[XenCustomize] Quick Search 2.3.0

XenCustomize Quick Search for XenForo 2​

Add a fast, elegant AJAX autocomplete search widget to your XenForo community, with support for core XenForo content, official XenForo add-ons, and popular supported content add-ons.

XenCustomize Quick Search gives your members a clean search box for finding the content they need faster, directly from a widget position you control.

Instead of making users visit separate search pages for different areas of your site, Quick Search brings supported content discovery into one polished, XenForo-native widget. Members can search threads, forums, members, tags, resources, media, albums, and supported add-on content from a compact or tabbed interface.

Quick Search is designed for forums, resource sites, media communities, content directories, education sites, community portals, and busy XenForo installations where members need a faster way to jump to the right content.

Key Benefits​

Help members find content faster with instant autocomplete suggestions
Create a smoother search experience without sending users through multiple search forms
Support multiple content areas from one flexible widget
Offer a clean mobile-friendly search box for narrow screens and modern layouts
Let admins control providers with enable/disable, ordering, default provider, and display options
Respect permissions so users only access search areas they are allowed to view
Feels native to XenForo with XenForo widgets, phrases, permissions, options, templates, and styling conventions

Features​

Instant autocomplete search
Quick Search shows live suggestions as members type, helping them reach matching content quickly without manually browsing through different sections of the site.

Suggestions are clear, compact, and content-aware, so users can recognize the right result before opening it.

Smart search behavior
When a search has one clear matching result, Quick Search can take the user directly to that content item where supported.

When a search may have multiple matches, it can use the appropriate native result flow so members can review the available results and choose the right one.

Multiple search providers in one widget
Admins can choose which content providers are available in each Quick Search widget, decide the display order, and select the default provider shown first.

This makes it easy to create a search experience that fits your site instead of forcing one fixed layout for every community.

Automatic default widget
On fresh install, Quick Search can automatically create a default widget above the forum list nodes, giving admins a ready-to-use starting point immediately after installation.

Display Styles​

Compact search bar
The compact style places provider selection inside the search bar for a slim, modern look. This is ideal for forum home pages, content-heavy layouts, and sites that want a professional search experience without taking up much vertical space.

Tabbed search box
The tabbed style shows providers as clear tabs above the search field. This is useful when you want members to see the available search areas immediately.

Responsive design
Both layouts are designed to work cleanly on desktop and mobile. Provider navigation uses XenForo-friendly styling and adapts nicely on narrow screens.

Supported Search Areas​

Quick Search includes support for core XenForo content, official XenForo add-ons, XenCustomize content add-ons, and selected third-party content.

Core XenForo

• Thread title search
• Forum node search
• Member search
• Tag search

Official XenForo add-ons

• XenForo Resource Manager resources
• XenForo Media Gallery media
• XenForo Media Gallery albums

XenCustomize add-ons

• Word Meanings search
• News Publisher news search
• Events Manager event search
• Profile Audio Player audio track search
• Hashtags search
• Quote System quote search (Planned)
• Testimonials search (Planned)
• Project Tracker project search (Planned)
• On This Day in History events (Planned)
• Holidays Manager holiday search (Planned)

Supported third-party add-ons

• DBTech eCommerce product search
• [XenMade] Link Directory search

Admin Controls​

Quick Search is managed through XenForo's widget and option systems, keeping setup familiar for XenForo admins.

Admins can configure:

• Which search providers are enabled
• Provider display order
• Default search provider
• Compact or tabbed display style
• Search title display
• Provider description display
• Provider icon display
• Widget placement through XenForo widget positions

Drag-and-drop provider ordering
Widget settings include an easy provider ordering interface, so admins can arrange search areas in the order that makes the most sense for their site.

Clean XenForo-native styling
The widget is designed to blend naturally with XenForo styles while still offering a polished, modern search experience.

Permissions and Access Control​

Quick Search includes a dedicated permission for viewing and using the search widget.

Admins can decide which user groups may access Quick Search, making it suitable for:

• Public community search
• Member-only search
• Customer-only areas
• Private community sections
• VIP or staff-facing widgets

The widget also respects the permissions and availability of each supported search area. Users only see providers that are available and usable for them.

Specifications​

• Supported XenForo version: XenForo 2.3.0+
• AJAX autocomplete: Yes
• Widget-based display: Yes
• Automatic default widget: Yes
• Default widget position: Forum list above nodes
• Compact display style: Yes
• Tabbed display style: Yes
• Provider enable/disable controls: Yes
• Provider ordering controls: Yes
• Default provider selection: Yes
• Permission control: Yes
• Translation-ready phrases: Yes

Use Cases​

• Forum home pages that need a fast content search box above nodes
• Large communities where members regularly search for threads, forums, and users
• Resource sites that want quick access to downloads or products
• Media communities that want faster media and album discovery
• Content portals with news, events, directories, and custom content areas
• Community dashboards where a compact all-in-one search box improves navigation
• Member-only communities that want permission-controlled quick search access
• Sites with multiple XenCustomize content add-ons installed
• Product communities using DBTech eCommerce alongside XenForo content

Privacy and Control​

• Quick Search access is controlled by XenForo permissions.
• Providers can be enabled or disabled per widget.
• Disabled or unavailable add-on providers are not shown as active choices.
• Provider results respect the relevant content permissions.
• The widget can be placed, edited, or removed through XenForo's widget system.
• Admins control whether titles, descriptions, and icons are shown.

Good to Know​

• Quick Search works as a XenForo widget, so it can be placed in standard XenForo widget positions.
• The default provider is thread search, making the widget immediately useful for standard forums.
• Optional providers become useful when their matching add-ons are installed and available.
• The compact style is selected by default for a slim modern look.
• The tabbed style is included for sites that prefer visible provider tabs.
• Search provider access is permission-aware and availability-aware.

Compatibility & Requirements​

• XenForo 2.3.0+
  • XenForo 2.2.0+ available on request.
• PHP 7.4.0+
• XenCustomize Core Library 1.0.2+ (free for customers).
• XenForo Resource Manager is only required if you want resource search support.
• XenForo Media Gallery is only required if you want media and album search support.
• Supported XenCustomize and third-party add-ons are only required for their matching search providers.

License Setup​

After installation, go to the add-on options and open the License options tab to enter your license key. If you have a branding-free license key, you may enter it there as well to remove branding.

License verification may use XenCustomize.com with local caching. Normal installation and uninstallation do not depend on our server being available. An expired license does not disable normal use of the add-on, but an active valid license is required for official support and access to new downloads or updates released after the license expires.

Demo​

See it in action at XenCustomize.com

A faster search experience built for XenForo​

Built by the XenCustomize team with the same focus on clean XenForo integration, admin control, and practical community features.

If your site has valuable content spread across forums, members, resources, media, directories, events, news, tags, products, or other supported areas, XenCustomize Quick Search gives members a faster way to find it.

It keeps search simple, compact, permission-aware, and easy to place wherever your community needs it most.

Screenshots​

Compact search bar


Compact search bar


Tabbed search box


Admin options


User group permission


Widget definition


Widget


Edit widget


Edit widget options