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URL bar shows apparently random order for as you type suggestions

  • 6 replies
  • 4 have this problem
  • 4 views
  • Last reply by jiru-kun

jiru-kun
jiru-kun
more options

After the latest automatic updates of Firefox (currently v.15), the awesomebar changed radically the way it behaves. In the past, it was learning from my habits and displaying as top choices the websites I most frequently used, as I typed the first letter or 2 from the URL address I needed, or its title bar. Now, instead, it shows the main page of other websites that I seldom visited. It doesn't matter how many more times I visit (by entering the URL or choosing from the drop down menu) the correct page; my favourite and my latest or most frequently accessed pages will always go at least in second position, leaving the top as you type suggestions with websites I don't need. I tried to search the forums, and everybody seems to agree that, if this auto suggest function is on, the list is "intelligent" and learning from your habits. Which was true in the past, but not now! How can I have the awesomebar turn back to intelligent and suggest history or bookmarks that I visit more often?

After the latest automatic updates of Firefox (currently v.15), the awesomebar changed radically the way it behaves. In the past, it was learning from my habits and displaying as top choices the websites I most frequently used, as I typed the first letter or 2 from the URL address I needed, or its title bar. Now, instead, it shows the main page of other websites that I seldom visited. It doesn't matter how many more times I visit (by entering the URL or choosing from the drop down menu) the correct page; my favourite and my latest or most frequently accessed pages will always go at least in second position, leaving the top as you type suggestions with websites I don't need. I tried to search the forums, and everybody seems to agree that, if this auto suggest function is on, the list is "intelligent" and learning from your habits. Which was true in the past, but not now! How can I have the awesomebar turn back to intelligent and suggest history or bookmarks that I visit more often?

All Replies (6)

crazyskeggy
crazyskeggy
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In order to be able to find the correct solution to your problem, we require some more non-personal information from you. Please do the following:

  • Click the Firefox button at the top left, then click the Help menu and select Troubleshooting information from the submenu. If you don't have a Firefox button, click the Help menu at the top and select Troubleshooting information from the menu.

Now, a new tab containing your troubleshooting information should open.

  • At the top of the page, you should see a button that says "Copy all to clipboard. Click it.
  • Now, go back to your forum post and click inside the reply box. Press Ctrl+V to paste all the information you copied into the forum post.

If you need further information about the Troubleshooting information page, please read the article Use the Troubleshooting Information page to help fix Firefox issues.

Thanks in advance for your help!

jiru-kun
jiru-kun Question owner
more options

OK, there you go: 

 Application Basics

       Name
       Firefox

       Version
       15.0

       User Agent
       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:15.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/15.0

       Profile Folder

         Show Folder

       Enabled Plugins

         about:plugins

       Build Configuration

         about:buildconfig

       Crash Reports

         about:crashes

       Memory Use

         about:memory

 Extensions

       Name

       Version

       Enabled

       ID

       Add to Search Bar
       2.0
       true
       add-to-searchbox@maltekraus.de



       Tab Mix Plus
       0.4.0.3
       true
       {dc572301-7619-498c-a57d-39143191b318}

       Anti-Banner
       12.0.0.477
       false
       KavAntiBanner@Kaspersky.ru

       Kaspersky URL Advisor
       12.0.0.477
       false
       linkfilter@kaspersky.ru

       Kaspersky Virtual Keyboard
       12.0.0.477
       false
       virtualKeyboard@kaspersky.ru

       Skype Click to Call
       6.1.0.10441
       false
       {82AF8DCA-6DE9-405D-BD5E-43525BDAD38A}

 Important Modified Preferences

     Name

     Value

       accessibility.typeaheadfind
       true

       accessibility.typeaheadfind.flashBar
       0

       browser.cache.disk.capacity
       1048576

       browser.cache.disk.smart_size.first_run
       false

       browser.cache.disk.smart_size_cached_value
       1048576

       browser.places.smartBookmarksVersion
       4

       browser.search.useDBForOrder
       true

       browser.sessionstore.resume_from_crash
       false

       browser.startup.homepage
       https://encrypted.google.com/

       browser.startup.homepage_override.buildID
       20120824154833

       browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone
       15.0

       browser.tabs.closeWindowWithLastTab
       false

       extensions.lastAppVersion
       15.0

       gfx.direct3d.prefer_10_1
       true

       network.cookie.prefsMigrated
       true

       places.database.lastMaintenance
       1345672937

       places.history.expiration.transient_current_max_pages
       104858

       places.history.expiration.transient_optimal_database_size
       128832634

       privacy.cpd.extensions-tabmix
       false

       privacy.sanitize.migrateFx3Prefs
       true

       security.warn_viewing_mixed
       false

       security.warn_viewing_mixed.show_once
       false



 JavaScript

       Incremental GC
       0

 Library Versions

       Expected minimum version

       Version in use

       NSPR
       4.9.1
       4.9.1

       NSS
       3.13.6.0 Basic ECC
       3.13.6.0 Basic ECC

       NSS Util
       3.13.6.0
       3.13.6.0

       NSS SSL
       3.13.6.0 Basic ECC
       3.13.6.0 Basic ECC

       NSS S/MIME
       3.13.6.0 Basic ECC
       3.13.6.0 Basic ECC
ideato
ideato
more options

Hi jiru-kun,

Go from Orange/Firefox button (or Tools) > Options > Privacy tab > Location Bar session > When using the location bar, suggest > scroll and select History and Bookmarks, click OK to save it, exit firefox and restart it.

see for info : Options window - Privacy tab - Location Bar


thank you

Please mark "Solved" the answer that really solve the problem, to help others with a similar problem.

jiru-kun
jiru-kun Question owner
more options

Hi ideato,

unfortunately this doesn't solve the issue. The problem is that the first suggestion (the one trying to autocomplete as I type) is always the domain name of a website, but not a homepage I visit often. In the past, it used to be always "clever" predicting; now I have to browse among useless suggestions before finding URLs of pages I open dozens of times a day...

ideato
ideato
more options

Then see if is helpful in about:config to find browser.urlbar.default.behavior and change the value to 1 (or do a combination).


thanks again

jiru-kun
jiru-kun Question owner
more options

Thank you again for the attempt, but it doesn't solve the issue. I am noticing now that the "list" is sorted OK, the problem is what appears in the autocomplete, it appears to be random...