Export/import search plugins (retaining keywords/order)?

[back2themoon]

Can you guys please tell me if there's a reliable way to do this - including search engine keywords and order?

My current method is described below, but it seems to only work on the same profile (or even PC?). On a different profile, keywords and order are not retained (same goes when using FEBE).

1. Copy searchplugins folder
2. Copy search.json file
3. Copy search-metadata.json file

[moonbat]

If you mean the order they are listed, you can change that from the 'manage search engines' option at the bottom of the list in the dropdown on the search field, and use move up/down to change the order.

[back2themoon]

Thanks, but question is about exporting/importing, not changing.

[coffeebreak]

There's an additional metadata file since PM 28, search.json.mozlz4.

I don't usually use the search plugins, but just now gave a quick try, transferring all four files from a portable setup of 28.6.1 to an empty profile of same PM version (same computer) and it seemed to retain the keywords and order.

[back2themoon]

Thanks coffeebreak. That's interesting. I don't have this file.

[back2themoon]

I seem to remember that this file (search.json.mozlz4) was indeed present in the PM28 versions prior to the final v.28 release, but was actually removed from the final release. Not sure though. Perhaps I'm doing something wrong and this file is not created.

[coffeebreak]

You're right, it's not created in a fresh profile (the file in my profile is about a year old).

[back2themoon]

Search-metadata.json seems to contain both order and keyword information. Don't know why this info is not transferred over though.

[back2themoon]

Search.json is described as a cache file. So, I transferred over to PM portable only search-metadata.json and the searchplugins folder, without search.json, and even deleted the pre-existing search.json. It worked, both keywords/order were "imported" too.

I'll try this later/tomorrow on another PC with a standard PM 28 installation (not portable).

[New Tobin Paradigm]

Don't screw with those files. They are auto-generated. As has always have been with older Mozilla applications and specifically with Pale Moon and other UXP applications except Basilisk, all search plugins are kept in searchplugins directory in the profile.

Note: these are not the same format as the ones from the web as there is a difference between the open search xml and the internal mozilla xml. It is mostly analogous but not identical.. You can manually convert between the two pretty easily.

Anyway, you can with the application closed, add and remove them at will and the change will be taken up when you next start up the application.

I made sure the search service with Pale Moon 28 (and non-basilisk) applications maintained this capability for UXP.

Basilisk however was dependent on the changes and still uses the ESR52 incarnation of the code and may never be recoded to do it the old and better way.

[back2themoon]

I copied the searchplugins folder and search-metadata.json on to another PC. Search plugins were of course transferred, so were the keywords. Search engine order however, was not transferred.

[back2themoon]

Perhaps the problem is related to what Tobin said: two different search plugin formats (mozilla/open search). If I knew how to convert them (Tobin said it's pretty easy, but I can't work with that alone) then I could try again.

I assume the conversion to be made is open search format=>mozilla format, since I guess the internal pale moon search engines can/should not be touched.