Why can't I run a search by dragging and dropping text into the search bar?
For as long as I can remember, when I highlighted text in my browser window and dragged and dropped it into the search bar, Firefox would run a search instantly using my default search engine. With version 37.0.1, this no longer works; now I have to take the extra step of pressing Enter. Was this feature removed on purpose? I don't see anything about it in the release notes, and it worked fine in 37.0.0.
All Replies (10)
Context Search {web link} Expands the context menu's 'Search for' item into a list of installed search engines, allowing you to choose the engine you want to use for each search.
When I drop text on the search bar in Firefox 37.0.1, the drop-down opens, which is the same as would happen if I had typed or pasted in the search bar. Is that what you get?
I don't remember the previous behavior -- if I want to search a selection, I generally right-click the page and choose "Search Google for..."
I found the bug that changed this: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1111947
Regarding using the bug tracking system, see: Bugzilla Etiquette.
Thanks jscher2000 for finding the source of this change. I have to admit, I am a little confused about how behavior that has existed since Firefox 1.0 can be identified as a "bug" simply because of a much more recent decision to remove the logo of the currently active search engine from the search bar. Is there a way to submit these sorts of issues for reconsideration? I'm sure I'm not the only person who has been relying on this very useful feature for years.
P.S. I tried setting browser.search.showOneOffButtons to "false," which brings back the Firefox 33 search bar in which the name and logo of the active search engine are displayed, and this feature still does not work. In that context, the justification for considering this a "bug" disappears.
Have they left an option in about:config to turn this "bug" back on again?
I actually changed the search bar's behaviour to its original one as soon as it was updated a few versions ago and hence it was still a useful feature to me (and probably many others who use it).
Hi Esoppe, I don't know of any way to undo this change.
Can you get by for now using the right-click context menu item: Search default search engine for "selected text..."?
The functionality works if you drag and drop highlighted text onto the Open New Tab button (i.e. the new tab opens with the auto search from the default search engine). Sad that it wasn't an option to turn on/off the auto search drag drop.
jscher2000, searching text through the right-click menu is no problem. What I actually miss is the shortcut I use to reverse search images: dragging and dropping a picture on Google search bar automatically searches for the URL and when it cannot find anything gives you the option to reverse search.
Well, I'll get used to clicking the search button after I drag and drop (I often forget due to getting used to the auto-search).
Thank you for the heads up casprouse, useful to know (sadly, it doesn't employ search when dragging and dropping images).