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In Firefox you can add a bookmark and set a keyword for that bookmark. If the URL of the bookmark contains "%s", it'll get replaced by everything you type in th

In Firefox you can add a bookmark and set a keyword for that bookmark. If the URL of the bookmark contains "%s", it'll get replaced by everything you type in the URL bar after the keyword. For example I have a bookmark for Wikipedia with the keyword "wp". So when I type "wp Y Combinator" I end up on the Wikipedia page about Y Combinator. I really enjoy this feature and even catch myself regularly trying to use it on other computers, which obviously don't have such keywords defined.

lorenzhs 8y ago
Yeah, but the indicator that you’re using such a bookmark when typing “wp Foo” in the address bar is really poor. When you use the OpenSearch search engine integration you can also set a keyword but it’s highlighted properly. Downside is that you need to enable the separate search bar to get the option to add a site’s OpenSearch provider when visiting it because the small looking glass gets a tiny plus you need to click. I recently switched from chrome to Firefox but the search engine situation is something I’m not really happy about.
- yorwba 8y ago
  > Downside is that you need to enable the separate search bar to get the option to add a site’s OpenSearch provider when visiting it because the small looking glass gets a tiny plus you need to click. Nope, you can just right-click the site's own search bar, which is how I've been doing it forever.
  - QasimK 8y ago
    I think that adds it as a bookmark which is not the same thing as an OpenSearch provider because it doesn’t give you the blue highlight when searching with it. Actually this is exactly what lorenzhs said, and it is my experience too. I know this because I spent half an hour trying to get a “blue search” for BBFC.
    - lorenzhs 8y ago
      Yup that’s what I meant. The right click -> add as search engine creates a bookmark which doesn’t get the blue highlight when using it. That distinction just doesn’t make sense to me.
veddox 8y ago
DuckDuckGo: `!w Y combinator` ?
jlelse 8y ago
Thanks for mentioning this feature, I didn't know about it before. Really like it!
chrishynes 8y ago
Didn't know about this either. Awesome and helps alleviate a pain point... but a) how the hell would any normal user know to do this? And b) how long until it is yet another undocumented feature dropped by Firefox?

lorenzhs 8y ago

Yeah, but the indicator that you’re using such a bookmark when typing “wp Foo” in the address bar is really poor. When you use the OpenSearch search engine integration you can also set a keyword but it’s highlighted properly. Downside is that you need to enable the separate search bar to get the option to add a site’s OpenSearch provider when visiting it because the small looking glass gets a tiny plus you need to click. I recently switched from chrome to Firefox but the search engine situation is something I’m not really happy about.

yorwba 8y ago
> Downside is that you need to enable the separate search bar to get the option to add a site’s OpenSearch provider when visiting it because the small looking glass gets a tiny plus you need to click. Nope, you can just right-click the site's own search bar, which is how I've been doing it forever.
- QasimK 8y ago
  I think that adds it as a bookmark which is not the same thing as an OpenSearch provider because it doesn’t give you the blue highlight when searching with it. Actually this is exactly what lorenzhs said, and it is my experience too. I know this because I spent half an hour trying to get a “blue search” for BBFC.
  - lorenzhs 8y ago
    Yup that’s what I meant. The right click -> add as search engine creates a bookmark which doesn’t get the blue highlight when using it. That distinction just doesn’t make sense to me.

veddox 8y ago

DuckDuckGo: `!w Y combinator` ?

jlelse 8y ago

Thanks for mentioning this feature, I didn't know about it before. Really like it!

chrishynes 8y ago

Didn't know about this either. Awesome and helps alleviate a pain point... but a) how the hell would any normal user know to do this? And b) how long until it is yet another undocumented feature dropped by Firefox?