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Run Google 'lucky' searches from Firefox URL bar Web Browsers
Typing keywords into the URL entry field in Firefox will take you to the top hit of a Google search -- the same thing you'd see if you clicked the "I'm feeling lucky" link on Google's search page. I discovered this by accident, and didn't think much of it at the time, and not certainly worthy of a posting, but I've found myself using it more and more. For example; finding info on a product, where I don't care which vendor site I go to, I just want the specs, a picture, and a ballpark price. So in the URL bar, I type akg 414 or mackie 1202.

For a quick reminder of details, try ortf or FM synthesis or John cage. Need the IRS' 1040ez form? Just type 1040ez into the URL bar. Also try things like art institute hours, babel fish, car talk london review of books, performance audio, and of course, apple store. Or try some software sites, like menumeter, amadeus ii, quickeys, or starquiz. Each of those take you to their site faster than doing a Google search and then clicking the top hit.

Not very fancy, but I love tricks that save me a click and four seconds.

[robg adds: I'm not positive this always runs an I'm Feeling Lucky search; a couple of examples I tried just led to Google's search results page. If I tried those same examples with the I'm Feeling Lucky button on Google, though, then I went directly to a given site. So I'm not quite sure what's going on...]
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Run Google 'lucky' searches from Firefox URL bar | 8 comments | Create New Account
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Run Google 'lucky' searches from Firefox URL bar
Authored by: mankoff on May 08, '07 08:04:59AM
Pre 2.0 it was "I'm feeling lucky". Post FF2.0, it takes you to a site if there is a 'clear' match, otherwise to google results. Not sure how 'clear' is define algorithmically.

All the details here: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Location_Bar_search

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http://spacebit.dyndns.org

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Run Google 'lucky' searches from Firefox URL bar
Authored by: Mr. E. on May 08, '07 08:24:19AM

Thank you. I had started using the address bar for an "I'm feeling lucky" search and hadn't understood why it wasn't working consistently lately. Now perhaps with your link I can fix that. I set up a keyword shortcut for a standard Google search, so I'd really like it if omitting the keyword would once again just do the "I'm Feeling Lucky" search.



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Run Google 'lucky' searches from Firefox URL bar
Authored by: mankoff on May 15, '07 02:38:39PM

You can get it to be I'm Feeling Lucky all the time. Follow the instructions for Camino in one of the other comments.

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Run Google 'lucky' searches from Firefox URL bar
Authored by: DirtyF on May 08, '07 11:49:37AM

You can do the same in the Camino Browser (tested with 1.1beta but should work in 1.0.x) :



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Run Google 'lucky' searches from Firefox URL bar
Authored by: changcheh on May 08, '07 12:42:03PM
If you save this as a bookmark http://www.google.com/search?q=%s&btnI=I
and set the keyword to, "gf" then you can do a, "google I'm feeling lucky" search for macosxhints or anything else by typing, "gf macosxhints" in the address bar.

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Run Google 'lucky' searches from Firefox URL bar
Authored by: dcottle on May 10, '07 09:40:23AM

I didn't know about keywords. This is a nice time saving trick too.



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Run Google 'lucky' searches from Firefox URL bar
Authored by: mankoff on May 15, '07 02:42:38PM
Keywords are great, not just for Google. You can set them up for ebay, wikipedia, IMDB, anything.

Instructions here: http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/smart-keywords.html

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http://spacebit.dyndns.org

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Run Google 'lucky' searches from Firefox URL bar
Authored by: Fairly on May 11, '07 05:02:13PM

Seems people are trying too hard to do something too simple. In case one we find a search string somewhere we want to use at Google; we select it and copy it to the clipboard; then we fire up our browser and jiggle with it to get a text field available; then we paste in the search string; then away we go.

In case two we simply find the search string anywhere; select it; hit a predefined keyboard combination; and we're already there.

http://rixstep.com/aws

These programs are free and will do everything but put the keyboard shortcut in. But that's easy enough to do on your own: simply find an app that's already on your Services menu and has a keyboard shortcut and check its Info.plist. All you have to do is copy in something like the following under the NSMenuItem for your 'I'm Lucky' service.

<key>NSKeyEquivalent</key>
<dict>
    <key>default</key>
    <string>YOUR KBD SHORTCUT</string>
</dict>

And yes, the 'I'm Lucky' service looks like this. With the above programs you just add it and then save and your Services menu is automatically updated.

www.google.com/search?btnI=I'm+Feeling+Lucky&q=



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