Dave’s ESL Cafe: How to make ESL Cafe search work like Google

[Update: Since writing this script, it has received a warm response on ESL Cafe.  Someone there asked how to filter the Google Search Results by date, so I added this additional post with the instructions]

Dave’s ESL Cafe is a massive repository of all things ESL. But a huge collection of answers is only as good as the tool you use to ask the questions.

The search function on Dave’s ESL Cafe has been poor, extremely slow, and sometimes unresponsive since I started using the site. Instead, I have rolled my own custom Google ESL Cafe search.

You have two options for using it:

Option 1 – Any browser – Quick & No Installation:

Simply bookmark this Custom ESL Cafe Google Search or this Custom ESL Cafe KOREAN FORUMS Google Search page in any web browser.

Custom Google Intro Page

Custom Google Results Page

Option 2 – Firefox + Greasemonkey – Some Installation but more intuitive later:

Use my Greasemonkey userscript which replaces the functionality of the actual “Search” button on any Dave’s ESL Cafe forum page with something better and simpler.

Install The Script

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Now, instead of linking to the search page, this link simply pops up a box asking you to enter your search terms as you would normally enter them into Google. It then goes off and does a custom Google search that zeroes in on only ESL Cafe.

Note: if you hit the “cancel” button in the new popup search, it will just redirect you to the standard ESL Cafe search page, as it used to.

Option 3 – Firefox + Greasemonkey – Some Installation but EVEN MORE intuitive later:

Use my NEW Greasemonkey userscript which replaces the functionality of the actual “Search” button on any Dave’s ESL Cafe forum page with something better and simpler, and ALSO replaces the Dave’s Banner with a Search Banner.

Install the Updated Script

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With any of the above methods, I think you’ll find the search results to be substantially more relevant than they ever had been in the past.

One Response to “Dave’s ESL Cafe: How to make ESL Cafe search work like Google”

1. How to Filter Google Search Results by Date & Time | Dmitry Volokhov says:

   November 29, 2008 at 9:42 pm

   [...] Previously, I showed a much better and more accurate way to search Dave’s ESL Cafe by using my Custom ESL Cafe Google Search. [...]