Amazon Hacks

Search Amazon from the IE Address Bar

A fast way to search Amazon via your Windows Internet Explorer address bar.

The Internet Explorer address bar is usually where you enter a URL to browse to a web site. This hack adds the ability to do Amazon searches from the same place. Instead of visiting the site, finding the search form, typing your query, and hitting the button, you can simply type amzn [ search term ] to get the same results.

Setting It Up

This is extremely simple to set up, and just requires adding an entry to your Windows registry. Instead of mucking around with a registry editor, you can put the required settings into a .reg file. Once there, it’s just a matter of double-clicking to install. Here are the steps:

1. Close any open Internet Explorer windows.

2. Open up Notepad (Start → Programs → Accessories → Notepad) and add the following code:

   Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
   
   [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchUrl\amzn]
   
   @="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/external-search/[RETURN]
   mode=blended&keyword=%s"

3. Save the file as AmazonSearch.reg on your desktop.

4. Double-click the file and confirm that you want to add the information to your registry.

Restart Internet Explorer, and your Amazon search shortcut should be available.

Running the Hack

Once installed, it’s just a matter of typing amzn in your address bar followed by your search term, as shown in Figure 1-16. It works the same way as entering a URL. Just hit Enter or click the Go button.

Figure 1-16. Searching ...