Talk:%s

What exactly is a "quicksearch default redirect" - and if it is what I think it is meant to be, does it really work, and is it useful? -- Cid Highwind 09:49, 26 Jul 2005 (UTC)
 * What it is, is a feature of the web browser Firefox.
 * I can create a saved bookmark of, say, " http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=canasta&go=Go " which is simply the resulting URL of searching for the word "canasta". What Firefox allows me to do is replace the search term with "%s"and define a local search shortcut (I use "ma").  Such that, when I type in "ma nacelle" into my address bar, it automatically parses the statement and inserts the word nacelle into the search URL, which would then either take me to the appropriate article, or the search results page if it wasn't found.
 * However, if I simply type in "ma" into my address bar, it literally will attempt to do a search for %s, leading me to a bupkis search result page; whereas with the actual %s page, it now redirects me back to the main page.
 * I realize its not something that everybody would be inclined to use and take advantage of, but its only one simple redirect that would perform the same action for anybody who does the same as I; so I created it when I fould that somebody had already done tha same at Wikipedia., .  Regardless; I just found it a simple and elegant solution for that small problem.
 * By the way, the search feature is feasable for any search that results in a URL containing the search terms. I have shorthand for running google searches (g), dictionary.com searches (dict), google images searches (gi), imdb searches (imdb), etc.  Really superb feature.
 * — THOR 12:53, 26 Jul 2005 (UTC)


 * That is 'great' just created such a book mark for my own browser and need to say: it works! I knew of the feature before, but never bothered to use it... how about adding something like that to Help:Search? -- Kobi - (   ) 14:03, 26 Jul 2005 (UTC)

This was for firefox 1, in later versions the search engines are smarter, and they go to the search page if you don't give it terms. This page might not be necessary anymore. --bp 02:28, April 21, 2010 (UTC)
 * I don't know how many people're using old browsers, or if any browsers other than Firefox use this functionality. At Wikipedia, it was last nominated for deletion on 21 February 2009, and the argument there was to keep it.  That being said, if we could check for incoming hits and there aren't any that'd make an argument for deletion, if necessary.  FWIW, I don't have any opinion either way.  —   THOR  =/\= 04:13, April 21, 2010 (UTC)