When I search I have an inefficient habit: Ctrl-T + google.com + enter + type query + enter.
When I thought about it, I realized my habit exists because when you search using the search box Firefox provides, it opens the results in the current tab, which causes you to lose your place. So, since I had to open a new tab every time anyway, I would do it manually and skip the search box.
There is a pref browser.search.openintab that, when set to true, forces search results from the search box to open in a new window. Dolske pointed this out to me today in IRC because I didn’t feel like Googling it and he was nice enough to help me. Thanks, Dolske.
This helps me because:
- I typically don’t ever want to leave the page I’m looking at when i’m looking up a definition or term on Google or Wikipedia.
- To avoid losing my place, I would always Ctrl-T then search.
- I hardly ever used to use the search bar because it was arbitrary to Ctrl-T + google.com + enter + type query + enter, which I can do in less than ~1.5 seconds.
I will use Google before asking dumb questions. I will use Google before asking dumb questions.
morgamic 
You can also press alt+enter to open in a new tab if you want to leave the default alone (consistent with alt+enter in the address bar).
Have you ever used ALTGR+ENTER in the search Field?
Didn’t know about ALT+Enter — thanks guys. 🙂
It is not that comfortable, but you can also make middle click on the search button to open the search results in new tab (if it is set that middle mouse click will open links in new tabs). And it also works when you choose bookmarks as well.
Heh, I’m always using Ctrl+T, Ctrl+K, query. Alt+Enter is a bit shorter though.
Here’s another one for you:
Ctrl+K to access the search box.
I’ve always used CTRL-T then tab.
New blank tab with search box highlighted.
I came to leave a comment thanking Mike (thanks Mike!), but I’m really glad I can do this without changing the defaults, so another big thanks to Blake!
I too have abused ctrl-t… but no more!
Yeah, had the same habit till I changed that pref. Now, you might find Ctrl+K quite usable.
Extremely useful tip, thanks!
So the query in the image changed from ‘sasquatch’ to ‘alex polvi’… are you trying to tell us something? 🙂
Dude, google him and watch his Yo-yo video. Mutch more interesting than bigfoot.
I use middle-click for all of my new-tab needs, including search. Go finally became middle-click-able in 2.0, hurray!
(Of course, since you seem more accustomed to keyboard-only access, Alt+Enter makes more sense)
“Go finally became middle-click-able in 2.0, hurray!”
Wow, I didn’t know/hadn’t thought of that. The same goes for the search button.
But really it’s a bit tedious to write the url and then use the mouse to middle-click the go button :D. Alt-enter, or Ctrl+T is much easier.
I bookmarked google with “?” as keyword, so for a google search, all i have to do is “ctrl + t and type ‘? my-query'”..
Yep, alt+enter works on everything that opens an URL.
Except things that open in a new tab by default, where it does nothing…
> I bookmarked google with “?†as keyword, so for a google search, all i have to do is “ctrl + t and type ‘? my-query’â€..
I actually had this set up on my Linux box, but never bothered to set it up on my Mac because typing ? doesn’t make it faster for me, really. *shrug*
> I bookmarked google with “?†as keyword, so for a google search, all i have to do is “ctrl + t and type ‘? my-query’â€..
I use `g` instead of `?`. Meh to the Shift key!
Still use the TabMixPlus extension, which gives you the full blown control over the tab behavior. Lets you open new tab from address bar, search bar, bookmarks etc.
The thing that I really like about this extension: it keeps track of the tabs that I want to open again and are already gone because I thought I was with them.
the Tab Mix Plus extension will allow you to chose behavior of search bar, location bar, bookmarks, history.. if they open in new tab, new window, current tab, etc.
Opening a new tab was (is?) the experience in Flock. When the experience did not work was when you only have a new / blank tab open.
Just wanted to drop in and say hi (just emailed you). 🙂
I second the use of ctrl-t with ctrl-k. It gives flexibility – sometimes I do want to open the search result in the current tab, although most times not.
> Opening a new tab was (is?) the experience in Flock. When the experience did not work
> was when you only have a new / blank tab open.
Cool. Where did Flock get that cool searchbox idea? 😉 Fx seems to still open the new tab w/ the setting flipped, which I am okay with.
So, pretty much everyone agrees that this could be made easier by default, right? I suppose the same goes for the new ways of finding stuff in a webpage (Ctrl+F or /, instead of the merger as present in Firefox 1.0).
What to do?