Add-On Releases - GTSearch: Google? Custom Search Engine

Now you can have your very own Google? Custom Search Engine tailored specifically for your web site.

Why GTSearch: Google? Custom Search Engine?

• Help your visitors find what they're looking for
• Invite your friends and community to contribute
• Make money with AdSense for Search

Custom modification brought to you by Joe Velez (aka Princeton vbulletin.org Admin).

1.0.0 VERSION (download GTSEARCH.zip)

This is a "No Template Edits" modifications.

Show your support and click Mark As Installed and Nominate For MOTM.

For continued support and upgrades - support by donating via PayPal.

What is a Custom Search Engine?

A Custom Search Engine is a tailored search experience, built using Google's core search technology, that prioritizes or restricts search results based on websites and pages you specify. Your Custom Search Engine can be tailored to reflect your point of view or area of expertise. With a Custom Search Engine, you can:

• Apply your website's look and feel to the search results page.
• Provide search refinements within results pages to make it easier for searchers to find the information they're looking for.
• Add sites to your search engine's index as you surf the web.
• Invite friends and trusted users to co-edit and contribute to your search engine.
• Make money from your Custom Search Engine by participating in Google's AdSense program.

Once you've defined your search engine index, Google will give you a simple piece of code for a search box to place on your site or blog. You'll then have the option to choose various customization options to make the look and feel and functionality of your search engine your own.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q) What exactly does this modification do?
A) It integrates your CSE with your site - results are on your site not on a Google-hosted page.

Q) Can I run Adsense ads on the same page?
A) No, it's Adsense Google's TOS. To earn money, you will need to associate your CSE with your Adsense account. You can do this by clicking the "Make Money" section of your custom search engine control panel.

Instructions

1. Upload gtsearch.php file to vbulletin root (same place where global.php file is located)
2. Install GTSearch: Google? Custom Search Engine product file
3. Create a Custom Search Engine @ google.com
4. Want to make money? Follow directions as instructed in the Make Money section of your CSE page.
5. When completed copy/paste Code to GTSearch: Google? Custom Search Engine vBulletin Options.
6. Done

Questions about Google? Custom Search Engine?

• Direct all questions to Google's Discussion group

Must Read

• Google? Custom Search Engine Terms of Service
• Google? Custom Search Help Center

History:

• November 6 2007 - GTSearch: Google? Custom Search Engine release

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[reverse1312]

Hello Joe !
May I hope a little look on my failing issue ?
I would love to make it work

By the way I saw a joomla google custom search module made by a japanese developper that is able to display search results inside any joomla content, in a right column for example , on a metakey or title or content basis. It goes a little bit further and adds no advertisement...It's in a compact ajax block. Would'nt be a good idea to make it worjk the same way in a right column in vB ?

Originally Posted by reverse1312

Very nice and normally useful hack !

I could not make it work properly inside vbulletin.

I'm with vb 3.6.5,
Created a CSE in Google
Paste the codes

the gtsearch.php page works ok when it's called directly. :-) (http://www.mysite/forums/gtsearch.php)

But the fonction inside the search button in vB does not make any result...
"try to be more specific..." and so on.

What did I miss ?

Thank you

[odeezie]

I cant get this to work. The search is there in the drop down menu but when I put a search term in the box and click search, the page basically just reloads, nothing changes and I am right back to the forum index. Any ideas what this might be? I am using 3.7.0

Edit: Nevermind Ive got it figured out now.

[Jah-Hools]

A question please...

How would you do this if you did NOT want the adsence ads...?

Thanks

[reverse1312]

Originally Posted by odeezie

I cant get this to work. The search is there in the drop down menu but when I put a search term in the box and click search, the page basically just reloads, nothing changes and I am right back to the forum index. Any ideas what this might be? I am using 3.7.0

Edit: Nevermind Ive got it figured out now.

It sounds like you had some similar problem as mine. how did you solve it please ?

Thank you

[goddess_dix]

Originally Posted by Jah-Hools

A question please...

How would you do this if you did NOT want the adsence ads...?

the custom search engine is only avail. from google without ads for nonprofits. so you can either register it as nonprofit through whatever process google requires, or add your own adsense code in order to benefit from the ads yourself, or simply use the search engine and allow it to show ads you get nothing from. that is pretty much the choices as i understand them.

[Jah-Hools]

Originally Posted by goddess_dix

the custom search engine is only avail. from google without ads for nonprofits. so you can either register it as nonprofit through whatever process google requires, or add your own adsense code in order to benefit from the ads yourself, or simply use the search engine and allow it to show ads you get nothing from. that is pretty much the choices as i understand them.

See here there is another choice.. A 'paid' version..

http://www.google.co.uk/enterprise/csbe/

"Turn off ads and customise your search results through an XML feed
Custom Search Business Edition turns off Google AdWords advertisements in search results that regularly appear in the free version of the Custom Search Engine. If you wish to significantly change the look and feel of your search engine, you can build your own user interface and integrate an XML feed of search results."

[PEPITO69]

Hi,
I love this Mod but i don't know how to make it appear in CMS_index (vbadvanced).
Look in:
www.egiptoforo.com

search is "Buscar".

I thing that must be something easy

Thanx

[reverse1312]

Hello,

I tried multiple times to make it works but no success yet.

If I invoke directly the page
http://www.mysite.com/forums/gtsearch.php
and then fill the searchform there, everything's fine. I get a good search result page with my adsense Google ads wher I decided to put in (on the right side actually)
The results are filtered ok by the parameters I choosed on Google CSE pages.

But one thing refuses to work : it is the dam...d searchform in the navbar. It only makes this result : It opens the normal vB searchresult page with:
"Please specify some words or valid user names to search on. There were no matches for those that you specified."

Why is it so ?

Search box code:
<form action="http://www.rmysite.com/forums/gtsearch.php" id="cse-search-box">
<div>
<input type="hidden" name="cx" value="partner-pub-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx" />
<input type="hidden" name="cof" value="FORID:9" />
<input type="text" name="q" size="31" />
<input type="submit" name="sa" value="Rechercher" />
</div>
</form>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.google.com/coop/cse/brand?form=cse-search-box&lang=fr"></script>


Searchresults code
<div id="cse-search-results"></div>
<script type="text/javascript">
var googleSearchIframeName = "cse-search-results";
var googleSearchFormName = "cse-search-box";
var googleSearchFrameWidth = 600;
var googleSearchDomain = "www.google.fr";
var googleSearchPath = "/cse";
</script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.google.com/afsonline/show_afs_search.js"></script>

What is wrong ?

Thank you

[goddess_dix]

Originally Posted by Jah-Hools

See here there is another choice.. A 'paid' version..

Thanks for the correction...

[rootnik]

Nicely done. Installed on vbulletin 3.7 without any problems.