Combine seach and address bars in PM 28

[VLMin]

What do other users recommend to combine the address and search bars in PM 28?

[Lew Rockwell Fan]

The question is not clear to me. Do you mean put a separate search field on the same tool bar with the nav field? Just drag and drop in the customization dialog.

Do you mean being able to enter search terms in the navigation field and use it as a search field? That's already built in. It only fails if the string is similar enough to a url to confuse PM into trying to go there.

Do you mean having a drop down menu of alternate search engines that uses the url field, combining the features of both? If that's a feature request, I second it. Actually, my druthers would be 3 buttons, one to the right of the box meaning "try to use this string as a url", one to the left meaning "search on this string with the current default engine, and a drop down menu to the left of that to change the default engine.

[VLMin]

I am also a Lew Rockwell fan.

Sorry for my lack of clarity; I was unaware that anyone might interpret my question in the various ways you have suggested, all of which make perfect sense, now that I have read them.

What I mean is this: Atop the UI sit two boxes, one in which URLs and searches may be entered (the "address bar"), the other in which searches may be entered (the "search box"). It seems to me that this latter box is altogether redundant. The old extension Omnibar can fix this, but I'm trying to move away from Fx extensions that have not been explicitly migrated to PM. So I wonder how to make that second search box disappear so that the primary address box can be longer / display more information.

I hope I've been more clear this time around. Thanks for your response!

[Moonchild]

If you'd ask me, I'd say that searching from the address bar is redundant, not the search box.
On top, searching from the address bar can often lead to ambiguity as the browser will have to guess if what is entered is a domain/address or a search query -- an unavoidable limitation is therefore that searching for some things directly from the address bar won't work (not unless you add an explicit query to it), while it would always work for the search bar.
Also, the search bar is the only location where you can quickly and easily change your search engine.

[VLMin]

Thank you, an interesting and relatively opposite perspective. Now I recall what that "Web Search" menu item is for! I shall work with the two boxes for a bit and try to determine whether searches go differently than what I have experienced using a combined bar.

Have a great day!

[gepus]

@VLMin

The less things you put in the navigation toolbar the longer the address bar. Mine is quite long.

You can get rid of the search bar by customizing the toolbar layout. However, you'll also get rid of the place you can manage your search engines.

Example of different search result:
1. type in your address bar duckduckgo.com
2. type in your address bar q duckduckgo.com

[letmeindude]

What do other users recommend to combine the address and search bars in PM 28?

Try these:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/foobar/
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefo ... nstantfox/

Both work on PM 28.

[VLMin]

Hi again everyone. I've looked into all the options everyone suggested, and I've ended up back at Omnibar. This fine, simple extension combines the two bars, and over the years I don't recall a single instance where the underlying browser became confused about what I was requesting (location or search). Should this ever become an issue, Omnibar allows one to prepend a user-selected character that forces a search. Finally, Omnibar brings management of search engines into the combined address/search bar. I've used it for years, and I'm going to continue.

Thanks to everyone who offered insights and suggested solutions!

EDIT: Omnibar{0.7.28.20141004.1-signed.1-signed} with OmnibarPlus{1.0.20.1-signed.1-let-fixed.1-signed} for a few extra features, both with automatic updating turned off. I don't ever expect an update, but better safe than sorry.

[Lew Rockwell Fan]

I've ended up back at Omnibar.

Thanks for pointing it out. It's almost perfect.

[VLMin]

I'm glad you find it useful. For me, this was a useful inquiry. My intent was either to find a better solution or to affirm my existing one. In this case, the latter prevailed.

Best wishes,