Feature #537
closedAllow for multiple search engines in the URL bar
0%
Description
Following issue #535, would be useful if when a search term is written in the URL bar ("hello wold", for example) a drop-down menu of sorts would appear and the user could press the one search engine he wanted to use. For example, one could choose to have Startpage, Wikipedia, Invidious, and maybe others, as possible search engines depending one what kind of result he needed to get.
A simple list of possible search URLs to be used could be formed in the settings.
Updated by Soren Stoutner about 4 years ago
This seems like it would overly complicate the search workflow and require either extra steps or extra screen real estate. Are you aware of any other mobile browser that does this?
Updated by GNU User about 4 years ago
Well, I am used at this in Firefox (desktop version), not sure if the mobile version does it or not... Quite honestly for some time now I have been using Privacy Browser for most of my mobile needs :P
I just think it would make the browser more easy to use for searches, but in all honesty the same could be accomplished by setting the homepages of said search engines as bookmarks and entering the query there. This would simply make the process easier/simpler. IMHO
Updated by Soren Stoutner about 4 years ago
- Assignee set to Soren Stoutner
I just checked and Firefox does do this on mobile. They accomplish it by replacing the main window with a search interface whenever the URL is being edited. They have little icons across the bottom for each search engine.
I am generally not a fan of such a design, because I don't like replacing the current view when the URL is being edited. However, I am not completely opposed to it either. I will leave this feature request open for a while and ponder over it.
Updated by GNU User about 4 years ago
One option that could please you more, would be to have appearing in the URL bar small icons/buttons one for each search engine. Those could disappear once the URL was being processed. In order for this to work more properly in small screens, maybe limit the number of alternatives to 3? That plus the standard search (in case the user only pressed enter) would already be 4. That would be already enough for most people (I guess, others might say otherwise if they think so).
This way the screen would not be covered by this new "search window" you mentioned.
Updated by Soren Stoutner about 4 years ago
That is one possibility. However, I really dislike having anything pop up on a screen when I am typing in the URL bar. I might be more inclined to solve this problem as described in https://redmine.stoutner.com/issues/151.
Updated by Soren Stoutner over 3 years ago
- Status changed from New to Closed
I've decided I am going to address this feature through https://redmine.stoutner.com/issues/151 as mentioned above. As such, I will close this feature request. Any comments can be added there.