Search Engines - Ora Browser

Ora Browser supports multiple search engines with quick-switch capabilities using aliases. You can instantly search using different engines by typing an alias followed by your query.

Built-in Search Engines

Ora Browser comes with pre-configured search engines, each with multiple aliases for quick access.

General Search Engines

Google

Aliases: google, goo, g, searchDefault search engine with auto-suggestions

DuckDuckGo

Aliases: duckduckgo, ddg, duckPrivacy-focused search

Bing

Aliases: bing, b, microsoftMicrosoft’s search engine

Kagi

Aliases: kagi, kgPremium ad-free search

AI Chat Engines

// From SearchEngineService.swift:72-88
SearchEngine(
    name: "ChatGPT",
    color: theme?.foreground ?? .white,
    icon: "openai-capsule-logo",
    aliases: ["chat", "chatgpt", "gpt", "cgpt", "openai", "cha"],
    searchURL: "https://chatgpt.com?q={query}",
    isAIChat: true,
    foregroundColor: theme?.background ?? .black
),
SearchEngine(
    name: "Claude",
    color: Color(hex: "#DE7C4C"),
    icon: "",
    aliases: ["claude", "cl", "cla", "anthropic"],
    searchURL: "https://claude.ai?q={query}",
    isAIChat: true
)

ChatGPT

Aliases: chat, chatgpt, gpt, cgpt, openai, chaOpenAI’s ChatGPT

Claude

Aliases: claude, cl, cla, anthropicAnthropic’s Claude AI

Gemini

Aliases: gemini, gem, bard, google ai, gaiGoogle’s Gemini AI

Perplexity

Aliases: perplexity, perplex, pplx, ppl, perAI-powered answer engine

Grok

Aliases: grok, gr, groX’s AI assistant

Meta AI

Aliases: meta ai, meta, llama, facebook ai, maiMeta’s AI assistant

Copilot

Aliases: copilot, microsoft copilot, bing chat, ms copilotMicrosoft Copilot

GitHub Copilot

Aliases: github copilot, gh copilot, github ai, ghcGitHub’s AI assistant

Specialized Search

YouTube

Aliases: youtube, you, youtu, yo, ytSearch YouTube videos

Aliases: reddit, r, rd, rdit, redSearch Reddit discussions

X (Twitter)

Aliases: x, x.com, twitter, tw, twtr, twit, twitt, twitteSearch posts on X

T3Chat

Aliases: t3chat, t3, t3c, tchatT3 AI Chat platform

Using Search Aliases

Search aliases allow you to quickly switch between search engines without changing your default.

Type an Alias

In the address bar, type an alias followed by a space:

gpt

Enter Your Query

After the space, type your search query:

gpt how to learn swift programming

Press Enter

Press Enter to search using ChatGPT instead of your default search engine

Examples

AI Search
Video & Social
Traditional Search

claude explain quantum computing
perplexity best restaurants in san francisco
gemini write a poem about coding

ddg privacy tools
kagi image search flowers
g weather forecast

Search Engine Configuration

The search engine system is built with flexibility in mind:

// From SearchEngineService.swift:3-21
struct SearchEngine {
    let name: String
    let color: Color
    let icon: String
    let aliases: [String]
    let searchURL: String
    let isAIChat: Bool
    let foregroundColor: Color?
    let autoSuggestions: ((String) async -> [String])?
}

enum SearchEngineID: String, CaseIterable {
    case youtube = "YouTube"
    case chatgpt = "ChatGPT"
    case claude = "Claude"
    case google = "Google"
    case grok = "Grok"
    case perplexity = "Perplexity"
    case reddit = "Reddit"
    // ... more engines
}

Setting Default Search Engine

Open Settings

Press ⌘, or navigate to Ora Browser → Settings

Go to Search

Select the Search section

Choose Default Engine

Select your preferred search engine from the dropdown

Save

Your selection is automatically saved

You can set different default search engines for different containers (like Personal, Work, etc.)

Custom Search Engines

Add your own custom search engines with personalized aliases.

Adding a Custom Engine

Open Settings

Navigate to Settings → Search → Custom Engines

Click Add Engine

Click the Add Custom Engine button

Configure Engine

Fill in the required fields:

Name: Display name for the engine
Search URL: URL with {query} placeholder
Aliases: Space-separated list of shortcuts
Is AI Chat: Mark if it’s an AI chat service

Save Engine

Click Save to add your custom engine

Custom Engine Example

// Custom search engine structure
SearchEngine(
    name: "MDN",
    color: .blue,
    icon: "",
    aliases: ["mdn", "mozilla", "webdocs"],
    searchURL: "https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/search?q={query}",
    isAIChat: false
)

Usage:

mdn javascript array methods

This searches MDN Web Docs directly from the address bar.

URL Template Format

When creating custom search engines, use {query} as the placeholder:

https://www.example.com/search?q={query}
https://docs.example.com/?search={query}
https://example.com/find/{query}

The {query} placeholder is automatically replaced with URL-encoded search terms:

// From SearchEngineService.swift:276-281
func createSearchURL(for engine: SearchEngine, query: String) -> URL? {
    let encodedQuery =
        query.addingPercentEncoding(withAllowedCharacters: .urlQueryAllowed) ?? ""
    let urlString = engine.searchURL.replacingOccurrences(of: "{query}", with: encodedQuery)
    return URL(string: urlString)
}

Auto-Suggestions

Some search engines support auto-suggestions as you type.

Enabled Engines

Currently, Google provides auto-suggestions:

// From SearchEngineService.swift:89-98
SearchEngine(
    name: "Google",
    color: .blue,
    icon: "",
    aliases: ["google", "goo", "g", "search"],
    searchURL:
    "https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q={query}",
    isAIChat: false,
    autoSuggestions: self.googleSuggestions
)

How Suggestions Work

// From SearchEngineService.swift:297-316
func googleSuggestions(_ query: String) async -> [String] {
    guard
        let url = createSuggestionsURL(
            urlString:
            "https://suggestqueries.google.com/complete/search?client=firefox&q={query}",
            query: query
        )
    else {
        return []
    }

    do {
        let (data, _) = try await URLSession.shared.data(from: url)
        let decoded = try JSONDecoder().decode(SuggestResponse.self, from: data)
        return decoded.suggestions
    } catch {
        logger.error("Error fetching Google suggestions: \(error.localizedDescription)")
        return []
    }
}

Suggestions appear in real-time as you type in the address bar.

Container-Specific Search Engines

Ora Browser supports different default search engines per container.

Use Cases

Personal Container

Use Google or DuckDuckGo for general web searches

Work Container

Use Perplexity for research-oriented queries

Development Container

Set Google as default with quick access to docs

Creative Container

Use AI chats like Claude or ChatGPT for creative work

Configuration

// From SearchEngineService.swift:224-242
func getDefaultSearchEngine(for containerId: UUID? = nil) -> SearchEngine? {
    // First check per-container setting
    if let containerId,
       let defaultId = settingsStore.defaultSearchEngineId(for: containerId),
       let engine = searchEngines.first(where: { $0.name == defaultId })
    {
        return engine
    }

    // Then check global default setting
    if let globalDefaultId = settingsStore.globalDefaultSearchEngine,
       let engine = searchEngines.first(where: { $0.name == globalDefaultId })
    {
        return engine
    }

    // Fallback to Google if no custom default is set
    return searchEngines.first(where: { $0.name == "Google" })
}

Container-specific settings override the global default. This allows you to have different search behaviors in different browsing contexts.

AI Chat Engines

AI chat engines are specially marked and can have separate defaults:

// From SearchEngineService.swift:244-254
func getDefaultAIChat(for containerId: UUID? = nil) -> SearchEngine? {
    if let containerId,
       let defaultId = settingsStore.defaultAIEngineId(for: containerId),
       let engine = searchEngines.first(where: { $0.name == defaultId && $0.isAIChat })
    {
        return engine
    }

    // Fallback to ChatGPT if no custom default is set
    return searchEngines.first(where: { $0.isAIChat && $0.name == "ChatGPT" })
}

AI vs Traditional Search

Feature	Traditional Search	AI Chat
Purpose	Find existing web pages	Generate responses
Results	Links to websites	Conversational answers
Use Case	Research, navigation	Questions, creative tasks
Examples	Google, DuckDuckGo	ChatGPT, Claude

Search Engine Management

Editing Custom Engines

Navigate to Settings → Search → Custom Engines
Click on the engine you want to edit
Modify the fields
Click Save Changes

Deleting Custom Engines

Open Settings → Search → Custom Engines
Find the engine you want to remove
Click the Delete button
Confirm the deletion

Deleting a custom search engine is permanent and cannot be undone. You’ll need to re-add it with all its settings if you delete it accidentally.

Tips & Best Practices

Use Short Aliases

Create memorable 2-3 character aliases for frequently used engines:

g for Google
gpt for ChatGPT
yt for YouTube
gh for GitHub search

Organize by Context

Set different default engines per container:

Work: Perplexity for research
Personal: Google for general use
Development: GitHub Copilot for coding questions

Leverage AI Engines

Use AI chat engines for:

Explaining complex topics
Generating content
Coding assistance
Creative brainstorming

Test Custom Engines

After adding a custom engine:

Test it with a simple query
Verify the URL format is correct
Check that aliases work as expected

Troubleshooting

Alias Not Working

Ensure the alias doesn’t conflict with existing ones
Check for typos in the alias spelling
Restart Ora Browser if needed

Custom Engine Not Appearing

Verify the search URL includes {query} placeholder
Check that the engine was saved successfully
Look for error messages in Settings

Wrong Search Results

Confirm the correct engine is being used
Check container-specific settings
Verify the search URL is properly formatted

Get Started

Core Features

User Guide

Customization

​Built-in Search Engines

​General Search Engines

Google

DuckDuckGo

Bing

Kagi

​AI Chat Engines

ChatGPT

Claude

Gemini

Perplexity

Grok

Meta AI

Copilot

GitHub Copilot

​Specialized Search

YouTube

Reddit

X (Twitter)

T3Chat

​Using Search Aliases

​Examples

​Search Engine Configuration

​Setting Default Search Engine

​Custom Search Engines

​Adding a Custom Engine

​Custom Engine Example

​URL Template Format

​Auto-Suggestions

​Enabled Engines

​How Suggestions Work

​Container-Specific Search Engines

​Use Cases

Personal Container

Work Container

Development Container

Creative Container

​Configuration

​AI Chat Engines

​AI vs Traditional Search

​Search Engine Management

​Editing Custom Engines

​Deleting Custom Engines

​Tips & Best Practices

​Troubleshooting

​Alias Not Working

​Custom Engine Not Appearing

​Wrong Search Results

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Built-in Search Engines

General Search Engines

AI Chat Engines

Specialized Search

Using Search Aliases

Examples

Search Engine Configuration

Setting Default Search Engine

Custom Search Engines

Adding a Custom Engine

Custom Engine Example

URL Template Format

Auto-Suggestions

Enabled Engines

How Suggestions Work

Container-Specific Search Engines

Use Cases

Configuration

AI Chat Engines

AI vs Traditional Search

Search Engine Management

Editing Custom Engines

Deleting Custom Engines

Tips & Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Alias Not Working

Custom Engine Not Appearing

Wrong Search Results