Smart Keywords are one of my favorite Firefox features. Enter a keyword in the location bar (CTRL + L), type a couple of search terms, and voila, instant results with minimal typing.
Since my job requires frequenting the Microsoft Support and MSDN sites, I added Smart Keywords to simplify the searches. Each of the following keywords are defined in my Quick Searches bookmarks folder. To use them, create a new bookmark and copy each URL into the Location field; assign the suggested keywords, or create your own.
Microsoft Support (keyword: ms)
http://support.microsoft.com/search/default.aspx?qu=%s
MSDN (keyword: msdn)
http://search.msdn.microsoft.com/search/default.aspx?query=%s
Especially helpful is the KB article keyword which enables me to type something like kb 915105 in the Location bar and be taken directly to a KB article by number.
KB Article Lookup (keyword: kb)
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=%s
Keep in mind, these all work with the US sites, if you are an international user, you may need to alter the URL slightly.
Speaking of smart keywords, here is a set of 140+ that you can download and import to not only search but also translate using two letter acronyms.
Check it out: http://www.viralno.de/blog/2006/05/04/download-search-translate-from-your-firefox-address-bar/
Thanks Rio, I’ll take a look!
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be really something that I think I would never understand. It seems too complicated and very broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!