Universal Text Selection Search Menu

WHAT IT DOES

Universal Text Selection Search Menu displays a floating search menu whenever you select text on any webpage. The menu appears near your selection with icons for searching the selected text on Google, Wikipedia, YouTube, Amazon, Reddit, Twitter/X, GitHub, and Stack Overflow. Quick copy and dictionary lookup buttons are also available. This eliminates the need to manually copy text, open a new tab, and paste it into a search engine — one click does it all, saving time and keeping you in your workflow.

WHERE IT RUNS

This extension works on any website across the entire web. It functions on articles, documentation pages, social media, news sites, and any page with selectable text. The tool works across all domains and adapts to dynamically loaded content and single-page applications.

HOW TO USE

Install the extension and simply select any text on a webpage. A floating menu appears near your selection with search engine icons. Click any icon to search the selected text in that service — a new tab opens with the results. Use the overlay panel to customize the experience: toggle the search menu on or off, configure which search engines appear (comma-separated list), choose the menu position (Above or Below the selection), toggle the copy button on or off, and toggle the dictionary lookup button on or off. The menu auto-hides after 8 seconds or when you click outside it.

TECHNICAL SECTION — TEXT SELECTION DETECTION AND MENU POSITIONING

The extension uses the browser's Selection API to detect when text is selected on the page. It listens for mouseup and keyup events, capturing the selected text and its bounding rectangle. The menu is positioned using getBoundingClientRect() to place it either above or below the selection, with edge detection to prevent overflow. The menu is created using DOM manipulation with inline CSS, styled as a floating toolbar with icon buttons. Each search engine is configured with a name, icon, and search URL template. When clicked, the selected text is URL-encoded and appended to the search URL, and a new tab is opened using GM_openInTab. The copy button uses GM_setClipboard, and the dictionary button opens Dictionary.com. The menu auto-hides after 8 seconds to avoid clutter, and clicking outside the menu dismisses it.

THE PANEL — DRAG / PER-SITE POSITION / SNAP / COLLAPSE / RESIZE / ESCAPE

The overlay panel is fully interactive and designed for seamless multitasking. Drag it anywhere on the screen using the handle at the top of the panel; the position is saved per site so it stays where you left it across sessions. The panel includes a snap-to-edge feature that gently anchors the overlay to the nearest screen edge when released. Click the collapse button to minimize the panel to a compact pill showing the current menu status; expand it again with a single click. Resize the panel vertically by dragging the bottom-right corner to view more controls. Press the Escape key at any time to instantly close the overlay; it reappears on the next page navigation or refresh.

PLEASE NOTE

This extension requires the free BotGentz companion extension to function, as it provides the underlying content script injection and cross-origin communication framework. No personal data, browsing history, or selected text is stored, transmitted, or shared. All text processing occurs entirely locally in your browser; no information is sent to any external server except when you click a search button (which opens the search URL in a new tab). Settings are stored locally in your browser using GM_setValue and are never sent to any external server. The extension does not access or store login credentials, financial data, or personally identifiable information. The menu may appear on text selections in input fields and textareas; this can be disabled by toggling the showMenu setting. Some websites may have custom selection behaviors that interfere with the menu; the tool includes debouncing to handle rapid selections.