User:Auk/Search Model

The search box should be abolished, and the "Keyword Bookmarks" and "Add Search Engines" features merged. Keyword bookmarks are currently in use only for power users, due to thier obscurity and backwards management. Below I outline how best to bring this feature into light for less technological users, while eliminating the confusion stemming from multiple in-browser search features. Keyword bookmarks, with the upcoming tagging overhaul, should be completely severed from the bookmarks/tagging system and management.

Favicon drop-down

Click on the favicon at the left end of the url bar ([rename suggestions]) . A drop-down menu appears with the layout:

Location [Ctrl+L]
Search Tagged Pages [Ctrl+?]
-----------------------------------------
Google [Ctrl+K]
Yahoo
Wikipedia
Wiktionary
Wikispecies
-----------------------------------------
Manage Engines...

Searching with engines

To search with a specific engine, you can:

Type the said engine's keyword (e.g. g for Google, wp for Wikipedia, wkt for Wiktionary), a space, then your query. As soon as enough of the keyword is written to match an engine, the favicon changes to that engine's icon.
Select an engine from the drop-down menu. Then, the engine's icon appears and either:
- The engine's keyword appears in the url bar, and then you may type your query after it (cursor automatically moves to correct spot). (0 votes)
- The Icon for that engine displays, and the url bar remains empty, for the query. (This is how the current search box behaves.) (1 vote)

Note. Please vote for one of the actions for search method #2 when you come to this page — if you can't decide, don't vote until you do.

Adding, deleting, and managing engines

The search engines should be completely organizeable through the "Manage Engines..." dialog. 'Organizeable' here means:

Reorderable into a user-defined order (DnD)
Creation of sub-directories, that show as sub menus in the drop-down
Creation of seperators
"Alphabetize" option
Editable "Properties..." dialog, where the Name, Keyword, Icon, and Path (url w/ %s, JS file, ...?).

The Manage Engines dialog should also be accessible through the main prefs window, e.g. Edit → Preferences → Advanced → Search and amongst other things, a block with a button for the "Manage Engines..." dialog.

Advanced search dynamics

Ability to combine engines in one search with the "+" operator, e.g. g+wp+wkt nitrogen would search both Google, Wikipedia and Wiktionary for the text "nitrogen". This would open a tab for each engine. (Depending on the user prefs, the first engine in the list may load in the present tab.)
Perhaps JavaScript-enabled searches, to integrate with unweilding sites and create custom mini-search engines.
Visitors add more here.

Rename Location Bar (aka URL bar)

Please add suggestions here, I don't have any :-(