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How To Add Custom Google Search

In the past I installed Google Search the hard way. It took special coding with new page for results, and several jumping through hoops.

NOW, Google offers an easy way to add a custom Google Search to your Ning Network.

Go here:
http://www.google.com/cse/

Click on "Create a Custom Search Engine"
Next to: "What do you want to search?" Select - - Only sites I select.
Under "Sites to search:" enter your Ning Network URL. If you want to search more than one site, enter 1 URL per line.
Agree to Google Terms.
Click on Next.
Click on Finish.
Now you'll be taken to a page with this header: "Search engines I've created"
Click on "Control Panel" next to your new Search Engine.
Look in left column. You will see a link: "Get code"
Copy/paste "Custom Search element code" to a text box on your Ning site.

If you want to see an example of how this works, see our "Ning Help Search" in main discussion of this "Tips" Group, and see our "Search Ning Networks" on the home page. You'll love how this search works.

Enjoy!
Jen

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Temple of Our Lady of the Moon on January 29, 2010 at 3:30pm

This is interesting...thank you for sharing this...Im saving it for furture reference!

Permalink Reply by Forbes on March 6, 2011 at 10:46pm

i installed it,but its only working in the text box.

Permalink Reply by James Hawkins on March 20, 2011 at 2:21am

I've shared this code before on Creators. I adapted it from AskDaveTaylor site. It defaults to search your site, but un-checking the box searches internet. Change envisionenglish for your site of course. It looks like this in the right hand side column and will show on every page if you place in shaded block. It is much smaller with code and on your page than google's custom search above.

<form action="http://www.google.com/search" accept-charset="UNKNOWN" method="enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded""><table border="0" cellpadding="0"><tbody><tr><td><input maxlength="255" name="q" size="25" type="text" /><br /><input style="width: 167px; height: 24px;" size="16" type="submit" value="EnvisionEnglish Search" /></td></tr><tr><td style="font-size: 75%;" align="center"><input checked="checked" name="sitesearch" type="checkbox" value="envisionenglish.ning.com" /> only search EnvisionEnglish</td></tr></tbody></table></form><p>Un-check to search the web!</p>

It's free of course and though it doesn't show ads here in Thailand it may in other places. It opens in google search page-standard style.

James

p.s. It defaults to your font style, sizes , etc.

Permalink Reply by Carlos Tabora on March 31, 2011 at 1:35pm

I followed Google's instructions on using iFrames to create the results on a new page, but all I get is a blank page for the search results. Do we have to do anything special on Ning to get the custom Google search results to display on its own page?

Permalink Reply by Carlos Tabora on April 2, 2011 at 12:36pm

Anyone have any thoughts on this?

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