Searchlight: Customizable web search preset

08-12-2022: v1.2 released!

Download v1.2

I like Safari. I used to use the Safari Omnikey plugin. But change in Safari's specifications, Safari Omnikey is no longer available. I tried several alternatives, but could not find anything I liked, so I created this plugin.

Searchlight can be called up by double tapping the Option key anywhere on the screen.

Combine keywords and search words to display search results in the browser.

G bettertouchtool plugins

In this example, the first "G" is the keyword to search on google, and the following "bettertouchtool plugins" is the search words.

The following key combinations can be used when performing a search (only for safari/chrome).

  • enter: current tab
  • command+enter: new tab
  • shift+enter: new window

In the search form, press the up and down keys to view the search history.

Type "," in the search form to open the settings window. In the settings window, you can add a search provider or select a browser.

If you are interested, please try it!

Download v1.2

Release Notes

I' ll be working on performance improvements, bug fixes, and adding new features. If you like this, please buy me a coke :cup_with_straw: :arrow_right: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/sw27

this happened when I tried downloading it.

I'm sorry! I fixed the download link.

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this is amazing! I love it.

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thank you! :sunglasses:

Very nice! I'll have a look at the issues you described. (The BTT window breaking focus can unfortunately not be fixed easily)

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Thank you! I'm always looking forward to btt updates :star_struck:

request - when searching with Spotlight, can you make it so it searches in a new tab instead of an already open one? or how can I do this myself?

Searchlight 1.1 has been released. Added an option to open in a new tab when you press enter :grinning: See release notes for details. have fun!

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awesome.

how do I open the Searchlight Preferences?

@sw27 bump

Follow the steps below to create a new preferences.json.

  1. Update to searchlight 1.1.
  2. Double-tap the option key once to launch serachlight.
  3. Exit searchlight.

Next is how to edit preferences.json.

  1. Open terminal.app. (You can find it by typing "terminal" in spotlight (not searchlight :wink:))
  2. Copy and paste the following command into your terminal and press enter.
    open -a textEdit ~/Applications/BetterTouchTool/Presets/Searchlight/preferences.json
  3. TextEdit opens preferenses.json. The bottom line has the following three lines.
    "fnEnter": "currentTab",
    "fnCmdEnter": "newTab",
    "fnShiftEnter": "newWindow"
  4. Rewrite "fnEnter": "currentTab" to "fnEnter": "newTab".

Now you can just press enter and it will open in a new tab.
It is recommended to replace "fnCmdEnter": "newTab" to "fnCmdEnter": "currentTab".

awesomeee, thanks heaps. this is exactly what I wanted it to do.

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So cool. Thanks a lot.

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:grinning::+1: :dizzy:

@sw27 seems the download link for 1.2 is broken: https://sw27.net/btt/searchlight/Searchlight-1.2.bttpresetzip - could you post the right link? Thanks!

sorry. fixed!
https://sw27.net/btt/

1 Like