option to prevent address bar from selecting from drop-down by default

[DavyLJones]

When I go to the wrong website or search result because I wrote something in the address bar and hit enter, but instead of doing what I wrote, Vivaldi is trying to be helpful and selecting from the address bar dropdown I find that frustrating.

I have turned off autocomplete for this reason but the drop down is still sending me to the wrong place, because by default Vivaldi is making a selection from the dropdown. (Autocomplete was also sending me to the wrong place if I wasn't careful).

The dropdown is really useful and I do not want to disable it, but I also do not want it's selection to be automatic so that when I hit enter we go there rather than what I follow the action based directly on my typing.

The best of both worlds would be for Vivaldi to highlight it's favoured result, as that can be helpful, but not to select it unless I click on it.

Failing that I would like to just prevent the automatic selection of anything from the dropdown.

Does that option already exist? Have searched but not found anything

(For example in the image, I have typed "bottle" - I would like to run a search in my default search engine for "bottle" - instead if I hit I will go to Vivaldi's selection - in this case "bottle.com". If I want to actually search "bottle" I need to manually click on address bar. I would prefer the opposite - that only if I manually click vivaldi's recommended choice will that be the destination)

[Pesala]

@DavyLJones Check your options in Settings, Address Bar. Change the order or remove some unwanted choices.

[DavyLJones]

Thank you for your response. Apologies if I was unclear. I Have actually already done that. I might have been unclear what the issue in facing is. The issue is that any option from the drop down is automatically selected.

I don't mind the presence of the drop down, and I have chosen the preferences I like for it. I just don't that Vivaldi actually selects one because usually I'm trying to search for something else.

[mib2berlin]

@DavyLJones
Hi, if you disable Best Results and Direct Match this should not happen and it does not for me on Vivaldi 6.5.3206.48.

Cheers, mib

[DavyLJones]

Really appreciate your response. Actually both were already disabled.

[mib2berlin]

@DavyLJones
Hm, I cant reproduce this, no idea why this is not working for you.
EDIT: Did you disabled Search / Go To ?

[DavyLJones]

Thanks @mib2berlin

Yes it is disabled - here are my settings, to avoid confusion

[mib2berlin]

@DavyLJones
If you disable this Vivaldi cant search, respectively open the search page.

[7twenty]

Same as the issue that i posted: https://forum.vivaldi.net/topic/93176/address-bar-broken

@mib2berlin said in option to prevent address bar from selecting from drop-down by default:

If you disable this Vivaldi cant search

No, it can search, only if it's something that doesn't match anything in the dropdown.

In the example above, if the search was for "bottled" then it would search because there's nothing to match, but because "bottle" matches bottle.com it chooses that option.

As mentioned in the other thread, the problem is that the 1st option in the dropdown is being selected when it shouldn't be. Address bar should have focus. If search from address bar is enabled, then whatever is in the address bar should always search unless the user specifically chooses an option from the drop down.

As a temp fix the only option is to enable search/go to and move it to the top of the dropdown priority options, that way search will always be selected first. But that completely breaks the whole purpose of having the ability to move/enable/disable the dropdown options.

[DavyLJones]

TLDR:

• Search/Go To solved it for me.
• Is it possible to prioritise "Search/Go To" above "Domain Result"?
• How does Vivaldi generate the domain result? Appears inconsistent.

Detailed answer:

Enabling Search / Go To has fixed it for me - kind of. I agree with @7twenty though, I think.

Note: I can have the search function work as I expect - type search term and hit enter. But this only works with the following preferences arrangement:

• Search/Go To is enabled and top of the drop down menu priority.
• Autocomplete is disabled, including the sub check box: Autocomplete on Domain First.

If autocomplete is enabled in any sense, even it is just the sub check boxes, they can take priority and prevent the search.

So, if I disable Autocomplete but still enable the sub check box: Autocomplete on Domain First, then I will get a domain result - where relevant - as the top, automatically selected result.

Pleasingly, with that arrangement I get the domain result without it autocompleting in the address bar. That is very desirable to me. I hate it actually autocompleting in the address bar. But i can see the usefulness of the domain result.

see screenshots:

I like domain result. But I use search more.

Is it possible to have Domain Result as second priority, after Search/Go To? For now this seems impossible - looks like domain must be above Search/Go To, or switched off. Is that right?

How is domain result calculated?
What drives the domain results - looks like typed history, but not browser history, some bookmarks but not all bookmarks, and some random websites I don't think I have ever visited, that do not appear in my bookmarks or history.

Unexpected behaviour in domain results
Some domain results appear after a few letters but if I write more, they disappear!

For example - I began to type three.co.uk:

When I type "thr" I see the domain result for three.co.uk.
At "thre" or "three" it disappears.
At "three.c" the domain result reappears.
Not a big deal, but seems odd!

[DavyLJones]

Strange Results with Search/Go To disabled

I noticed some strange behaviour when I was testing with with "Search/Go To" disabled. The search results would actually take me to very weird places!

This doesn't matter too much to me as I have now enabled "Search/Go To" but maybe will be useful info for another purpose.

So for example I attempted a random search for "black fat".
The dropdown suggests "black fathers" - automatically selected.
When I hit enter it takes me to "black falcon 4k drone"

That is illustrative - it's not unique to this search term!

It's not important to me as I have enabled Search/Go To but thought I would share this peculiar behaviour incase it is useful.

see screenshots.

then:

Felt peculiar to me. I would have expect the search suggestion to go where it is saying.

Note - with "Search/Go To" enabled this behaviour is not replicated.

[Zalex108]

@DavyLJones

Please fix the pics

[DavyLJones]

Hi @Zalex108
can you give me a little more guidance as to what you are asking me to do please and I will try my best.

[Pesala]

@DavyLJones You have apparently deleted the images that you uploaded.

see screenshots.

then:

Edit your first post, delete that code, and upload the images again.

[7twenty]

@DavyLJones said in option to prevent address bar from selecting from drop-down by default:

So for example I attempted a random search for "pink".
The dropdown suggests "black fathers" - automatically selected.
When I hit enter it takes me to "black falcon 4k drone"

Felt peculiar to me. I would have expect the search suggestion to go where it is saying.

Note - with "Search/Go To" enabled this behaviour is not replicated.

Replicated the same. Search for "black fat".
Dropdown auto-selected is "black fathom depth classic wow" (no idea where that search string comes from?!)
Pressing enter takes me to the wikipedia page for the colour black. The term black wasn't even listed on the dropdown selection.

One time i tried a search for "trees", first search suggestion selected was "trees" but the one and only history item after the 4 search suggestions was what ended up being actually selected when pressing enter. Auto complete is disabled (all options), and all other settings are as noted in my thread linked above, except Search Suggestions since i've been playing around with this new bug.

In addition to that, while playing around with this, at one point I ended up with a picture that was opened, that while i can see the why it may have been chosen, I don't think it should happen. I'm sure you can see where i'm heading with this.

Between this and my thread about the same/similar issue, there's clearly something odd going on that needs to be looked at.

It's one thing to select the wrong item from my own history/bookmarks etc, at least i'll know what to expect to some degree. But when search selections show one thing and then lead you elsewhere i'm not sure i like the idea of ending up at some random site.

[DavyLJones]

@Pesala Ah ok sorry about that. When I was editing the post at the time the images showed up! Fixed now - hopefully!

[indigofairyx]

this has been driving me INSANE for months. nearly went back to firefox more than once.

thanks to this post i was able to work out the bull shit magic spell in setting to override the useless "Address Auto-Complete". that toggle has zero effect. on or off, vivaldi address bar will ALWAYS auto-complete what ever is on top in the dropdown menu UNLESS "Search / Go To" is in the top position in the "Drop-down Menu Priority" list.

if you set anything else in the the top of the list, eg.. Bookmarks. and then type "github.com" vivaldia will always load from the dropdown list even if Address Auto-Complete is turned off....

Even if you click the "Reset to Default" under this list vivaldi will place their cooperate sponsors, excuse me "Best Results" in the top of the list.

soooo, this is a bug by design.

[Guilimote]

@indigofairyx It may be a good thing to fill in a bug report if this has not be done yet.

I agree it may be by design, but as a user, I expect Vivaldi to respect exactly what is shown in the URL bar when I hit enter.
If auto-complete is enabled, it may use the order defined in the settings drop down list (bookmark, history, ...), and complete the URL bar accordingly.
If auto-complete is disabled, the URL bar is not completed, and I expect my "enter" hit to respect it.

Anything else may feel clumsy or really counter-intuitive, this forum thread being the proof...