840413 - browser.search.selectedEngine doesn't work as a default preference

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Firefox :: Search, defect)

Description

[Mike Kaply [:mkaply]]

We've had some enterprise users that wanted to change the default search engine in Firefox.

The logical thing to do was to set the preference

browser.search.selectedEngine in a config file using something like this:

defaultPref("browser.search.selectedEngine", "Bing"); 

Unfortunately, this doesn't code.

It appears the search code doesn't honor the selectedEngine preference if it is set as a default preference.

It should.

Comment 1

[:Gavin Sharp [email: [e-mail]]]

We don't have a concept of a "default" engine, just "selected engine". We need to create one before this kind of idea makes sense.

Comment 2

[Mike Kaply [:mkaply]]

I've come up with ways to work around this, but I keep getting tripped up if the user selects Google (we reset the pref).

This code:

https://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla-central/source/toolkit/components/search/nsSearchService.js#3550

3548     var currentEnginePref = BROWSER_SEARCH_PREF + "selectedEngine";
3549 
3550     if (this._currentEngine == this.defaultEngine) {
3551       Services.prefs.clearUserPref(currentEnginePref);
3552     }
3553     else {
3554       setLocalizedPref(currentEnginePref, this._currentEngine.name);
3555     }

Why are we resetting selectedEngine if engine == the default?

This makes it impossible to try to preset the selected engine without touching defaultenginename because if the user ever selects Google, you get the default again (instead of saving the user's Google choice)

Comment 3

[Benjamin Kerensa [:bkerensa]]

Gavin,

Do you have the answer to Comment 2?

Comment 4

[:Gavin Sharp [email: [e-mail]]]

We're doing that so that changes in default engine take effect for existing users using the default.

The premise of the question is flawed, I don't see why you'd want to avoid "touching defaultenginename" - that is the supported way of changing search defaults.

Comment 5

[Mike Kaply [:mkaply]]

I need to retest this with the latest search changes.

The primary issue was that it wasn't possible to set the selected engine without changing the default engine.

Now that the three preferences have been merged, it might be different.

Comment 6

[Mike Kaply [:mkaply]]

So now that the three prefs are merged, this bug is moot.

Just setting:

defaultPref("browser.search.defaultenginename", "data:text/plain,browser.search.defaultenginename=Bing");
defaultPref("browser.search.defaultenginename.US", "data:text/plain,browser.search.defaultenginename.US=Bing");

Gets the search engine changed for all three cases.

There's no need to set selected engine anymore

Comment 7

[James Pearson]

This appears to work fine when using one of the 'known' search engines (Bing, Yahoo etc) - but if I specify a custom search engine that is added via CCK2, I get 'Google' the first time I run Firefox (ESR 31) - have to restart firefox to pick up the custom search engine - which is not a major issue :-)

Comment 8

[Mike Kaply [:mkaply]]

The CCK2 has its own builtin method for setting the selected engine. I don't recommend people use the pref with the CCK2.

But that is odd.