Introduction
This project represents an attempt to provide a web interface to multiple
search engines.
The aim is to provide a single text field that allows convenient access
to a wide range of different resources.
Background
Many technical types have customised home pages.
These are typically pages with frequently-accessed resources
and links on them.
There's generally an offline version for rapid loading and
an online version - for when away from your box.
The pages can often include interfaces to search tools.
Providing a good quality interface to multiple search engines from a single
web page is what this project is all about.
Usage
The fundamental basic aim is to minimise copying and pasting
of search terms between different text fields in different
forms.
Compared to search tools built into browsers, it sacrifices screen real estate
to provide the ability to reach each destination with a single click.
If you like it, feel free to copy and paste the code into your own home
page.
The code is fairly self-explanatory and easy to modify - if you don't like a
button, take it out; if you want a new button, adding new ones is not terribly
difficult.
Keyboard shortcuts
Firefox users can also use the following keyboard shortcuts to perform searches:
- CTRL-E - I'm Feeling Lucky
- CTRL-/ - eBay
- CTRL-- - Amazon
- CTRL-* - Wikipedia
- CTRL-+ - Google images
- CTRL-. - Google groups
- CTRL-0 - Google news
License
Everything on this page has been placed into the public
domain by its author.
Notes
- Resellers may be interested in observing that
affiliation codes can be embedded in the bookstore
links. That way, users of the page provide revenue
stream for the page's creator.
- In addition to the code in the marked section above,
this document contains scripts in a header - marked with:
"HEADER CODE STARTS HERE" and "HEADER CODE ENDS HERE"
in HTML comments.
This code selects the text in the text field and gives that field the input
focus when the page is reloaded - and handles the keyboard shortcuts.
- The code uses JavaScript only - and there's no reference to any
external sites - except for the ones that are mentioned on the buttons, of
course.
ToDo
- Option to display search/command output in a new browser window.
- Allow the buttons to be moved, added and deleted.
- Support for the keyboard shortcuts in more browsers would be good.
- Accessible help help text for the keyboard shortcuts.
- Allow the optional use of customised buttons in
the form. These could have configurable colours, icons,
could highlight as the mouse moves over them - and could
show keyboard shortcuts as underlined letters.
- Allow buttons to be set up using Sherlock/Mycroft confuration files.
References
Apple developed a portable format describing an interface to
search engines - as part of their Sherlock product.
Apple's Sherlock - and its file format - are described
here.
Their format has subsequently been adopted by Mozilla - and others.
There's a list of available Mycroft plugins.
Mozilla's Mycroft is described here.
The format it uses is spelled out here.
Enjoy.
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