See:

• http://www.ghacks.net/2015/12/16/how-to-restore-classic-search-in-firefox-43/
• http://www.ghacks.net/2015/09/22/mozilla-to-improve-firefoxs-search-interface-in-firefox-43/

Nope. Thanks for the suggestion, but nope. Classic Theme Restorer isn't what I want, it resets too many things to ugly old versions. If I could get it to JUST restore the search functionality to not-garbage, that'd be great, but it doesn't seem to do that.

And the "improvement" ... isn't.

So, guess I roll back, or get Chrome.

And I have to re-select my search engine every time.

You can set a default search engine in preferences.

I'm not using the browser with this search function.

Why not?

So, guess I roll back, or get Chrome.

Because Chrome has a search bar with a drop-down menu? Beats me.

You can right-click a search engine icon in the search engine drop down to set this engine as the default search engine, so you do not need to go to "Options/Preferences > Search" (about:preferences#search).

• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Search+bar

RevertSearch said

Classic Theme Restorer isn't what I want, it resets too many things to ugly old versions. If I could get it to JUST restore the search functionality to not-garbage, that'd be great, but it doesn't seem to do that.

CTR has a zillion throwback options, but I think you can control exactly what it does if you work your way through them.

christ1 said

You can set a default search engine in preferences.

Don't want to go to preferences. I liked the old functionality of being able to select an engine from the dropdown and have it stay on that until I change it, and I change it often. Use a wikia search for an hour, repeated searches, then just use the dropdown to change it to google, use that for a bit, then set it to the wikia for a video game for an hour or so, then change it to something else... Not an option with this new "type it, THEN click what you want to search with" method.

I'm not using the browser with this search function.

Why not?

Because it's inconvenient to me. And because I resent the developers removing a function that worked for some cutesy new less-useful method AND intentionally removing the rollback method. </blockquote>

Because Chrome has a search bar with a drop-down menu? Beats me.

Because I don't stick with software that jerks me around and lets me down. So I'm willing to give the big competitor a try instead. If I don't roll back, I'll just try Chrome. I won't use this version.

jscher2000 said

RevertSearch said

Classic Theme Restorer isn't what I want, it resets too many things to ugly old versions. If I could get it to JUST restore the search functionality to not-garbage, that'd be great, but it doesn't seem to do that.

CTR has a zillion throwback options, but I think you can control exactly what it does if you work your way through them.

I don't have the patience to tinker that much to undo one simple thing to go back to the previous version.

cor-el said

You can right-click a search engine icon in the search engine drop down to set this engine as the default search engine, so you do not need to go to "Options/Preferences > Search" (about:preferences#search).

• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Search+bar

Great! Good to know. Now as soon as Mozilla puts in an option to show them as names rather than crap little icons I can't tell apart without hovering over each one to figure out what its label is, we're in business.

That? Would solve the issue. But there's no option to not have them as little icons, it seems. Whoops.

Hi RevertSearch, you may already have left Firefox, but for the sake of anyone reading this:

RevertSearch said

Don't want to go to preferences. I liked the old functionality of being able to select an engine from the dropdown and have it stay on that until I change it, and I change it often.

On the Firefox 34+ search bar, to change your default from the one currently shown immediately below the search bar to a different one, you have three choices:

• right-click the icon of the one you want to be the new default and set default from the short context menu
• hold down the Ctrl key and use the up and down arrows on the keyboard (which is fastest depends on where you are in the sequence)
• use the Options/Preferences page (the slowest method)

jscher2000 said

Hi RevertSearch, you may already have left Firefox, but for the sake of anyone reading this: On the Firefox 34+ search bar, to change your default from the one currently shown immediately below the search bar to a different one, you have three choices:

• right-click the icon of the one you want to be the new default and set default from the short context menu
• hold down the Ctrl key and use the up and down arrows on the keyboard (which is fastest depends on where you are in the sequence)
• use the Options/Preferences page (the slowest method)

And that would be a workaround ALMOST as good as the old one, but, hey, an added extra click, have to right click and select Default rather than just selecting the search engine to set it as default until another is chosen...

...Except, all the search engines are useless little icons that half the time mean nothing because half my icons for Wikias look the same. I have to hover over each one to see the name, because some UI designer decided text labels aren't cool.

So... not TOO different from the old method, but just enough to make it user hostile.

The main issue for me with CTR is getting rid of that orange Firefox button AND not having the Titlebar showing, which turned on when I turned off the Firefox button. Maybe I didn't look for other options, but coupled with add-on signing I have already switched to ESR and by the time ESR 38 goes EOL I'll be using SeaMonkey full time. Long before Firefox II / New Firefox casts is shadow over the internet ...

RevertSearch said

Except, all the search engines are useless little icons that half the time mean nothing because half my icons for Wikias look the same. I have to hover over each one to see the name, because some UI designer decided text labels aren't cool.

What do you think about using a custom style rule to display the search engine names? It could be applied using either the Stylish extension or a userChrome.css file? If you have a long list, this probably will need to be tightened up (i.e., less vertical spacing), but feel free to take a look at what I have so far:

https://userstyles.org/styles/122214/firefox-search-bar-show-engine-names-firefox-43

Edit: By the way, if you are going to install the Stylish extension, I suggest doing it directly from the Add-ons site, since the referral from userstyles.org sometimes doesn't work correctly: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/stylish/

jscher2000:

That might work! Why, it's almost as good as what was there before!

It might work... until the developers decide to hose something else up and the extension is no longer usable because they got some other idiotic iPhone-type UI design idea free in their breakfast cereal.

Add new useless bloatware on the backend nobody wants, and force it to turn on by default? Go for it!

Keep a useful function people liked, even if just as a backup? Nope! No room in the code for that, gotta put some other garbage like Pocket!

I'll consider it that extension. Nice that you put something together. But I don't want to just get burned again down the road. Gotta check out other browsers instead.

The whole "one search" feature is completely awful.

It is visually intrusive and annoying, and 100% useless to people that are not using multiple search engines.

Firefox devs please just let users use firefox how we choose to - i do not want "One Search", it is useless to me and it is very intrusive and visually annoying.

Hi Bogdanov89, what do you mean by "the whole "one search" feature"?

The search bar drop-panel shows search engine suggestions (if you haven't disabled them) and alternatives to your default search site, a button for search settings, and if the site advertises its own search plugin, a bar allowing you to install that. Which parts would you want to hide?

Or are you referring to the address bar?

Hide? No, nothing to hide there. In fact, the current search tool is missing something that was in the old version.

First, the old version showed text labels instead of just icons.

Second, you used to be able to select a default search with a single click, now you have to right-click and select Default. Adding an extra layer of inconvenience.

Welp, new version released and Search is still crap!

Good job, Mozilla devs!

Hi RevertSearch, here in support we focus on today's Firefox, workarounds, and add-ons. You can give feedback on what you would like to see in future versions of Firefox here:

https://input.mozilla.org/feedback/firefox

Cool, we can talk workarounds then!

Has Mozilla put back the old workaround to get the Search back to something usable by people who want to be able to select search engines from a text list?

you may remember it was:

  about:config page: browser.search.showOneOffButtons = false

Has that workaround been put back yet?

If not, what workaround has Mozilla put in place for users who think the new search method is garbage?

There are no alternate search bars built into Firefox. Your available workarounds involve extensions and custom style rules, as noted previously.