Firefox 68 will introduce a new implementation of the address bar

In Firefox 68, scheduled for release on July 9, the Awesome Bar will be replaced is planned by a new implementation of the address bar — Quantum Bar. From the user's perspective, with few exceptions, everything remains largely the same, but the internals have been completely redesigned and the code rewritten, replacing XUL/XBL with standard Web APIs.

The new implementation significantly simplifies the extension of functionality (support for creating add-ons in WebExtensions format), removes rigid ties to browser subsystems, allows for easy integration of new data sources, and has enhanced performance and responsiveness of the interface. A notable change in behavior is the requirement to use Shift+Del or Shift+BackSpace (previously it worked without Shift) to delete browsing history entries from the results shown while typing suggestions.

In the future, a gradual modernization of the address bar's appearance is expected. Layouts are already available that reflect some ideas for further development. The changes mainly focus on refining details and enhancing usability. For instance, it is suggested to increase the size of the address bar when focused, displaying suggestions as the user types in a block resized to this size, without using the entire screen width.In the suggested results, it is planned to highlight the suggested part of the search query rather than the text entered by the user. Firefox will also remember the state of the address bar during input and restore it after shifting focus away (for example, the list of recommendations previously disappeared after temporarily switching to another tab, but will now be restored upon return). Tooltips are proposed for the icons of additional search engines.

Looking ahead, several experiments are also planned to assess the feasibility of implementing some new ideas:

Displaying the 8 most popular sites from Activity Stream when the address bar is activated (before typing begins);

• Replacing search toggle buttons with shortcuts to open search engines;
• Replacing search toggle buttons with shortcuts to open the search engine;
• Removal of a specific search row from Activity Stream pages and the private mode home screen;
• Display of contextual hints for working with the address bar;
• Intercepting Firefox-specific search queries to provide explanations about browser functionality.

Source: opennet.ru