Re: Address bar searches (was: epiphany-list gnome org)

[Kristoffer Lundén <kristoffer lunden gmail com>]

On 9/8/05, Adam Hooper <adamh densi com> wrote:
> 
> Cool! Thank you for this. I'll give my objections to the (few) use cases
> I don't like the solutions to:
> 

Good, good, I'll comment back and document will get updated as we go. =)

> - "User setting 'assume http for invalid protocols'": I don't know how
> often people will type in the *wrong* protocol (as opposed to *no*
> protocol); but if they *did*, we can assume they *didn't* mean http,
> because you don't need to type "http" to get http. This seems like a
> setting which ought not to exist.

Fair enough. It was meant as an "I know what I'm doing, just let me
be"-setting, but I was probably wrong. It's gone. =)

> - "Well-formed but invalid WWW URL with valid protocol.": If the user
> typed a protocol he didn't want to use Google.

My bad. It's gone.

> - "Anything starting with a word, a space and then anything": I think
> this belongs in an extension. Even if we were to implement this, I'd
> rather type "gg address bar searches" than "google groups address bar
> searches" (and notice, the latter wouldn't actually *work*, even though
> that's my bookmark name).

The whole idea was to allow to you to type "gg address bar searches",
because the first word would match your keyword for "Google Groups
Search" bookmark. The reason that "starting with a word" is a special
case is simply to allow keyworded bookmarks, which is a needed darling
of mine. Matching titles or walking the menu to find them just simply
won't do.

I just realize though: Maybe it should be "Anything, followed by
space, then anything". If a user wants to use the keyword '!' as in "!
search terms" why not allow that? And of course, everything after the
space will get forwarded no matter what it is. If there is no keyword,
simply forward it all to default search.

> - "If word matches keyword, go to matching bookmark.": Very often, a
> keyword will match multiple bookmarks (or topics).

No. Keywords are manually given to bookmarks, as in FF. This is the
very reason why I think bookmark searches in title or otherwise from
location bar is such a bad idea. Explicit keywords gives perfect
control and does not affect people not using them. Matching titles as
was suggested on this list demands that you know what all your
bookmarks are named, active pruning and uncomfortable naming.

> - I don't like that "search on non-resolving url" setting, but in the
> interest of convenience over privacy, maybe we should turn it *on* by
> default.

Not sure either: Personally, I've probably typed
"some_source_file.cpp" or something and want a search. The
inexperienced user probably meant an URL and made a typo. That's why I
put the default as I did, but in neither case it will be right 100% of
the time. Doing a search and keeping caret focus in location bar does
have the benefit of providing both, but might not be clear enough in
the typo case.

> Don't get me wrong, though: this looks like a fantastic starting point
> for a better address bar implementation.
>

Well, I did sumbit it here for discussion. =) Otherwise, I'd just
stick with FF which is close enough as it is. The hope is that in the
end, Epiphany will be  better. There's lot of room for that, FF is far
from perfect.

Documents are updated to reflect the cases where I was plainly off the mark.

-- 
Kristoffer Lundén
☎ 0704 48 98 77
✉ kristoffer lunden gmail com
ICQ: 618 289 83
http://www.gamemaker.nu/