new feature: mozilla search plugins

[squarepusher]

A new page is available which will allow you to install different search plugins for the Firefox and Netscape browsers:

 

www.brewerfan.net/ViewSearchPlugins.do

 

These plugins will show up as new options in your search box dropdown.

 

For those who are interested but are currently using Internet Explorer as your browser, why not give firefox a try?:

www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

[Mike2k33]

Beautiful.

[squarepusher]

I would have done them for Baseball Cube and Waymore Sports, but there are limitations as to which engines you can integrate (sites that only allow POSTs, not GETs to retrieve search results).

[batman]

Yeah, I tried to make one of these for Baseball Cube a while ago... I even emailed the webmaster. No luck, though, unfortunately. I created a custom search that does an "I'm feeling lucky" google search on the term on the baseball cube site... it works okay, usually at least returning a page with a link to the player's profile page.

 

I find myself using these things all the time, so when I'm not on one of my computers its like I forgot how to use the interweb.

 

Thanks much, Brian. And definitely download/use firefox, everyone.

 

~Bill

[1992casey]

Cool! You did that fast.

 

Do you plan on submitting these engines to MyCroft? You'd probably get to put your name on them and indirectly promote this site. (Baseball-Reference.com is already there.)

 

Is it possible that Google's search plug-in could be modified to search within a specific domain? If it is, it could in effect become a substitute for sites that don't use the 'get' method.

[batman]

Is it possible that Google's search plug-in could be modified to search within a specific domain? If it is, it could in effect become a substitute for sites that don't use the 'get' method.

 

Yeah, that's what I was trying to explain. For example:

 

www.google.com/search?q=s...ube.com+%s

 

will seach thebaseballcube.com for your seach query. If you modify it to:

 

www.google.com/search?q=s...+%s&btnI=I

 

it will do an "I'm Feeling Lucky" search and so return the first result for your keyword on thebaseball.com domain.

 

~Bill

[squarepusher]

That's really clever, Bill. I'll go ahead and add the "i'm feeling lucky" version to our plugins page here.

[1992casey]

When there's time, it might be cool to look into different graphics for each plug-in. I see your using the one from Baseball-Reference.com. I suppose it could be copyrighted. The other advantage with different graphics is we'd be able to tell at a glance which search engine we have picked in that box.

 

It sounds like you're having fun! http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[SenatorShriv]

What are the advantages to moving to Firefox over Internet Explorer? Can a computer numb nuts like myself even figure it out?

[1992casey]

If you can download and install software, you should be able to figure Firefox out. Running it is easy.

 

One of the huge things Firefox offers on a Windows system is security. IE is literally a spyware magnet. The problem is that IE is capable of installing software without the user knowing it. In some cases, all the user has to do to get spyware is visit a web page. Because IE is tightly integrated with the Windows operating system, everything on the computer becomes vulnerable.

 

It helps a ton that Firefox isn't part of the operating system. And rather than the hundreds of security issues affecting IE, many of which have been extremely critical, Firefox security issues have been very few and very minor. In contrast to Microsoft, which might take months to address an issue, the Firefox team will address these minor issues in a matter of days.

 

The biggest thing is that Firefox won't install software without the user's permission. (If you choose to install something, you might get asked to confirm as many as four times.) First, you have to click a link to initiate an installation. If the source isn't on your trusted sites list, Firefox asks you if you want to trust it. Then you have to click the link again and click another box telling the browser to go ahead. If this sounds like a lot, it isn't. The program walks you through all of this.

 

Of course, a huge Firefox advantage is the built in pop-up blocker. Browsing in tabs is another. Several?even many?web pages can be open in the same window. If you have questions, their support forums are excellent.

 

As far as the basics of using the browser, if you can use one, you can use the next. Forward, back, reload, stop, the location bar, and bookmarking are basics in every one. As far as some of the other features, you may find them in different menus than IE, but they'll do pretty much the same thing.

 

Firefox is a very basic browser. It isn't loaded with features. But you can add 'extensions', meaning if a feature you want seems to be missing, someone has probably written an extension to cover it. My favorite extension is Adblock. It blocks annoying ads within web pages. Extensions tend to be tiny, too; many are under 10 K in size.

 

And of course, the search bar?which started this thread?is great. There are hundreds of search engines that can be added to its drop down window.

 

Firefox's cross platform nature is great, too. Windows, Mac, and Linux users can have essentially the same browsing experience. It's easy to jump from one OS to another and know what to do.

 

It's great for developers. Generally, the same extensions work on all three platforms. The search engines work on all three platforms. That really simplifies things a lot.

 

Last but not least, Firefox is under active development. There are new releases every three months or so. How often is there a new IE? Not often!

[pogokat]

oh sweet moses thats awesome.....please get the baseball cube..that would be the bestest

 

thank you

[1992casey]

I have a couple of search icons that I'm using on my hard drive; you're welcome to use them for as long as you like. They would replace the "home plate" Baseball-Reference.com icons that show up on the ESPN and Baseball America searches. It makes it easier to differentiate which search engine is which in the search box (since only an icon appears).

 

Be forewarned that I'm no graphic artist and I just did a quick job; there's especially room for improvement on the one for Baseball America. In other words, my feelings wouldn't be hurt if they weren't used or someone came up with something better. They do the trick, though.

 

Here they are:

 

EspnPlayer.png     BaseballAmr.png

 

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Edit: Graphics moved to different server

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[1992casey]

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Yeah, that's what I was trying to explain. For example:

 

(www).google.com/search?q=site:thebaseballcube.com+%s

 

will seach thebaseballcube.com for your seach query. If you modify it to:

 

(www).google.com/search?q=site:thebaseballcube.com+%s&btnI=I

 

it will do an "I'm Feeling Lucky" search and so return the first result for your keyword on thebaseballcube.com domain

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I put the parentheses around the "www" to keep the code from truncating into a link. I'm assuming that "+%s" refers to the search input. Just out of curiosity, what does "&btnI=I" mean?

 

I use the site:brewerfan.net method in the Google Search bar all the time and it works very well. For example, here's what you get when doing a Google Search for wes helms site:brewerfan.net. I think using that method would make a fine plug-in for this site.

 

In the Search questions thread, Brian mentioned the possibility of re-implementing a site-wide search. If there's something better later on, any Brewerfan.net plug-in could be updated.

 

I did some "I'm Feeling Lucky" searches of both Brewerfan.net and The Baseball Cube in via the Firefox location bar. Very often, the page that resulted was right on; occasionally the search burped badly. If I'm allowed to vote, think I'd choose the first method. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

I found this snippet of code in Google's Site Search documentation:

 

 

Would rearranging that be useful at all in writing a plug-in?

[1992casey]

I updated the Baseball America icon this morning. I still wish it had a more professional look, but at least there aren't pixels popping out at you anymore.

 

One suggestion for anyone trying to create these: trying to make anything transparent is probably more trouble than it's worth. It's probably impossible to predict how the transparent section would make the main part of the picture show up on someone else's computer, anyway.

[squarepusher]

The Brewerfan.net search plugin has been added.... I will be updating the search functionality going forward so more parts of the site are indexed.

[brettac1]

Is there any way one can delete the plugins that were included with the browser?

[squarepusher]

If you go to \Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\searchplugins (or wherever you may have it installed), you can delete the plugins (there are two files normally for each plugin, a .src file and a .png file). When you close down firefox and re-open it, the plugins will be deleted.

[brettac1]

Once again, Brian, thank you very much.

[1992casey]

I'll include the search plugin uninstall process for the Mac because it's a little bizarre.

[1992casey]

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I would have done (search plugins) for Baseball Cube and Waymore Sports, but there are limitations as to which engines you can integrate (sites that only allow POSTs, not GETs to retrieve search results).

---

I created a custom search that does an "I'm feeling lucky" google search on the term on the baseball cube site... it works okay, usually at least returning a page with a link to the player's profile page.

---

oh sweet moses thats awesome.....please get the baseball cube..that would be the bestest

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I've found that this is the simplest way to search sites?like Baseball Cube?that use the post method. Firefox directions:

1. Move your cursor to the search engine text box and right click.

 

2. Choose "Add a Keyword for this Search...".

 

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a244/casey1992/boardpics/bfnet/search_context.jpg

 

3. You'll be prompted to add a bookmark. Give the bookmark a name and a keyword. The keyword is what's important. I named mine "cube".

 

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a244/casey1992/boardpics/bfnet/search_bookmark_add.jpg

Once you've done this, all you have to do is go to your location (address) bar and type in your keyword and search criteria. Example: cube Robin Yount

 

(Note that you do these searches in the location bar, not the search bar!)

 

This method beats the "I'm Feeling Lucky" thing because it actually does the right search.

 

Some people actually prefer this type of search to using the plugins in the search box. I'm not in that camp. I see it as a nice workaround for sites where plugins can't be created.

 

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Edit: Graphics moved to different server

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[squarepusher]

Wow, that works like a charm! Thanks for the awesome tip.

 

Now, I just have to train myself not to run to google to do it manually.

[brettac1]

That is sweet.

[1992casey]

I had to pass along that there are new Baseball Prospectus Mozilla search plugins available.

 

These also require the installation of something called ConQuery. I don't know anything about it, but a quick glance at its tutorial would seem to indicate that it's useful in its own right.

[1992casey]

I see Baseball Prospectus is now offering a "Baseball Prospectus Article Search" in the form of a traditional, old fashioned search plugin.

 

That's good news for those who don't want to bother with ConQuery. (I decided I didn't like it.)

 

To install the plugin, go where it says "Click here to automatically install it" near the top of the Baseball Prospectus Mozilla search plugins page.

[Viva La Grinch]

I am having a problem with Firefox.....and it whenever I want to view a short clip on some server. Whenever I want to watch a clip that has been saved and is to be viewed on Windows Media Player, it says that Firefox is missing the plug on. However, if i view the same clip on IE, it plays fine. When Firefox looks for the plug in, it says that I have to manually install the missing plug in.....