Unified Search for Thunderbird Extension
Unified Search is an extension for Mozilla Thunderbird software created with technologies XUL, Javascript and CSS, that aims to enhance the search experience.
This extension allow to unify the global search boxes of Thunderbird 3.1+: the global search (up right in Thunderbird window, ever visible, 'Search all messages...') and the quick filter box (in the filter bar, 'filter these messages...').
It lets you either to apply a filter or to open a global search in both boxes, and hide one to use only the another preferred.
You can preserve the two boxes if you want (see the options to show again the filter box that is disabled by default) and enjoy the extra features that the extension have added to each box.
Plus, it adds a new widget to Thunderbird, called Unified Search Widget: you can choice it from the Toolbar Customize window (menu View->Toolbars->Customize..) and place it wherever you want. It's more compact that the standard quick filter bar, with all their options, and with search capabilities and a global autocomplete mode. You can replace the standard search box with this.
https://addons.mozilla.org/thunderbird/addon/unified-search-187593/
- Quick Filter box: you can open a global search from here -with simple shortcuts and without need the global search box-.
- Global Search box: you can filter the folder from here when you write -without need the quick filter box-, and enable/disable autocomplete suggestions.
- Can hide the box you want (search or filter) and use only the another with all features (unified boxes).
- Allow cycle global search autocomplete suggestions pressing the 'Tab' key and 'Shift+Tab' (like in Firefox)
- Enable and disable the autocomplete suggestions using a shortcut.
- You can choice if Thunderbird must remember or not the filter options from the last session.
- Have two work modes:
- Filter mode: the default. Will filter the messages in the current folder; you have quick filter options in the float bar or in the vertical menu; you can open a global search for the text pressing Control+Enter (Command on Mac).
- Global search with autocomplete: analogous to the standard search box, showing search suggestions when typing and executing a global search.
- A shortcut allow you to change the work mode quickly, without retype your search!
- There is an additional shortcut to quick focus the widget.
- There are available two modes to select the quick filter options (criteria panel): vertical menu or horizontal bar; both are float small windows that only are showed when needed to preserve space, automatically showing the horizontal bar when active.
- Pressing the down arrow key inside the widget will show the criteria panel.
- You can place the widget wherever you want.
See the extension options for more features!
Just like anothers Mozilla (Firefox or Thunderbird) extensions, compress with zip format the project folders and files and set the '.xpi' extension to the name of the compressed file: unified-search.xpi, for example.
Open Mozilla Thunderbird, go to menu Tools->Add-Ons->Extensions, click the button 'Install..' or 'Install from file...' and select the compressed file 'unified-search.xpi', press ok for confirmation and restart Thunderbird. Just installed, defaults Thunderbird widgets (global search and quick filter) will be enhanced with 'unified' features, but you can avoid use it and start using the 'Unified Search widget' going to Thunderbird menu, View->Toolbars->Customize and drag&drop the widget in your toollbar; you can remove the standard global search box or hide it using Unified Search options.
Go to menu Tools->Add-ons->Extensions, click over Unified Search, button 'Preferences'. Select options you want and press Ok.