Quick search with Yahoo Search Shortcut

Yahoo has launched a completely new application that allows registered users to use its services to create shortcuts to Web sites via Yahoo's search portal.

Yahoo calls these Open Shortcuts. Users can access any Yahoo website and then ask them to link a short name with an absolute link to a certain website.

For example, you can put the phrase '! Mail' on the Yahoo Mail website. Then to access the Yahoo Mail website you just need to type the phrase '! Mail.'

Yahoo has also created a list of Open Shortcuts for users.

! clist http://www.craigslist.org/
! my http://my.yahoo.com/
! mysp http://www.myspace.com/
! amazon http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/external-search?mode=blended&keyword=%s
! audio http://audio.search.yahoo.com/search/audio?p=%s
! ebay http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?satitle=%s
! flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/%s/
! image http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?p=%s
! mw http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/ourresults?p=%s
! news http://news.search.yahoo.com/news/search?p=%s
! php http://www.php.net/%s
! shop http://search.shopping.yahoo.com/search?cop=mss&p=%s
! http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?p=%s
wiki http://en.wikipedia.org?search=%s
! note http://notepad.yahoo.com/?v=161&DESC=%s
mail http://compose.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?login=1&To=%s

How to create Open Shortcuts?

To create Open Shortcuts you must use the keyword '! Set' with the following command. This command is entered into the address bar of the browser.

! set the URL of the website you want to place the shortcut on

For example:

Enter the command :! Set ff http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f2
Will help you create a shortcut to the Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football

To create a shortcut for a regular search keyword, you also use the keyword '! Set' with the following syntax:

! set your search keyword

For example:

Enter the command :! Set it information technology
Will help you create a shortcut of ' information technology ' keyword search syntax via Yahoo electronic search portal.

To create a shortcut to your favorite page, use the following command syntax

! set URL_% s path

For example:

Enter the command ! Set yf http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=%s
Will help you create a shortcut called 'yf' to open Yahoo! Finance

If you prefer to use the user interface to create Open shortcuts, then you can use the site Create Open Shortcuts as long as you have to log in.

Manage shortcuts

You can use the following syntax to manage your shortcuts.

! list - List all your personal shortcuts
! unset - Remove some shortcut (! unset shortcut name)
! help - Show help