When you have just started blogging and have only a few posts, it is easy for users to locate content in your blog. If you have been blogging for quite some time, it is wise to put a search box in your blog. This will allow people to search keywords and reach posts in your blog. Where do you get a search box for your site?

Heh listen up, building a search box is just a couple of minutes away. and one of the best too, because we will make it powered by google. (:-))

Lets look why you need your own  search box? Simply because, you can customize your box to fit to the look and feel of your blog or website.

What do we need for a search box, firstly a text box and a submit button, both packed in a form.

1. Set the form’s action parameter to “google.com/search”

2. Set the method to get. Why? You must remember that google search shows your keywords in the address bar. That should remind you that, it operates on GET and not POST.

3. You may want to include or exclude an additional radio button asking users to search in the website or in the web.  In this case, put up a radio button, with name as sitesearch and value as your domain name.We will trick the other radio button with no name. You must remember to exclude http:// and even www from your domain name.

Here is the actual snippet of code.

<FORM METHOD=’GET’ ACTION=”http://www.google.com/search”>
<INPUT TYPE=”text” NAME=”q” value = “Type and hit..” onFocus = “this.value = ” “; size = ‘30′>
<INPUT TYPE=”radio” NAME=”">the ocean
<INPUT TYPE=”radio” NAME=”sitesearch” value = “codeinsane.com”>this blog
<INPUT TYPE=”submit”>
</FORM>

4. If you want users to search only in your blog, use a hidden field, with name as sitesearch and value as your domain name.

<input type = “hidden” name = “sitesearch” value = “codeinsane.com”>

5. Alright, this was simple, lets expand this. Use ajax and show up the results in a small frame perhaps. That will be in a separate article, later.

Extra  Tip : Put your search box right on top and probably on the right top corner.

Obviously i love greasemonkey, one of the best ever extensions of firefox. Here is perhaps the best ever.
firebug from mozilla or from firebug website

What does it do?

1. Install firebug just as you install all other extensions.
2. Enable firebug. (press F12 and click enable firebug), Alternatively, you may also use Tools-> Firebug -> Enable firebug
3. Now visit your website or blog.
4. Press F12 or click the small green circle in the right corner of the status bar.
5. This section must show you, the individual time, each component (made by a separate request), took to load. This can be of great help to tweak your page to load faster. If a small section of php code added in your blog as a script takes so much time, remove it.

Obviously, this is just a new and additional feature in firebug.

To use it to the full power, you may like to click on inspect and move your mouse around the page. Magic??

It may often occur to you that you want to edit your css and look at the results. Dont make the changes on the template, rather you can make it in the firebug screen to see dynamic changes. Find a nice template in your friend’s blog? just press F12 and inspect the code.

This tool comes in extremely handy when writing greasemonkey scripts. If i were to vote for the best mozilla extension, my vote goes to firebug!!

Intelligent and creative users of the internet use firefox. There are numerous advantages, while using firefox. This might sound a rude statement, “I have never had any respect for a person involved in design or just software, using internet explorer”. if you have not switched till now, make it happen today. get firefox.

I love to code, and it is double joy, when writing grease monkey scripts. I definitely drew more enjoyment and satisfaction when writing a greasemonkey, than when writing a shell script or a pl/sql procedure. A grease monkey script is a more visualized and more enjoyable.

In technical terms, a greasemonkey is a addon in firefox, which lets you run scripts of code, after a page has loaded. Of course, you can select, what scripts of yours, run in what pages. For instance, you may want to run a script, every time, you are in the wikipedia domain. Wild cards are also supported.

This was one of my first scripts. This is more of a example of a greasemonkey, for it does no real work. but if you just want to show off, this script is one for you.

What does it do?

It replaces the google logo on the google homepage, with your own name.

Ok, lets get started.

Step 1. If you don’t have firefox, get it.

Step 2. Download greasemonkey. You can get all addons at mozilla

Step3. Restart Firefox. There is a addon for this too.

Step 4. Create your own logo, just like google. I know everybody loves their name, or at least their nick names. Create your own pic here, and upload it somewhere, say flickr or on your own server.

Step 5. Time to write some code.

Tools-> Greasemonkey -> New User Script

Give a name to your script, it can be any valid name.

forget the name space, it is not for amateurs. Just some text.
Description - i hate this.. just dump in some text.

Includes - This is where, you have to tell firefox, on which sites, you want to run this script. Our target for this script will be google search. So you may say *.google.*, meaning, it would run this script on all websites under the google domain. Say OK to complete the form. You may be prompted to select a text editor. Choose notepad or some other editor. I like editplus.

Too late already, lets code.

//alert(”control reaches this script”);

var back = document.getElementsByTagName(’img’);

var bg = back[0];

if (bg!=null)

{ //alert(”control reaches here”);

bg.setAttribute(’src’,”http://codeinsane.com/pics/codeinsane.gif”); }

//alert(”control reaches out”);

Copy all of the text in italics above and save it. You have to replace the url in the code, with your own url. (from flickr or own server). Take a minute to understand the code, of all languages i know, javascript is cool and easy to learn. if something does not make sense to you, ask me.

All done, ensure the monkey laughs in your status bar, else click on it. (It must toggle to laugh now)

Go to google.com to see your code work.

If you don’t see your url on the page, try removing those comments to track the flow of your code. Still got a problem, drop a comment and let me know.

My first post, involving code (though just a couple of lines). Users please let me know, if you have more ideas to implement. You may like to see a ocean of scripts online. Just google for greasemonkey scripts.

“Progress is not made by early risers, but by LAZY people, trying to find easier ways to do the same “ - HENRY FORD.

NO! This is not another technology news blog! I intend to induce intelligence in people, not knowledge. I want people to think, question, create and innovate. I want people to be more lazy, and more intelligent! Innovate to make a system do the work. The internet is a insane place, but coders make it sane. Here we are, taking the first step today, starting this website. I am a coder and i love writing code! Here and there, by means of this blog, i bring to this world, small and lovely little snippets of code, which can do some exciting stuff, reduce time or improve efficiency or what so ever, make an attempt to do the same.

All content taken from an external source will be linked in this blog. Please do not copy the whole posts. You are always welcome to cite an except in your page, but please do give us the link.

If you feel, i made a mistake somewhere in the posts, please do highlight. I am grateful for the people who point out my mistakes. If you like any posts or this website, please do link this site and/or the post.

If you would like me to write on any related content, you can always let me know. I ll consider it. I will also acknowledge the same, if i write on the topic. I even  can have guest bloggers.  NO, not for free, i ll do the honors, don’t worry on that.  A lot of my friends, have inspired me in writing brilliant code and designing(paddu is god of designing!), and i want them all to share something to this world.

With already a few thousands if not a few million blogs already on technology, i am a late starter. But, i will run ahead.. or run in a new direction.

I am seeking the help of all readers, reviewers and commentators. I have been blogging for quite some time. I have had great support from my friends and gained over a lot of new friends over blogging. Babbu was the one who introduced me to blogging, and i am thankful to him. He has influenced so many people, and even  his friends have supported a lot, Thanks everybody. I am expecting continued support from all you folks.

I begin today!!