Restore custom search engine functionality from version 1.75

[LegalizeNukes]

Description

In Brave 1.75, users were able to define custom search engines with parameters such as the following:

Notice how the "%s" is not included in this shortcut.

Since Brave 1.76, however, the "%s" part of the URL is now mandatory, and the shortcut will not save without it. This is, I would argue, a regression in functionality, as the previous method of handling custom search engines allowed users to quickly access Brave's internal URLs or other websites by just typing a shortcut phrase. While bookmarks or similar methods can be used to achieve a similar result in Brave 1.76, it is not as fast nor as convenient. Perhaps the "%s" part of the URL should remain optional as it was in Brave 1.75.

Steps to reproduce

1. Attempt to create a custom search engine for the purpose of being used as a shortcut by not including the "%s".
2. URL is now highlighted as "not valid" and the custom search engine cannot be saved. Previously saved search engines/shortcuts no longer work.

Actual result

See above.

Expected result

Previous behavior as seen in version 1.75 as described above.

Reproduces how often

Easily reproduced

Brave version (brave://version info)

Brave | 1.76.73 Chromium: 134.0.6998.45 (Official Build) (arm64)
Revision | 7ce94109896c1bebebdd37d24b4ccf28e47deef0
OS | macOS Version 15.3.1 (Build 24D70)

Channel information

• release (stable)
• beta
• nightly

Reproducibility

• with Brave Shields disabled
• with Brave Rewards disabled
• in the latest version of Chrome

Miscellaneous information

No response

[igorburago]

Just ran into this regression after the latest update on macOS. This is annoying to no end! Especially that it not only disallows creating new site search shortcuts without %s in the URL, but also silently ignores all the previously created ones.

This is some user-hostile behavior on the part of the Chrome team that I would suggest the Brave team should consider reverting.