Firefox Plugin: iTunes Store Search
Category: Internet...
Posted Friday, June 15, 2007 at 04:25 PM [GMT-6]

One of the features I appreciate about Firefox is the ability to change the default search engine in the Search Bar. Although I primarily keep Google as my default, I often switch to Wikipedia, IMDB.com or Amazon.com, depending on what I'm working on.

You can use the Manage Search Engines option on the Search Bar to download and install additional search plugins via Mozilla's Add-On page. However, that page does not include a complete list of all available search add-ons. Mozilla also hosts the Mycroft Project Sherlock & OpenSearch Plugins page, which provides a portal to more than 11,000 search plugins. If your mind is boggled by that number, take comfort in the fact that you can search the Mycroft database to find just what you're looking for.

And that's precisely how I came across a gem of a search plug-in for the iTunes Store. This plug-in, created by Matt Cox of the UK, installed without a hitch on my version of Firefox (2.0.0.4, running on Mac OS 10.3.9), and works just like any other search plug-in. When selected in the Search Bar, any terms input to the search box (or highlighted and right-clicked in the body of a web page) are submitted to the iTunes Store for matches. It's a great way to check on the availability of music or videos at iTunes without leaving your browser.

Sort of. In reality, the search is not carried out via your browser. Firefox actually hooks onto iTunes, opens that application, and submits the search to the iTunes Store's search engine. From a computer resource perspective, it's not any more efficient, but it does save a mouse click or two, and the ability to hightlight/right-click on a word or phrase also saves keystrokes.

I don't know if this plug-in works in Windows. The documentation says that it's based on the Sherlock standard, which Apple developed, but I don't know if it's cross-platform. If you are running Firefox under Windows and want to try it out, I'd love to get a report as to if and how it works.

Update: My pal Jim confirms in the comments that this plug-in works fine on his Windows setup (Ffox 2.0.0.4 on Win XP sp2).

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Comments

works fine on my Ffox 2.0.0.4 on Win XP sp2.

Posted by: Jim at June 15, 2007 06:48 PM

Ah...great! Thanks for the update. I've amended the post to include your feedback.

Posted by: Eric at June 15, 2007 06:54 PM

I used it just a moment ago to look up songs by Kelly Clarkson, who announced she was cancelling her tour. I wanted to hear what I would be (not) missing.

Posted by: Jim at June 16, 2007 02:09 PM

I'm actually a semi-fan of Clarkson's music. Or, perhaps, I admire her as a person enough that I attribute a halo effect to her music.

Posted by: Eric at June 16, 2007 04:04 PM

There is that one song I like "Walk Away" or something like that. I was surprised at how much it rocked. But I was very underwhelmed with that Breakaway diddy... OTOH maybe it's just that I heard it coming from my daughter's room like fifty thousand times... and that was just the first day.

What about her as a person do you admire, if I may ask?

Posted by: Jim at June 17, 2007 08:13 PM

and I guess it's "ditty." Diddy is someone else entirely, I know that.

Posted by: Jim at June 17, 2007 08:14 PM

*blush* You know what? I just realized that you're talking about Kelly Clarkson, and I'm talking about Carrie Underwood!

My bad. Or, more to the point, never mind. ;-)

Posted by: Eric at June 17, 2007 08:37 PM

Oh fine, now I have to look up Carrie Underwood in the iTunes store. You're just trying to make me work harder, aren't you?

Posted by: Jim at June 18, 2007 04:57 AM
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