vvvlad blognote: Google Search Greasemonkey Script

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Google Search Greasemonkey Script

This is a nice script that can convert your Google search page from this:

to this:

Features (From the developers page):

Allows you to select 1,2,3 and 4 columns of Google results. You can now use more of your screen space with less scrolling (based on the original concept of Two Column Google by Jeffrey Sharkey)
A background or border hue to your search results. Now configurable from the user dialogue with a simple color picker! glooble
Remove the Google "Sponsored Links". Like you need Google telling you where to buy stuff!
Result numbering. When looking at loads of results you can use this feature to quickly identify where you are and what relevance they may have (especially useful when we come to Auto-loading more results!)
Auto-load more results. Seen else where on userscripts.org. This version of the scripts code has been streamlined to allow almost seamless result fetching when you approach the bottom of the screen. Never have to load the next page by hand! (based on the Definitive Google Auto Pager by Paweł Kubisz)
Remove the web search dialogues from your Google pages. If you use the Google Toolbar for Firefox why waste your valuable screen space when you can hide the extraneous elements away.
Make external Google links open in a new window/tab. Now this is configurable in your Google preferences but not with the distinction between when your searching and when your using iGoogle. Well now you can!
Disable Google tracking your search results. Every time you click a link in your search results, the click gets reported back to Google for their statisticians to ponder over. If you are signed in to a Google account this click will be recorded in your search history. This function allows you to disable this reporting to Google completely or add an extra "Trackless" link to each of your search results
Self updating when a new version of the script is available. Using the same technology seen in my other scripts you'll always be notified of updates. This feature checks userscripts.org every 24hours for later versions of the script. Opening the preferences will force a check there and then (although there is possible caching by FF).
Thumbnails for each of your results. Incorporating resources from GooglePreview.com now allows you to see a thumbnail of the home page of each of your search results. If you use this feature think about helping out with the server costs and donate!
favicons for each of your results. Show the sites favicon if you so choose... and, of course, they actually have one !)
And all of this can be configured through one simple screen. Simply click on the GoogleMonkeyR link at the top right of the page and pick your preferences.
The original idea/concept for this wonderful preferences screen came from the Rllmuk User Ignore List script written by Jonathan Buchanan (his web site). Reading his code made me stop and look at how i wrote my own code... and then think about going back to school. Hats off!