Replace Safari’s default Google search box
Google has in recent years developed into the search engine. It’s built in into almost every major browser. Our favorite web browser here at Mac Kindergarten is Safari, which is great already by itself (and has this search box, too).
In the following, we will look at a freeware tool which will helps us to make this search box into an instant preview pane for Google search results and thus making Safari even better. Yeah!
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Inquisitor.
After this tutorial, we will end up with something like this:
A search box, which will display the top results, suggest word combinations and provide links to other search engines and sites. All from one box. Ah, yes. It’s also free. What more to ask for. This is simply great.
Let’s go and get it!
1) Download the installer package from the developer’s website.
2) The setup should start automatically, if not, click the downloaded file zip file in your Downloads Stack. It will extracted and the setup file will show up in your Downloads Stack, looking like this. Click it to start the setup.
3) Go through the installer.
4) Now quit and re-open Safari. Be sure, to really quit it, by selecting Quit Safari from the Safari application menu.
5) You will notice no big change in Safari, except that the search box in the upper right corner (next to the address bar, displays “Inquisitor” in a slightly gray font.
6) Now just try typing away in this search box. As you type, results will pop up, suggestions will be displayed and so on.
7) But there is more under the hood. Open up Safari’s Preferences via the Safari application menu.
8) At the top you see a row of icons (General, Appearance, …) the last is called Search. Click it to configure Inquisitor’s settings.
9) The things you can set up are pretty much self explaining. Click the Edit Sites… button in the lower right corner of the settings window, to add more search engines or other sites to the mix. Make sure, you have %@ in the search URL to indicate the search query. This is a bit more advanced. Drop a comment, if you have problems configuring your favorite site.
Done!
Now enjoy all those fancy search results, right from the search box. Sweet!
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Tags: add-on, freeware, Inquisitor, internet, Safari
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