Search Provider

This article applies to Mozilla Suite and Firefox.

Want to have more control over the search engine Mozilla Suite uses? Here's how you can:

Download more engines

Mycroft has many popular search engines already created with full installation instructions. Your best bet is to check there first.

Create your own search engine

Create your search file

1. Browse to your installation directory.
2. Open the "searchplugins" folder.
3. Open "google.src" in a plain-text editor like Notepad, and edit it:

First, as this isn't a hosted file delete these two lines:

  update="http://www.google.com/mozilla/google.src"
  updateCheckDays=1   

If you know HTML forms then this should be simple enough. There are three values you will need to change. Your main two sections to change are:

  method="GET"
  action="http://www.google.com/search"

1. method should equal GET or POST (GET means the string is in the Location Bar, POST means the string is transfered to the website's server). GET is right for search engines 99% of the time
2. action should equal the URL of the search results page up to the question mark. For instance, when searching Google directs you to http://www.google.com/search?q=search string so the value in action is http://www.google.com/search

The third part you need to change is:

  <input name="q" user>

You need the word/letter(s)/digits between the ? and the = sign. Again, using google as an example, http://www.google.com/search?q=search string so the answer is q. You must remember to leave the word user in there.

Now save the file as "anyname.src" (save with quote marks in Notepad, so it is not saved as "name.src.txt")

Merging into Mozilla Suite

1. Type about:config into your Location Bar and hit Enter.
2. In the Filter box type in browser.search You now have a list of things you can change:

You need to change:

browser.search.defaultengine so it points to your new engine file.

browser.search.defaultenginename to the search engine you're using.

browser.search.defaulturl to the URL Mozilla Suite will go to when there is no inputted search string.

Merging into Firefox

{Information Needed}

See Also

Uninstall search plugins