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Search Service: Difference between revisions
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Create a simple, flexible system that unifies all search back ends, presents a common management infrastructure, makes adding keywords easy and more obvious, allows for engines to be added and removed easily when upgrading and allows for simple configuration for business needs. | Create a simple, flexible system that unifies all search back ends, presents a common management infrastructure, makes adding keywords easy and more obvious, allows for engines to be added and removed easily when upgrading and allows for simple configuration for business needs. | ||
== Planned Milestones == | |||
=== Firefox 2 Alpha 1 === | |||
*Functionally equivalent JS-implemented search backend (nsISearchService) | |||
*Seamless search plugin migration | |||
=== Firefox 2 Alpha 2 === | |||
*Search plugin updating system | |||
*Bookmarks keywords migration | |||
*UI Changes and refinements (engine ordering/management UI) | |||
*Search auto-detection | |||
*Web addition API | |||
= Overview = | = Overview = | ||
# Improve the general usability of front line search in Firefox: the search bar. | # Improve the general usability of front line search in Firefox: the search bar. | ||
# Provide a consolidated search engine management system for the entire application that is easily updateable, trackable, and more usable for users. Utilize parseable formats to store engine metadata. | # Provide a consolidated search engine management system for the entire application that is easily updateable, trackable, and more usable for users. | ||
# Utilize parseable formats to store engine metadata. | |||
# Improve search engine discovery and addition user experience. | # Improve search engine discovery and addition user experience. | ||
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=== Basic Issues === | === Basic Issues === | ||
There are a couple of basic usability issues with the Firefox search box: it is not necessarily obvious to an IE user what it does (aside from the search engine logo) and how to use it, and it is often too narrow for the sort of queries that users type in. | There are a couple of basic usability issues with the Firefox search box: it is not necessarily obvious to an IE user what it does (aside from the search engine logo) and how to use it, and it is often too narrow for the sort of queries that users type in. | ||
=== Keywords === | === Keywords === | ||
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These individual solutions have their pros and cons. The toolbar is useful but has some peripheral usability bugs, the search plugins are stored in the application directory and there is no easy way for the user to manage the engines they have installed. | These individual solutions have their pros and cons. The toolbar is useful but has some peripheral usability bugs, the search plugins are stored in the application directory and there is no easy way for the user to manage the engines they have installed. | ||
All of these search systems use different back ends making them difficult to configure when engine queries or parameters change, and configuration for business reasons is somewhat tricky. Adding new engines with subsequent releases is somewhat simple though, | All of these search systems use different back ends making them difficult to configure when engine queries or parameters change, and configuration for business reasons is somewhat tricky. Adding new engines with subsequent releases is somewhat simple though, since each engine that shows up in the toolbar menu is a separate file. | ||
== Use Cases == | == Use Cases == | ||
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== API Changes Required == | == API Changes Required == | ||
See [[Search Service:API|Proposed Search Service API]]. The current nsISideBar API will be kept for the addition of Sherlock plugins from Web content. | |||
== Impact == | == Impact == | ||
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= Discussion & Implications = | = Discussion & Implications = | ||
About the topic | |||
''There are a couple of basic usability issues with the Firefox search box: it is not necessarily obvious to an IE user what it does '' | |||
I don't think that is valid any more since the new IE which implements this searchbar | |||
== Discussion Elsewhere == | == Discussion Elsewhere == | ||
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* Installation | * Installation | ||
**[https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=124334 Bug 124334]Should display an error message when failing to add a search engine | **[https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=124334 Bug 124334]Should display an error message when failing to add a search engine | ||
* What IE7's doing | |||
**[http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2006/02/07/527266.aspx IEBlog : Searching is better in Beta 2!] | |||
* and Opera9 | |||
**[http://my.opera.com/mitchman2/blog/show.dml/133235 Search engines in Opera 9 Technology Preview 2] | |||