Firefox default websites from phrases in URL bar -- how?

This isn't a problem, just a curiosity.

I've noticed lately that if I type in a phrase, term or partial URL that firefox tries to guess. Usually it's right.

Some example:
Type in a page title for something unique, like "dynamic drive forums".
That is enough to get you to this website, no URL needed.

Of course it may not be entirely reliable, but it gets the job done for the stuff you use often.

So this lead me to believe that it might be based on history and/or bookmarks. But when I type in "dd" (which is the name for this site's bookmark), I get the wikipedia page on the "dd" command in linux.

So it must be some sort of primitive (1 result) search.

I don't think it's running through google. I think firefox is guessing...?


Anyone know?


Try something unusual. For example I can search for a specific department at my school and it'll bring it up.

It seems to help when the term and URL overlap to some degree, but it's not required.



Here's the most useful thing I've found:
Type in "php.net strlen"
That takes you to the php.net documentation page on the function "strlen".
Since I find myself visiting php.net to look up functions a lot this is very useful for me.



Anyone else used/thought about this?

I noticed this to, in fact I use it all the time. It most likely uses "I'm Feeling Lucky" in google. Absolutely. No Questions asked. The URL bar should be "I'm feeling lucky" bar. If you type anything in the url bar, it is bound to be the first result when you type the same thing in google.

That makes sense. It's just very fast (and useful).

However, in some cases it takes you to google. Perhaps it only goes there is google assigns a high probability to the I'm Feeling Lucky result...


Compare:
'php.net load' (doesn't exist, but it's mentioned many times)
and:
'php.net echo' (exists, and it'll take you right to the page)

I think it seems to be a combination of the two - it's a google search prediction combined with common things you type into the address bar. Not names of sites, as you've noticed, but a literal match in stuff you type into the address bar often.

For example, if I type " d ", the suggestion of dynamic drive comes up. Most of the sites I regularly visit only require one letter nowadays. But if I type in something else, the suggestions get progressively broader.

But it does places I've never been before for terms I use often. "dd" takes me to "DD" the unix command at wikipedia.

This is completely different from the suggested urls that drop down while typing: I'm talking about typing something and pressing enter (that is, going to the site called "what you entered", rather than a valid URL), not using the 'suggestions'.

hmm... "dd" takes me to the yahoo search page for the term "dd". and I never use yahoo search. that's a question, isn't it?

No idea in that case... is yahoo set as your default firefox search engine? (Google is mine)

I go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dd_%28Unix%29

nope, google is.

so... I have no idea how that works.

Strange. I still find this very confusing, though it is useful.
I just checked in Safari to be sure it wasn't some default or something perhaps through my ISP, and it only works in FF... so it must be some feature created on purpose...

yeah, I've been using chrome lately, and I had to switch back to FF to try this out. (Chrome does auto-complete, but in a different way-just like the suggestions on FF.)