Google Search Shortcut in KDE (Ubuntu)

Leveraging KDE's Scripting Capabilities with dcop

The KDE desktop environment provides a remarkably versatile scripted user interface, facilitated by the dcop utility. Through dcop commands, you can exert control over nearly any KDE application, directly from shell scripts or the command line itself.

These actions can be seamlessly integrated with menu items and customized hotkeys, enhancing workflow efficiency. Furthermore, KDE can be readily installed on Ubuntu systems using the kubuntu-desktop package.

Implementing a Hotkey for Google Searches

A colleague, known as Caveman, was once challenged with the task of enabling text selection in any application, followed by a Google search triggered by a hotkey. He successfully devised a solution, which is detailed below.

Initially, ensure the xsel package is installed on your system. This can be accomplished by executing the following command:

sudo apt-get install xsel

Next, a shell script named gsrch.sh will be created and placed within your home directory.

kwrite ~/gsrch.sh

Input the following code into the script. It's crucial to avoid line breaks on the second line of the code:

#!/bin/bash

dcop `dcopfind -a 'konqueror-*'` konqueror-mainwindow#1 newTab "http://www.google.com/search?q=`xsel -p -o`&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8"

After creating the script, grant it execute permissions using this command:

chmod u+x ~/gsrch.sh

Configuring the KDE Menu and Hotkey

Now, the script is ready to be added as an item to the KDE menu. Launch kmenuedit to access the KDE menu editor and add a new item in your desired location.

You can assign any name to the item, but you must accurately browse to the script's path on your system. Set the working path to your home directory and ensure the "Enable launch feedback" checkbox remains unchecked.

Click the hotkey button located in the bottom right corner of the window to define an appropriate hotkey combination. Win+G was used as an example, but any preferred key combination can be assigned.