Configuring Automatic Search

You can customize automatic search, which enables users to type a conversational word into the Address bar to search for frequently used pages. Users will not need to remember the URLs for the pages that you specify, so key information can be easier to find.

For example, you could enable a Web page about invoices to appear when a user types the term "invoice" into the Address bar, even if the URL of the page doesn't contain this term. If you are a corporate administrator, the following topic shows you how you can customize automatic searching. If you are an Internet content provider or Internet Service provider, then send e-mail to autosrch@microsoft.com for more information.

This feature is already enabled for the Internet. For instance, typing in certain distinct, popular terms into the Address bar will cause a Web site associated with that term to appear. When a Web site cannot distinctly be associated with that term - for example, if there are several apparent matches - then a Web page showing top search results will be displayed.

The Web site that appears will not necessarily contain the exact search term in its URL. If a Web site whose domain is the same as the term is not the best match for the search term (for example, if the search term is the same as the URL without www. and .com), then the user will be redirected to the site that is the best match for that term. By default, the user will be prompted when a redirection occurs.

The Automatic Search URL is configurable using two parameters noted by using the percent (%) sign. These two values must be part of the URL itself. The value %1 represents what the user typed in the Address bar. The value %2 represents the type of search option chosen by the user. Possible values for %2 are 3, 2, 1, and 0, where 3 = display the results and go to the most likely site, 2 = just go to the most likely site, 1 = just display the results in the main window, and 0 = do not search from the Address bar.

1. Create a script and post it to an intranet server.

   The search page can be a script file, such as an .asp file, that conditionally checks for search terms. The script needs to be hosted at this location: http://ieautosearch/response.asp?MT=%1&srch=%2
   If you are not using Internet Information Server (IIS), then you would need to remap this URL to the address where your script is located.

2. If you are setting this option in the Internet Explorer Customization wizard, on the System Policies and Restrictions screen in Stage 5, click Internet Settings.
3. If you are setting this option in the Profile Manager, click Policies and Restrictions, and then click Internet Settings.

4. Click Advanced Settings, and then in the Searching area, type the term intranet into the Search Provider Keyword box.

Notes

• If you're just redirecting users to another site rather than returning search results, then select Just go to the most likely site in the When searching from the address bar box.
• If you are a corporate administrator, you are not customizing search, and your organization doesn't have Internet access, you may want to disable automatic searching. To do this, in the Searching area on the Advanced Settings screen, select Never search from the Address bar.

Sample .asp AutoSearch Script