The best thing about Internet Explorer 7 is the
instant search box and its new built-in search
capabilities. Here are some tips for searching like a pro.
Setting the default search provider.
First, be sure Google is the default search
provider. When IE is first installed, Windows
Live Search will be the default provider. To
change the default search provider click the
drop-down at the far right of the search box and
select "Change Search Defaults..." The
resulting Change Search Defaults dialog box will
contain a list of installed Search Providers.
Click on Google and click "Set Default," then "OK."
Shortcut to the search box. To place
your cursor (technically, the "insertion point")
into the instant search box without having to click
it with the mouse, press Ctrl+E (i.e., hold down the
Ctrl key and press the E key).
Search results on a new tab. If you
want your search results to appear on a new tab
press Alt+Enter after entering your term in the
instant search box.
Searching from the address bar. It
is not commonly known, but you can also search from
the address bar in IE 7. To do so, click the
address bar to select the URL shown there, type a
question mark, a space, and then your search term.
Press Enter and the search will be performed using
your default search provider. As with the
standard search box, pressing Alt+Enter will place
the search results on a new tab. You can use
the words "Find" or "Go" rather than the question
mark if you wish.
Using other search providers. To
search using the non-default search provider, enter
your search term in the search box, click the drop
down at the far-right of the search box, and click
on the name of another provider. The new
provider will remain the default until you click on
a different provider or restart the browser.
Adding new search providers. If you
wish to add more search providers to the instant
search box's drop-down list, click that drop-down
and select "Find More Providers..." You will
be taken to a web page at Microsoft.com that
contains a list of web search and topic search
providers. Simply click on the provider you
wish to add. You will see a "Add Search
Provider" dialog box that asks the question "Do you
want to add the following search provider to
Internet Explorer?" Click "Add Provider" and
the new provider will be placed on your list.
Note: I have seen OEM installations of IE 7
where the add provider function has been suppressed.
In this case, simply go to the Microsoft Add Search
Providers web page at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/searchguide/en-en/default.mspx
to add new providers (or add custom providers as
demonstrated below).
Adding a custom search provider. As
stated, the Microsoft Add Search Provider web page
lists several standard web search and topic search
providers, but by no means all providers. To add a
provider not on the default page it must be a search
provider where the search term is passed from the
search box to the database and whose resulting URL
displays the term. The procedure is explained
on the Microsoft Add Search Provider web page in the
yellow box on the right of the page:
In order to add the excellent custom search
provider "Shakespeare Searched" from Clusty Labs to
your instant search box drop-down list of providers,
visit its URL:
http://shakespeare.clusty.com/
Type the word "TEST" in the search box (in all
caps without the quotes) and click the "Search
Shakespeare" button.
You will observe a very long, complex URL in the
address bar. The key to knowing whether your
search provider will work with this procedure is to
see whether the word "TEST" appears in this URL.
http://clusty.com/search?input-form=simple-billy&query=TEST&v%3Asources=billy-bundle&v%3Aproject=billy&character=All+Characters&title=All+Works
Click the address bar to select this URL.
Now, right click your selection in the address bar
and choose "Copy" to copy the URL to the Windows
clipboard.
Now go to the Microsoft Add Search Providers page
by clicking the drop-down at the far right of the
instant search box and choosing "Add More
Providers..." or by going to the URL listed above.
Paste the URL you copied in the previous step into
the URL box after step 3 of the instructions in the
"Create Your Own" yellow box. Type a name for
your search provider in the box after step 4, and
click the "Install" button. When the "Add
Search Provider" dialog box appears, click the "Add
Provider" button and you are finished. You
will now see "Shakespeare Searched listed among the
providers in your instant search box drop-down.
Note: The drop-down list of search
providers is sorted alphabetically. If you
wish a certain provider to appear at the top of the
list, precede its name with a high-sorting ASCII
character like an exclamation point.
Search Term Strategies. For most
providers, the following search syntax and
strategies will help you narrow your searches.
- Use specific rather than generic terms:
"Elizabethan missionary priest" rather than
"Jesuits." The order in which you enter
the terms will vary the search results, as will
the case. "Elizabethan missionary priests"
and "Elizabethan missionary priest" produce
somewhat different results. The more terms
you enter the more specific your search results
will be.
- Place quotation marks around words or
phrases that you want matched exactly.
Note: Google is not case sensitive even if the
word or words are placed within quotes.
- Place a minus sign immediately before words
that you want excluded from the search:
excludes the famous fishing tack manufacturer
from your search results. Be sure there is
not a space between the minus sign and the term.
- Prefix a search term with a plus sign to
make it a reqruied search results:
Searching
with Internet Explorer 7
