Use the bookmarks sidebar keyboard shortcut Ctrl+B or the bookmarks Manager ? library Ctrl+Shif+B that is a lot more capable than using text files or html files.

See

• Bookmarks in Firefox
• Use the Firefox sidebar to access bookmarks, history and social features
• Bookmark Tags - Categorize bookmarks to make them easy to find
• Address bar autocomplete suggestions in Firefox#w_changing-results-on-the-fly

The help articles include screenshots, animations and short video clips and will be better than me trying to explain details of features.

I should also have mentioned you may export as HTML which is better than text for this purpose.

• Export Firefox bookmarks to an HTML file to back up or transfer bookmarks

Use folders

• Use bookmark folders to organize your bookmarks

Also if you have other devices with Firefox on such as a smartphone or another laptop or desktop Bookmarks may be Synced

• Take your web with you https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/sync/
• Email notifications and inbox sync How do I set up Sync on my computer?
  If you use Sync and use it for bookmarks it is wise to also manually backuo the bookmarks on an occasional but regular basis, because in some instances especially on slow connections or after major bookmarks changes Sync messes up the bookmarks
  • Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer

John99 said

I should also have mentioned you may export as HTML which is better than text for this purpose.

• Export Firefox bookmarks to an HTML file to back up or transfer bookmarks

---

If I export as HTML won't all the folder structure be lost? This happened when I tried this with Opera. All my meticulously sorted files were strewn in a heap. Not even alphabetically listed. And because some URL's start with http, some with https, some with www, some with http://www.....well you get it. Its a total mess, impossible to find anything.

OK - I tried it. Folders and Subfolders look the same. So its partially lost. But at least the URL's inside each folder are in order. They need to show each subfolder a little differently. Maybe something as simple as an indent would work. That's what we normally do.

---

Use folders

---

Well I think anyone with a lot of bookmarks uses folders.  :)

Just noticed that when you click Quote it doesn't separate the original from the new. Guess its back to simple copying and pasting using the > symbol to denote posting time. Works with email. Should work here.

The answer to all this is to not rely on Firefox to produce a bookmark system that is universally good. Its fine for most users who have just a few bookmarks. For some of us that have hundreds or thousands of well organized bookmarks its just not efficient at all.

So the quest is on for a software program for Bookmarks that interfaces with Firefox, Chrome, the old Opera and whatever other browser you use. One where folders can collapse when you use a File Manager. We all know how this was disabled in Win7 (when you used to be able to highlight something on the left column and have the contents instantly displayed on the right column - now you have to hit Enter or the Spacebar). So we also need a decent File Manager for navigation unless its built into the program. Life is indeed complicated when you have high standards.

Or just go text based which is slower but far more customizable. And interfaces with virtually anything. It would work well if one could have a folder name as a bookmark. But when you copy it (Control C instead of hassling with the Rename function to get the text) it doesn't copy over to your Address Bar. So your actual bookmarks have to be in a text program.

We don't need an Add-On because who knows when a better browser will emerge? For me now, Firefox is the best. Nobody knows the future so it should interface with everything conceivable.

I mentioned the exporting of HTML because that is there for compatibility with other browsers. The exported file may even be opened by Firefox, or imported in to other browsers and obviously is easily editable.

The bookmarks system of Firefox is designed to work within Firefox and has many options. I accept you may not open a folder as a bookmark.

But you could for instance put nested folders on the bookmarks toolbar. Or nested folders in the root of the bookmarks menu all of which allow you to quickly and easily access your folders. I choose not to intersperse folders within hundreds of bookmarks or I would have problems navigating within my bookmarks. An Operating System may well by default show folders above files Firefox's library does not sort folders to be above bookmarks. You need to arrange it that way if you so wish.

If you wish to search for bookmarks use the advanced control code characters possibly in combination and possibly in conjunction with tagging. I often have Firefox profiles with thousands of bookmarks and find what I want easily. If they get too big to handle I split them off in to other profiles. (I can easily switch between profiles, or run multiple profiles, although that is not something this forum's knowledge base documents much)

moz2u said

When you hit Control_D a window pops up. Now say you want to be organized and instead of throwing this into the pile at Unsorted Bookmarks you actually want to place it somewhere specific, the general way seems to be to click:
Folder
then Choose
then scroll down to the folder/subfolder and hit OK.

It's keyboardable: When you hit Ctrl+d, the cursor should end up either in the Name box or in the Tags box. From Name, you can tab to the expand button ("v") and press the spacebar to open the list. From Tags, you can Shift+Tab to the expand button and press the spacebar.

If you have thousands of bookmarks like I do this is hard to do in the tiny window offered. It would be great to have it much larger - better yet, full screen.

I don't know about full screen, but you certainly can use a custom style rule to make the box taller. For example:

@namespace url(http://www.mozilla.org/keymaster/gatekeeper/there.is.only.xul); #editBMPanel_folderTree { height: 400px !important; min-height: 400px !important; }

I've attached a screen shot illustrating. I use the Stylish extension for this kind of hacking, but a userChrome.css file is another option.

Also it would be great to be able to do this without wasting time with the rodent (mouse). It seems impossible to insert a bookmark this way without involving the mouse.

Keyboarding is possible, if a bit awkward. After the above keyboard sequence, the folder list should open with Bookmarks Menu highlighted.

You can press the right arrow to expand the tree if the cursor is on a folder with subfolders, and press the left arrow to close it.

You can type the first letter of a folder to jump to the next match. The search is somewhat progressive: if you type the first three letters of the name of a folder with the right timing (not too fast, not too slow), Firefox will jump to that match.

One thing that's counter-intuitive is, in the latest design, instead of pressing Enter to confirm your new folder select, you dismiss the dialog (e.g., press Esc). The folder change is recorded as you edit -- and there's no cancel button to avoid it. I don't know whether this approach will stick in the long run.

I often wonder if it might be better to...

A lot of bookmarking services have come and gone over the years... have you heard of Delicious?

Even if the site doesn't offer a conventional add-on for Firefox, consider how you might integrate it:

(1) Many sites offer bookmarklets to grab the URL of the current page and pass it to the site in an overlay or in a new tab. These usually work (the exception being pages that block external scripts using CSP - Content Security Policies).

Alternately, sites might be able to integrate as Firefox "services" (examples: https://activations.cdn.mozilla.net/).

(2) You can replace Firefox's new tab page with any page of your choice using an add-on. Ctrl+t to display your bookmarks full tab in your preferred format might be an attractive way to go.

This doesn't address the issues in this thread, but if you wanted to display Firefox's bookmarks "tree" stand-alone in a tab, its URL is:

chrome://browser/content/bookmarks/bookmarksPanel.xul

(Not clickable, needs to be copy/pasted to the address bar. It can be bookmarked. It can be added as a second home tab.)

I tried opening the HTML version in LibreOffice. There were indents for each subfolder. So that was a definite positive.

However it jumbled the order of the URL's. HTML doesn't work very well because its not collapsible. Fine if you have very few bookmarks.

We need something collapsible. When you have thousands of bookmarks collapsibility is crucial if you want to not take an hour to find something buried deep in several subfolders. I good way to work is to try to have every folder length not more than one page. This way you never have to scroll down. I realize this is often impossible though.

> But you could for instance put nested folders on the bookmarks toolbar.

You want to put 2000 bookmarks on a toolbar? That ain't gonna work buddy.

> I choose not to intersperse folders within hundreds of bookmarks or I would have problems navigating within my bookmarks.

Folders always go on top of files. Since the beginning of time. Work with it.  :) Its a convention and it works well. Its just too bad we have to repeatedly tell Firefox to Sort By Name every time we dump something into a folder. I sure hope they wake up to this deficiency and correct this. Should be so simple.

> If you wish to search for bookmarks use the advanced control code characters possibly in combination and possibly in conjunction with tagging.

If you don't know the name how can you find it? I like order. Everything in its right place. I want to open a folder and see everything in it. Of course I can also copy and paste a URL in multiple locations but this is thankfully rare.

I realize tagging and labels are very powerful. I know I need to embrace this type of organization in the future. Guess I'm obstinately hanging on to the past this way. I first ran into this type of organization in iTunes many years ago. It seemed incomprehensible that they could have instituted an organization system without folders. But their tagging/labeling system offered a way for every file to be also alphabetically, numerically or any way conceivable. If everything is in folders this is much harder as you usually have to do this with each folder. Tags/labels can replicate folders and subfolders of course and go just as deep as folders/subfolders. So yes, it does offer more options but maybe my way of thinking just gravitates to things being only in one place. And that is not an ideal way to sort admittedly.

moz2u said

Just noticed that when you click Quote it doesn't separate the original from the new.

The quoted material is surrounded by these HTML tags:

<blockquote>yada yada</blockquote>

To break up the quoted material so you can interlineate comments, first paste this where you want to comment, then type the new material in between:

</blockquote> <blockquote>

If you need a little "insert saved snippet here" add-on, you can try this one:

https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/clippings/

But I don't know how keyboardable it is... it's more of a context menu play.

You have started 10 threads over your perceived faults with bookmarks in Firefox; out of a total of 16 threads that you have started - none have been resolved to your satisfaction.

The bookmarks system has been relatively unchanged since Firefox 3.0 was released on June 17, 2008 (over 8 years ago) with an all new "Places" system for storing bookmarks, browsing history, and downloads history together - the "Places" that you have visited. And IMO you act as if your expectations are correct and the half-a-billion Firefox users (as of December 2014, per Mozilla) are using a faulty product with no redeeming features.

A few support contributors have suggested specific add-ons to modify bookmarks 'behaviors' that you have found issue with, apparently few of which you have even tried much less responded to with feedback to the contributors who made those suggestions.

IMO, you aren't making a "good faith" effort at resolving the issues that you have presented to us. No software package is perfect, but as you have said a few times - Firefox is the "best" that is currently available.

> And IMO you act as if your expectations are correct and the half-a-billion Firefox users (as of December 2014, per Mozilla) are using a faulty product with no redeeming features.

The fact that I'm here searching for answers and not using another browser shows Firefox has many redeeming features: The most redeeming features I have personally found of all I've tried. Just to make that clear. I suppose when something is good, shows real promise, it inspires improvement. Lousy things are written off as hopeless.

> A few support contributors have suggested specific add-ons to modify bookmarks 'behaviors' that you have found issue with, apparently few of which you have even tried much less responded to with feedback to the contributors who made those suggestions.

You are correct. I should have been more diligent in following up but remember that I need a bookmark system that interfaces with the common browsers of today, so I'm not really looking for a Firefox Add-On. As I mentioned, a text based folder system might not be bad at all. Just a little slower to add and launch from but that could probably be improved upon.

Is there really no way of editing the registry so the bookmark window is simply larger? After all, something is setting its size now. We just want to alter that setting.

> To break up the quoted material so you can interlineate comments, first paste this where you want to comment.....

I find the copy and paste thing works fine. Then it flows just the way it should. Once you start getting messages replying to messages a few times.....this should be a lot easier to control. Like bottom posting in email: It just flows as we naturally read. Answered stuff is deleted as time goes on. I find it simple and efficient.

Is there really no way of editing the registry so the bookmark window is simply larger? After all, something is setting its size now. We just want to alter that setting.

No, the browser UI is currently XUL based. The "Registry" is Windows-only; would need something else for Mac OSX, Linux, and other OS's.

An add-on will 'hack' the XUL and since you don't want an add-on open the XPI to inspect the code to create your own "user" files to modify what you want changed.

... remember that I need a bookmark system that interfaces with the common browsers of today ...

Far beyond the scope of this forum.

"We" have repeatedly mentioned the text-based bookmarks.html format - but you dismissed those suggestions for a number of reasons. I feel that you fail to realize that Netscape used a bookmarks.html based bookmarks system starting back in 1994; which was "handed-off to Mozilla in 1998 when Netscape created the Mozilla Foundation for open-source "custody" of the code; Firefox used that system until Firefox 3.0, as I have mentioned. A system that has also served as a universal interchange format for bookmarks / favorites which was used by every browser that I have ever used to provide a measure of compatibility for import & export of URI's between web browsers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bookmark_%28World_Wide_Web%29 Google search for Netscape-1 bookmarks.html

continuing with this ...

... remember that I need a bookmark system that interfaces with the common browsers of today ...

The current trend involves a "service" or a "cloud". http://xmarks.com/ http://sitebar.org/ - very limited for the "free" version

Hi moz2u I wonder if any of these further comments could help you. I typed them out earlier but did not post them but they still seem relevant.

moz2u said

... We need something collapsible. When you have thousands of bookmarks collapsibility is crucial

The bookmarks Manger / Library has a collapsible tree in the left hand pane. It expands to full screen with a single mouse click. I assume you have actually looked at the Bookmarks Library/Manager (Keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+B)

if you want to not take an hour to find something buried deep in several subfolders. I good way to work is to try to have every folder length not more than one page. This way you never have to scroll down. I realize this is often impossible though.
> But you could for instance put nested folders on the bookmarks toolbar.
You want to put 2000 bookmarks on a toolbar? That ain't gonna work buddy.

• Note I said 'nested
• Why will it not work ?
  It could be 3 clicks to get to any of 2000 bookmarks.
• Have you thought about it or tried nesting folders in the bookmarks toolbar ?
• Each folder becomes a collapsible tree/branch of folders and/or bookmarks.

The bookmarks toolbar will take say 5 to 15 folders along the top. So say you use 10. Each folder will easily display as a 2nd level 20 folders and each folder 20 bookmarks. That's 10 folders each of 20 so 200 folders of bookmarks 200 folders x 20 bookmarks is 4000 bookmarks. it only takes 3 mouse clicks to get to any bookmark as long as you know which folder it is in, and with your ordered structured system you should know. However if you do not know where it is just use the on the fly search from the adressbar, and again you should be able to find it with a minimal number of key presses You could add another level but that makes it four mouse clicks. You could reduce that though by placing some bookmarks in the folders. instead of all folders use 10 folders and 10 bookmarks in the 2nd tier. The third tier is now only 100 folders of bookmarks, but the third may be up to 2000 folders. You know the optimum structure for your purposes, AND it is all of course collapsible. (Except the very top layer if viewed from the toolbar.

• Addditionally note the bookmarks tooolbar top level overflows in an orderly manner. One click opens the overflow, which runs down the side of the screen and at least doubles the top level's capacity.

Alternatively Use the bookmarks menu from the menu icon as the top level.

Click the Bookmarks button    
and select Show All Bookmarks to open the Library window. 

That has a tree structure that collapses and expands dynamically as the mouse pointer moves over it so it is one click and move the pointer to find any bookmark, probably with no need to do any scrolling.

> I choose not to intersperse folders within hundreds of bookmarks or I would have problems navigating within my bookmarks. Folders always go on top of files. Since the beginning of time. Work with it.  :) Its convention and it works well.

That does NOT happen with Firefox's bookmarks library you need to choose to do so. I was not certain whether you had made such a concious decision or not.

> If you wish to search for bookmarks use the advanced control code characters possibly in combination and possibly in conjunction with tagging. If you don't know the name how can you find it?

Agreed it is difficult to find with no name. BUT bookmarks do by default have a name, and you may edit that as you wish if that makes them easier to find.

I like order. Everything in its right place. I want to open a folder and see everything in it. Of course I can also put a URL in multiple locations but this is thankfully rare. I realize tagging and labels are very powerful. I know I need to embrace this type of organization in the future. ... but maybe my way of thinking just gravitates to things being only in one place.

Yes. I think behind the scenes tagging is itself creating a duplicate entry in the sqlite database. But as you see them from Firefox it is one bookmark in your one nicely ordered place but potentially multiple tags. If it was music you could put it in a popular music decade 2OOO folder but add tags such as the year of the original release, or the artists name or a sub genre, whatever helps order and find things.

> "We" have repeatedly mentioned the text-based bookmarks.html format - but you dismissed those suggestions for a number of reasons

Because the folder structure is somewhat lost when viewing. You can edit these files with a program like Microsoft Word or Libreoffice. But without clearly showing folder/subfolder structure this doesn't work when you have thousands of bookmarks. Some of my folders are 4 subfolders deep. Its just the way its exported. They just haven't done their homework unfortunately. And its not just Mozilla. It was the same with the older Opera. Probably worse actually. You should be able to view, sort and organize your files and folders and subfolders in a program that is not the browser for something really capable. This is why I'm gravitating to my own text based system. Just wish I could make it integrate faster with browsers. It will end up being just copying and pasting of the text of URL's.

> A system that has also served as a universal interchange format for bookmarks / favorites which was used by every browser that I have ever used to provide a measure of compatibility for import & export of URI's between web browsers.

I don't doubt your history of events.  :) What we need today with so many devices and systems, is a bookmark system that interfaces seamlessly with all of them, or as many as possible. The present system just doesn't do that.

> The bookmarks toolbar will take say 5 to 15 folders along the top.

5 to 15? Way too few for me. Even a vertical page of 1080 resolution is limiting for me unless the font is small.

X-Marks looks like its an Add-On for specific browsers. There is a Firefox one and a Chrome one and others.

I'm trying out Sitebar.

> That has a tree structure that collapses and expands dynamically

Yes, I'm already using that of course.

> Agreed it is difficult to find with no name. BUT bookmarks do by default have a name, and you may edit that as you wish if that makes them easier to find.

The only way for me to have things work I think is to have everything in specific folders. Months later there's no way I'll remember a name of a website I saved in a hurry. Especially as so many website names have nothing to do with their purpose.

> Have you thought about it or tried nesting folders in the bookmarks toolbar ?

Because of my limited vertical workspace I can't afford to use any unnecessary toolbars. And the Bookmarks Toolbar is very limiting as well.

moz2u said

Is there really no way of editing the registry so the bookmark window is simply larger? After all, something is setting its size now. We just want to alter that setting.

The size of the tree control in the Add/Edit Bookmark panel is hard-coded. It is in the style sheet of the theme for your OS. While you can't edit the dimensions in a settings file, you can override them using custom style rules, as mentioned earlier.