CyberSearch Firefox Extension

cybersearch_fulllogo.png


Current CyberSearch Version: 2.0.6 (Install – 68KB)
Release Date: July 22nd, 2010
Compatibility: Only works with Firefox 3.x and Firefox 4.x
Note: The current version on Mozilla add-ons site is 2.0.5.

What is CyberSearch? It lets you perform various types of Google or Bing searches right from the address bar in Firefox 3. As you’re typing the extension will send your query to the search engine, grab the results, and then display them along side the history results that Firefox normally shows.

To make the extension even better we’ve supercharged it with a completely customizable keyword system. If you’re familiar with the built-in Firefox keywords understanding how to use these will be second nature for you. The video demonstration below will help put these in perspective, and show just how powerful they make the extension!

–Installing CyberSearch–

Use the install link above to get things started. After installing the extension you may want to enable the keyword system, which is the first thing that I do in the video demonstration. This is disabled by default to avoid any confusion that might occur from us shipping the extension with a default list of keywords.

Note: If you get a hash error when you try to install the extension see if this article helps.

–Video Demonstration–



CyberSearch 2.0.0 was used in the video.

–Features–

  • Supports Multiple Google & Bing Services
    You can perform searches and assign keywords to any of the following:

  • Customizable Keywords
    Pick and choose the keywords that you can remember! You can have one keyword for doing a Google Web search, another for Google News search, and so on. The possibilities are endless!
  • Detailed Search Descriptions
    As you highlight address bar results with your keyboard you should see details appear in the background that pertain to that particular result. A web search will show you a description of the result, a video search will show a thumbnail of the video along with the duration, a local search will give you the location information (including a thumbnail of a map) along with the phone number, and so on.
  • Restrict Searches to a Site
    Using the keyword system you’ll be able to restrict a particular search to a specific site. For example, you can create one keyword that will only return results from Wikipedia, and have a different keyword that will only show results from CyberNet News. Want results from multiple sites using just one keyword? No problem, just separate them by commas!
    Note: This feature is only available for Bing Web, Google Web, Google Blog, and Google Image searches.
  • Smart Keywords
    CyberSearch can automatically turn a URL into a keyword so that you can quickly fetch search results from any site. This means you don’t have to remember an extensive list of keywords in order to search specific sites! [read more]
  • Create Distinguishable Results
    Easily distinguish CyberSearch entries from others by looking for the CyberSearch logo in the upper-right corner of each result. You can also customize the background color of results that are produced by the extension. [read more]
  • Retrieve Multiple Pages of Google Results
    A customizable “keyword” is available so that you can even retrieve multiple pages of your Google search results. Checkout the video for more information on how this works.
  • Doesn’t Interfere with Existing Firefox Keywords
    If you already have existing Firefox keywords setup this extension will not interfere with them. Our keyword system is completely separate from the one that is built-in to Firefox. You can, however, import existing Firefox keywords from the browser’s search box. [read more]
  • Import/Export Your Settings
    If you have a lot of keywords you use it used to be a pain to set them all up on multiple machines. Now all you have to do is export your settings, and then import them wherever you have CyberSearch installed.

Here are some screenshots from the configuration section of the extension (these were taken from CyberSearch 2.0.0):

(Click to Enlarge)
cybersearch_options_keywords.png cybersearch_options_behavior.png cybersearch_options_triggers.png cybersearch_options_appearance.png cybersearch_options_import.png cybersearch_options_reset.png

One thing that we placed throughout the preferences are the small question marks, and you can hover over them at any point to have a feature explained to you.

–Supported Search Services–

Three different Bing services and Eight different Google services are supported in CyberSearch, and we’re sure you want to know what the results look like in the address bar for each of them. Here’s a screenshot for each of the different types of searches that we support:

Google Web Search – Your typical Google search. Opening a result will take you directly the site.
Keyword example used in screenshot: gweb firefox

cybersearch_gweb_firefox.png

Google Local Search – Find the address and phone number for any business in seconds! Opening a result will take you to a Google Map that shows where the place is located.
Keyword example used in screenshot: gloc fast food, chicago, il

cybersearch_gloc_fastfood.png

Google Video Search – Search Google Video and Youtube. Opening a result will take you to that video.
Keyword example used in screenshot: gvid music video

cybersearch_gvid_musicvideo.png

Google Blog Search – Find blog articles that have been written. Opening a result will take you directly to the article.
Keyword example used in screenshot: gblog xbox game

cybersearch_gblog_xboxgame.png

Google News Search – Pull up news items. Opening a result will take you directly to the article.
Keyword example used in screenshot: gnews microsoft store

cybersearch_gnews_microsoftstore.png

Google Book Search – Find books. Opening a result will take you to the Google Book page for that particular selection.
Keyword example used in screenshot: gbook windows 7 secrets

cybersearch_gbook_windows7.png

Google Image Search – Searches for images, but isn’t all that useful since there is no image preview. Opening a result will take you directly to the image.
Keyword example used in screenshot: gimage flower

cybersearch_gimage_flowers.png

Google Patent Search – Search for patents. Opening a result will take you to the Google Patent page for that particular selection.
Keyword example used in screenshot: gpatent gps navigation system

cybersearch_gpatent_gps.png

Bing Web Search – Your typical Bing search. Opening a result will take you directly the site.
Keyword example used in screenshot: bweb firefox

cybersearch_bweb_firefox.png

Bing Instant Answer & Calculator – Provides answers, calculations, and conversions from Encarta. Opening a result will take you to the respective Encarta page.
Keyword example used in screenshot: bcalc 3 gallons in cups

cybersearch_bcalc_poundscups.png

Bing Spelling – Spell checks any word you type in the address bar. These results cannot be opened and are only for reference, but if a result is highlighted it will put the correct spelling in the address bar.
Keyword example used in screenshot: bspell concience

cybersearch_bspell_concience.png


–Changelog–

  • July 22nd, 2010 (2.0.6) [read more]

    • FIXED: Compatibile with the latest Firefox 4.0 nightly releases, and the upcoming Firefox 4.0 Beta 2: XPCOM changes, CyberSearch icon appearing next to URL of each result, and Mozilla changed the way developers have to request the current version of an addon.
    • FIXED: Rendering of “Snapback” icon on Windows is better – no longer scrunched.
    • FIXED: First-time installs are properly handled – some weren’t seeing the correct set of default keywords.
  • March 14th, 2010 (2.0.5) [read more]

    • FIXED: Compatibile with the latest Firefox 3.7 nightly releases.
    • FIXED: Tab Mix Plus compatibility issues resolved.
    • IMPROVED: Snapback will always show drop-down menu of results after clicking the Snapback button.
    • IMPROVED: Enhanced “search this site” functionality that makes it easier to search the site you’re currently viewing. Click the “read more” link above to learn more about this.
  • November 15th, 2009 (2.0.4)

    • FIXED: Users who were having issues with CyberSearch not working at all after an upgrade (eg. not even showing up in the Tools menu) need to upgrade to this version. This addresses an issue that occurred during the upgrade process.
    • IMPROVED: You can now leave the domain prefix field blank if you don’t want to use a prefix on domain searches. This is NOT recommended though, because URLs that have spaces in them will be treated as searches.
  • November 13th, 2009 (2.0.3)

    • FIXED: Rewrote a lot of the central processing functionality of CyberSearch to resolve once and for all the compatibility issues experienced for a lot of users. (ex. not performing a search on every character). Thanks for all of the valuable feedback.
  • November 4th, 2009 (2.0.2)

    • FIXED: There was a bug with the last solution I came up with to resolve the issue where every key press was not triggering CyberSearch on Firefox 3.6 Beta 1 and beyond. This is a better fix for the time being.
    • FIXED: There was a regression caused by the last release that kept the Snapback functionality from working 100% as expected.
  • November 2nd, 2009 (2.0.1)

    • NEW: Pressing the escape key will repopulate the address bar with the search you were performing in most cases.
    • FIXED: Issue where every key press was not triggering CyberSearch on Firefox 3.6 Beta 1 and beyond.
    • FIXED: Keywords only worked in the primary Firefox window and not in any new windows that were opened.
    • FIXED: Disproportionate icon appeared in some themes that do not contain proper height/width restrictions.
    • FIXED: When URL’s are set to open in a new tab from the address bar (using an extension like TabMixPlus) the overlay description would not be removed.
  • October 23rd, 2009 (2.0.0) [read more]

    • NEW: Almost a complete rewrite of the code to ensure optimal performance and compatibility.
    • NEW: Bing search engine support added.
    • NEW: Heavily customized layout for descriptions of the varying types of search results. When enabled the descriptions are displayed in the background as they are highlighted with the keyboard.
    • NEW: Snapback functionality provides an icon in the address bar that, when clicked, will enter your most recent search phrase into the address bar so that you don’t have to retype it. It will also automatically pull down the address bar so that you can see results without having to type anything first.
    • NEW: Settings can now be imported/exported for easy migrations.
    • NEW: Character prefixes can be created for domain/keyword searches. This prefix is REQUIRED for domain searches to compensate for URL’s that include spaces in them.
  • November 23rd, 2008 (1.0.7)

    • FIXED: [Firefox 3.1 testers only] There was another critical change in Firefox 3.1 that caused the extension not to work at all. This version of CyberSearch has been designed to work in both Firefox 3.0 and Firefox 3.1.
  • October 14th, 2008 (1.0.5)

    • FIXED: [Firefox 3.1 testers only] There was a critical change in Firefox 3.1 that caused the extension not to work at all. This version of CyberSearch has been designed to work in both Firefox 3.0 and Firefox 3.1.
  • October 1st, 2008 (1.0.4)

    • FIXED: [Firefox 3.1 testers only] When using keywords pressing Enter to go to the Google results didn’t work. This issue was caused by a change in the nightly releases of Firefox 3.1. Nothing was changed for Firefox 3.0 users.
    • FIXED: Ampersands now work in queries when using the keyword system to pull up the Google results page.
    • FIXED: The settings window was made wider to provide a better experience to those using larger fonts in the operating system.
  • August 10, 2008 (1.0.3)

    • NEW: Sort the list of keywords in ascending (A-Z) or descending (Z-A) order. This is probably the most beneficial for people who have created more than 10 keywords.
    • IMPROVED: Minor speed optimizations.
  • August 4, 2008 (1.0.2) [read more]

    • NEW: When using a keyword or domain search, pressing Enter without selecting any of the results will take you to the respective Google Search. Precedence is given to keywords designated in the Firefox search box.
  • August 1, 2008 (1.0.1) [read more]

    • IMPROVED: By popular demand we’ve brought back the ability to change the background color of results. It’s also been improved… you can instantly see the affects of any background color changes in the address bar without needing to restart Firefox!
  • July 30, 2008 (1.0.0) [read more]

    • NEW: Import and manage built-in Firefox keywords.
    • NEW: Google Image searches are now capable of showing thumbnail previews.
    • NEW: Website icons can now be retrieved for each result from Google web, blog, and news searches.
    • NEW: A “Search Google for” entry will appear at the end of each keyword search. Opening this option will take you to the Google search page where you can see the full list of results.
    • NEW: Quickly assign a site a CyberSearch keyword by right-clicking anywhere on the page, and choosing the new “Add to CyberSearch” option.
    • IMPROVED: The CyberSearch icon is now shown in the upper-right corner of each result. That way CyberSearch results can easily be distinguished from the rest.
    • IMPROVED: When viewing the list of keywords from the drop-down menu in the CyberSearch settings you’ll now be able to see at-a-glance what type of Google search each keyword is used for.
  • July 24, 2008 (0.9.11)

    • FIXED: Pre-release versions of Firefox 3.1 are now supported.
  • July 10, 2008 (0.9.10)

    • FIXED: There was a bug where search results were not being shown alongside the history results. This bug was caused by a new feature I had just added in 0.9.9.
  • July 10, 2008 (0.9.9) [read more]

    • NEW: Smart keyword system for searching any site instantly.
    • NEW: Better icon management. A preview is now shown for keyword icon URL’s that you enter in, and the URL can be automatically generated.
    • FIXED: HTML characters that appeared in the titles of results (ampersands, quotes, etc…) should show up as expected.
    • FIXED: When configuring keywords CyberSearch will truncate long URL’s that may appear in the drop-down menu.
  • July 8, 2008 (0.9.8)

    • FIXED: Keywords haven’t been editable since version 0.9.6.
  • July 8, 2008 (0.9.7)

    • FIXED: This fixes the keywords for those of you that haven’t customized them yet. The last version accidentally shipped with the non-default set of keywords, and this will correct that. If you have already created custom keywords you will notice no difference in this update.
  • July 7, 2008 (0.9.6) [read more]

    • NEW: We’ve included the functionality that the Edit Middle extension offers due to a conflict with the extension. If you’re using the Edit Middle extension please uninstall it before using the keywords in CyberSearch.
    • FIXED: Pressing the down arrow to select a result now works. This was a problem for those choosing not to have Google results intermingled with the history results.
    • FIXED: The “unending” loading icon has been fixed.
    • FIXED: There was a compatibility problem with some extensions, such as GooglePreview. CyberSearch should now play nice with all of the extensions.
    • FIXED: If you choose to show history results even when a keyword is recognized the extension will now ignore the keyword for history results, too. I think this makes more sense, but I might make it an optional thing in a future release.
  • June 30, 2008 (0.9.1) [read more]

    • First Public Release.

–Contact/Support–

Feel free to contact me with any issues you may be having. I’ll do my best to help, and please tell me what operating system and version of Firefox you’re using. Alternatively you can leave a comment on the CyberSearch announcement article.

–Press–

Still not sure about CyberSearch? Don’t just take our word on how great it is. Below are some reviews that have been written about CyberSearch, and don’t forget to send us a link to your own personal review!

–Reviews on Mozilla–

Here’s what other people are saying about our extension:

“This extension makes Firefox’s Awesome Bar even more awesome. This is one of those extensions that should be built-in to Firefox.”
-Auctoris

“I use about a dozen extensions, and CyberSearch has become my most cherished Firefox add-on.”
-Joe L.

“Features like these are why Firefox is the most efficient, useful, practical and fast web browser ever. It makes me feel sorry for those who don’t use Firefox and think their web browser is superior.”
-ESE150

“CyberSearch finally makes the AwesomeBar AWESOME. Without this extension, you are missing out on a whole lot of efficiency.”
-RenegadeX

“great idea….great implemeentation…loving it a lot…”
-Sunnyoraish

“[...] it saves my time from opening a new search page in case the results I need is most likely at top. It is user-friendly, simple and easy-to-learn. A great time-saver for you to quickly have a look on results on the awesome bar. BTW, I loves the smart word function as well.”
-WhoeverIam 3000

“Awesome…that’s it. I have been looking for such an utility for FF since the launch of Chrome…and this is the one.”
-DWiner

“Exactly what I was looking for and more. And well-maintained to boot.”
-Shiraz Dindar

“Excellent extension. The features this provides should have been integrated into Firefox from the start. Must-download!”
-bdawg

“This extension should be called The Really Awesome Bar. Not often an extension can dramatically increase productivity for just about anyone.”
-Brett Zamir

“This extension rocks! It keeps getting better and better too, makes the awesomebar so much more valuable!!”
-Change

“Just reinstalled windows and I spent almost 20 minutes finding this awesome extension. Says a lot how much I missed it from a clean Firefox installation. This is a MUSH HAVE!”
-Tommy

“I’ve found that I feel naked without this powerful tool.”
-GiveIt2Me

“My awesome bar is now way better. I haven’t used it for anything more than Google, but its still great!”
-Flakeparadigm

“Whoa! Search simplicity at its finest!!!”
-digitalking

“This is a true time saver. In my opinion, it deserves to be a default feature in the Firefox browser.”
-ChrisRossini

“This extension makes very good usage of the new “awesome” bar search feature, by efficiently mixing local and remote search, using “search engine keywords”. And, good to say, initial bugs have been corrected very quickly!”
-klint

“Excellent way to be able to perform quick search with no need of anything else.”
-Leland

“This has removed a (cumulative) time consuming step in my web searching, now there’s no need for the search box in the toolbar or to go to the google page.”
-agwyllie

“Whoa. This definitely removes the step for when I want to search wiki for something. Usually I type in wikipedia and whatever I am searching for, and I usually end up on google. Now I can go directly to the site. Thanks.”
-Buggin Menot

–Privacy–

CyberSearch does not record, transmit, or use any type of affiliate codes with your searches. Your searches are sent directly to Google/Bing, and nowhere else.

–Credits–

This plugin was originally based on AwesomeSearch (now called Searchery), and the reason I decided to create the extension was because I saw how it could make me more productive. I just happen to see it becoming useful in a different way than Ian did. A big thanks to Ian for the hard work he initially put in on the project!