing your search term, replacing it with something as simple as p Search::Term in the address bar.
To do this, first do a search on the site you’re interested in and bookmark the results. Then open the Bookmark Manager and click properties for the new bookmark.
You’ll need to change two things. First, add the keyword that you want to use. In my case, I chose p to stand for perl, but you can pick any letter or phrase you want. Then replace your search term in the bookmarked address (highlighted) with %s. Save the bookmark, and enjoy your new shortcut!
May 3rd, 2007 13:26
Thanks for the tip, Ted. And, btw I noticed you’re using Ubuntu in those screenshots, right?
Ubuntu FTW!
May 3rd, 2007 15:19
Yep, we’re an all-Ubuntu household. The only Windows machine I still have is a homemade picture frame PC made out of an old Compaq laptop. It runs Windows 98SE, but only because I haven’t gotten around to Ubuntu-ing it.
May 8th, 2008 22:17
You can also add a keyword (i.e. make quick searches) by right-clicking the form box you’d enter your query words into and choosing “Add a keyword for this search…”
This essentially just automatically places %s as the search term and open the bookmark popup.
Lifehacker has a couple of good articles that explain some neat details and provide a good set of useful (downloadable?) quick searches.