Update1

0 views
Skip to first unread message

Carmel Useted

unread,
Aug 5, 2024, 1:10:43 PM8/5/24
to browlidersgut
Plainlyspeaking, I don't like the new address bar, how it auto completes my searches or the results it pulls. I didn't like it when it was defaulted to being on starting with version 75 but I was able to easily switch a few setting in about:config to fix it. Those settings no longer affect the address bar as of update 77.

which were all set to false. I saw that setting "browser.urlbar.disableExtendForTests" to "true" might be the solution but, while it does stop the address bar from expanding when using it, it also stops it from expanding at all so the websites that would come up from searching can no longer be seen either (they are still called and using the down arrow will let me scroll through the results, I just can't see any of them). It also doesn't fix the results issue which I would say is the most important.


I would like to know what I need to do so that:1. The results it shows me are no longer based on frequent visit (basically, the pre-update search system, as is they are scattered and look messy, pulling many different sites in a seemingly random order and it's not particularly useful)2. It no longer autocompletes results (IE. "F" autocompleting to "facebook.com", this is always something that has bothered me regardless is context)3. It no longer pops out/expands when in use (admittedly this is mostly an aesthetic issue but I still don't like how it looks)


You are correct that browser.urlbar.update1 has no effect in Firefox 77 and also that browser.urlbar.disableExtendForTests is not useful (it was intended for automated software tests and not for humans to use).


The browser.urlbar.openViewOnFocus preference controls whether a list opens automatically when the cursor enters the address bar. With true it does, with false it doesn't. The automatic list shows the first 8 Top Sites from the new tab page. I think many (most?) people have been ignoring the Top Sites section so the initial list seems strange. You can clear out unwanted sites from that list to let it be purely history-based, or you can fill it with the sites you want quick access to. More info in this article: Customize your Firefox New Tab page.


When the automatic list is disabled, how do you summon the "classic" list? Unfortunately, there is no way to restore a "Show History" button to list frequently visited URLs. However, if you type a space (tap the spacebar) then Firefox will drop down that classic list. Can you get used to that?


By the way, I assume there isn't a problem with suggestions once you start typing some text. Those matches should be based on the standard criteria and still work the same. Let me know if there's a problem with those.


Yes, many of us think it expands more than necessary. You can use an optional userChrome.css file to prevent the enlargement of the address bar box. It's a little bit involved, so please set aside 10 quiet minutes to work through it.


Right-click userChrome-ZeroEnlargement.css and choose Rename. Carefully remove -ZeroEnlargement and press Enter to save your change. The final file name needs to be userChrome.css or Firefox will never find it.


Once you start tweaking the interface this way, you'll probably find more and more things you want to do. I suggest bookmarking the pages where you get the code for future reference because changes to Firefox may break them and it's easier to request an update if you can find the source.


The problem is the address bar. While it's possible that the current and previous setups are pulling the same results (unfortunately I can't exactly go back and check) even if that is the case, the way they are shown is scattered and looks almost random. For example, typing "x" into the address bar brings back:


Again, I can't go back and check but I don't recall the results displaying in this order even assuming it is pulling them in the same way. It's not even based on which I visited or clicked on last since clicking on different results from that list sent it up to the 2nd or 3rd position rather than the first.


However, I don't think it is since, for example, typing in "P" would normally bring up the the aforementioned Google Slides document since the title starts with "P" and it would display all of the pages before anything else. While that still is the first result, it's also the only one with the rest being a number of other sites. On top of this and going back to the issue above, I'm not even sure why it's pulling the sites it does in the order it does because the second result is a site I visited once in the past 2-3 months and has 3 P's (2 in the title, 1 in the URL) while the 8th result is one I visit 2-3 times a week and has 4 P's (3 in the title, 1 in the URL). Both start with P in the title as well. So, at least from what I'm seeing, the results being pulled are different.

3a8082e126
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages