[Run][New Plugin] Web search

[mrlacey]

Summary of the new feature/enhancement

I want to be able to start a web search from the launcher.
Ideally, I'd type bing power toys and it would navigate to https://www.bing.com/search?q=power+toys in my default browser.
google power toys would go to the equivalent.

The ability to specify the keyword/search engine to use and the domain it goes to would also be necessary. Not only would this enable supporting other search engines, but it would also allow for people to adjust for different TLD versions of search engines.

This would be similar to functionality that used to be available in Enso launcher.

Proposed technical implementation details (optional)

This would presumably require some settings for determining which words are identified as initiating the search and the URL to submit the query to.
This could also be the base for similar functionality where a keyword could launch an app and pass other values as command-line arguments. Without additional arguments, this could also serve as a way to create aliases for apps so they could be launched with a small number of keystrokes.

crutkas: possible solution to this issue in #10619. It defers to default browser + user's search engine. Lets PT Run be generic

[ArttuLai]

Yes! Also it would be great if I could just write a longer sentence/string and it would always default to web search when it doesn't find other results. So basically, it should be like Windows Search 😅

[CatSlave007]

This function is very practical. Hope to realize it

[YongWookHa]

Yes, just like Alfred on Mac does!

[rglastra]

So basically, it should be like Windows Search

And it would be fantastic if it would leverage the system default browser's chosen search engine, instead of picking one for itself.

[ChristophRichner]

How about using a ? char to to switch to a web search mode like > goes to a shell?

[zakius]

that could be a shortcut to default search engine, but multiple ones should be supported with own keywords

[kraoli]

Please give the option to disable this. Not everyone wants to automatically expose every local search query to a search engine on the internet.

This is, by the way, a big privacy insult in the windows start menu search, because you can't disable web search anymore.

[Absoblogginlutely]

See also #3420 that someone posted. I have a ton of web shortcuts in the browser and it would be nice to be able to run them natively in the launcher, optionally with the ? or # or other user defined character beforehand so powertoys understands I'm gong to be running a search engine.
One thing to consider would be how it knows which browser to use - to further muddy the waters would modifiers launch a particular browse so '# c powertoys' launches chrome (the 3) and then runs the c shortcut to search chocolatey's website for powertoys. Using '? int passwords" would then launch edge to search the intranet for passwords (as an example)

[ZaninAndrea]

Please give the option to disable this. Not everyone wants to automatically expose every local search query to a search engine on the internet.

This is, by the way, a big privacy insult in the windows start menu search, because you can't disable web search anymore.

While windows search automatically loads the results the proposed functionality here is having the option to search your query through PowerToys Run, but it would not do that automatically, you still need to hit enter on the web search option, so all your queries remain private unless you explicitly ask to open a browser and search on google.

[ZaninAndrea]

One thing to consider would be how it knows which browser to use

The query "> url" already opens a url in the default browser, so I think the issue of detecting which browser to use has been already solved

[zakius]

it just uses system call run or anything like that and OS itself resolves that

[SaschaKrug]

Would love to see this:

With keywords b, g, d for doing a query in the corresponding search engines and listing the results.

As a last resort if nothing could be found, on enter send query to default search engine

[kraoli]

, but it would not do that automatically, you still need to hit enter on the web search option, so all your queries remain private unless you explicitly ask to open a browser and search on google.

Yes, as a possibility it's a feature. I thought about getting web results as soon as you start typing or doing a web search automatically in addition.

I think it's a very dangerous idea to force web results in a local search without an option to disable it, like the Windows search is doing it since some versions. It's a possible way to leak information unwanted from your computer. You could disable web search in the past, but it was removed some versions ago. On macOS you can set the search providers for the search like you want: only local, with web search, with wikipedia,... That's the better approach and everyone can set it up like wanted.

[shirkerohit]

One thing to consider would be how it knows which browser to use

The query "> url" already opens a url in the default browser, so I think the issue of detecting which browser to use has been already solved

Thanks for the tip! but You need to prefix it with "WWW" 😞 . If I am not wrong! I think having identified that entered text is an URL opening that with the default browser will be a clean approach.

[franky920920]

The implementation does not actually implement the feature that was being asked for, namely to allow setting up multiple searches using search urls and keywords.

Please go to #11762 for more information.

[marcosllinares]

I just want to open PT Run, type "youtube funny cats" and have this open a chrome tab on youtube with the search for to easily watch a kitty video 😭
Is it too much to ask?

[tmutimer-transform]

Multiple search engines would be great - it's not just about choosing bing vs google, it's about navigating the tools you use. I want to be able to type in a development ticket key and go straight to that ticket, for example.

[MartinSGill]

I want to be able to type in a development ticket key and go straight to that ticket, for example

Exactly this.

In an alternate launcher tool I type wi? 1234 and that translates into a nice azure devops url: https://dev.azure.com/my-org/my-proj/_workitems/edit/1234

It's configured with:

key = wi
target = https://dev.azure.com/my-org/my-proj/_workitems/edit/{searchTerm}

with search term url encoded. Simple & every flexible.

It can even come with some defaults:

g (google), b (bing), d (duck duck go), az (amazon), azuk (amazon uk), etc..

[schuhwerk]

There is a service, which does things like this: https://www.findfind.it/. This might serve as inspiration to structure the UI (you can add custom hotkeys there, too) or other aspects of the plugin/feature.

[crutkas]

To do multiple search engines, we need macro support. Powertoys itself does not want to know about how to search and url structures for website ABC vs XYZ. Different properties have different EULAs, revenue models and privacy things.

Macro support is one of the items we know people want implemented for this exact style use case

[tmutimer-transform]

I suppose it could be done by macro's, but (unless I've misunderstood you) it seems to me there's enough value in this specific feature that it could be its own plugin, or perhaps an extension of the existing web search plugin.

I don't think we'd need/want to write our own macros to substitute a search term into a base url and navigate to it. Would want some configuration by end user to provide their base url and decide the key, but would imagine this looking much like what you have in chromium-based browsers, like this if you use edge:

edge://settings/searchEngines

[crutkas]

That would be some form of a macro. You defined what those are.

From Edge, if you look at the structure, that is a macro style system. Trigger, query term, additional bits ...

This is a basic macro. Action work triggers this command, arg(s) passed in

[lucksidedown]

I want to be able to type in a development ticket key and go straight to that ticket, for example

Exactly this.

In an alternate launcher tool I type wi? 1234 and that translates into a nice azure devops url: https://dev.azure.com/my-org/my-proj/_workitems/edit/1234

It's configured with:

key = wi target = https://dev.azure.com/my-org/my-proj/_workitems/edit/{searchTerm}

with search term url encoded. Simple & every flexible.

It can even come with some defaults:

g (google), b (bing), d (duck duck go), az (amazon), azuk (amazon uk), etc..

@MartinSGill - what alternate launcher are you using?

[KevinJRussell]

Why is web search not able to be disabled like the other plugins can be? This would be a great tool if it weren't for that.

[MartinSGill]

@lucksidedown

@MartinSGill - what alternate launcher are you using?

Ueli

[crutkas]

@KevinJRussell all PT Run plugins can be turned on / off in the settings. If not, please file a new issue

I'm on 0.61.1 and for this screenshot, i just did a search to reduce the list in Settings.

[cwuethrich]

@MartinSGill - what alternate launcher are you using?

I use Launchy. The Weby plugin has the same behavior.

[nhamilakis]

I want to be able to type in a development ticket key and go straight to that ticket, for example

Exactly this.
In an alternate launcher tool I type wi? 1234 and that translates into a nice azure devops url: https://dev.azure.com/my-org/my-proj/_workitems/edit/1234
It's configured with:
key = wi target = https://dev.azure.com/my-org/my-proj/_workitems/edit/{searchTerm}
with search term url encoded. Simple & every flexible.
It can even come with some defaults:
g (google), b (bing), d (duck duck go), az (amazon), azuk (amazon uk), etc..

@MartinSGill - what alternate launcher are you using?

I use @Wox which also has a web plugin that allows to do custom web search, i would love to come back to using PT but not until it gets a correct web searching plugin.

[aagha]

I'm curious as to why this ticket was closed. Was macro support added?

[hridulpk]

is there any way to change "Search the web in microsoft edge" to default browser or something?

[crutkas]

it leverages the default browser and default search engine for that browser

[coopersimpson]

Why was this closed? Would very much like this feature!

[Aaron-Junker]

Why was this closed? Would very much like this feature!

@coopersimpson Because we already implemented it.

[coopersimpson]

I can only see the ability to search using the 'default search engine' . To describe what I feel people actually want from this feature, let me direct you to some docs on what Alfred (also a launcher) does on MacOS - https://www.alfredapp.com/help/features/web-search/

See the section 'Adding a Custom Search URL manually'. Example take the link that would put in to powertoys - https://duckduckgo.com/?q={query}

Then you type 'd cats' into the launcher. Then that opens the URL https://duckduckgo.com/?q=cats

Hope that makes sense, this would be extremely useful for many I feel. Would allow you to easily search documentation, use multiple search engines, search wikipedia. All with just a few keystrokes.

[CombeeMike]

@coopersimpson You can use DuckDuckGo's bangs to achieve something similar if you have set DuckDuckGo as your default search engine.

E.g. searching for PowerToys !w (in the browser or with the PT web plugin) automatically redirects to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_PowerToys as !w is DuckDuckGos "bang" for Wikipedia.

I know that this is no full replacement for your feature request (which I fully support BTW) as you're bound to the available bangs and cannot customize them or add new ones etc. Just wanted to let you know that this provides at least a good middleground.

[CombeeMike]

@coopersimpson FYI, I think I already created a feature request which is more explicitly describing what you also ask for: #3420
However, this has been closed as well as it was linked to this ticket. I'll ask for it to be reopened as the requested features are IMHO not implemented with this...

[coopersimpson]

@CombeeMike Yes that is exactly what I was trying to describe. This is definitely not implemented as you outlined yet. Would love to see it, such a powerful feature.

I am aware of the DDG bangs, while useful for different search engines mainly looking for something more customisable for various documentations and stuff.

[lucksidedown]

Agreed!

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------- Original Message -------

[aagha]

Frustrated there wasn't a solution to this, I've just stopped using Web Search from Power Tools and just use Fluent Search[0] now. It's by a MS dev and amazingly powerful and has all the bells and whistles I could ever dream of.

0 - https://fluentsearch.net/

[moishinetzer]

The feature people here are still asking for is now tracked by #3420.

It's still open, so give that issue some love. I hope this gets implemented soon!

[madsholme]

4 years and still not implanted.. how hard can it be?

[Daydreamer-riri]

Hey guys, I implemented this feature in my plugin, I hope you can try it!

[madsholme]

Hey guys, I implemented this feature in my plugin, I hope you can try it!

Thanks looks just like what i was looking for.

[loogielv]

i'm just gonna throw this here

http://yubnub.org/parser/parse?command=%s

now you only need one search engine and it will search everything for you