Bookmark notes are missing
I'm trying to figure out how to get the notes/description field restored in Firefox. I lost quite a bit of very valuable information that will take a long time to recover if it even can be recovered. Given that Firefox is extensible and opensource, surely someone has figured out how to fix this issue, or soon will. I can't believe that no one else used that field. I've researched and saw that the data is recoverable by exporting and editing an HTML version of the bookmark backup, but that's only part of the problem and hardly a solution. I want this info to be convenient to get to. I don't want to have to muck about in HTML files every time I want to update or retrieve notes about a site. Why was it removed? Why was it not migrated to another field? I saw an addon that claimed to provide an alternative, but I don't like the idea of storing information in an addon that is synching data into the cloud with big brother or the Russian mafia.
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Hi ztirffritz, bookmark-related extensions cannot access non-standard bookmark fields like the descriptions.
Although you already found part of this, I'm going to provide a full write-up and you can use whichever information sounds most useful to you.
Step 1: Back up your Descriptions by Exporting your Bookmarks
Firefox 62 no longer shows the "Description" field for bookmarks. The data is still stored, but can't be viewed within Firefox. I suggest backing it up now because the plan is to remove it in Firefox 64.
To do that, you can export bookmarks to a locally saved web page (HTML File). Please see this article: Export Firefox bookmarks to an HTML file to back up or transfer bookmarks.
That creates a web page, so you can open it in a Firefox tab, or in any browser. You'll notice the descriptions nested below the linked titles of the bookmarks that have descriptions. You can use Find (Ctrl+f) to locate the bookmark you're looking for.
Next steps:
This will depend on your needs.
(A) If you just need to consult the existing descriptions from time to time: searching in and copy/pasting from the HTML file may be good enough.
(B) If you need to access descriptions within Firefox, and prefer not to downgrade: you could investigate new extensions. For example, https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/bookmark-notes/ will provide access to Descriptions in the sidebar, and can import the file you created in Step 1.
(C) If you need to occasionally update the descriptions, but don't need them within Firefox: you could consider using a reference program such as Zotero to store your bookmarks and descriptions. See: https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1233617. This form of storage might be more resilient than an add-on if you don't make regular backups of your Firefox profile data, and cloud storage is optional.
(D) If you can't live without descriptions just the way they were in Firefox 60: you may consider the Extended Support Release of Firefox 60, also known as ESR. The ESR track was designed for companies that only want feature changes on an infrequent basis. So Firefox 60 ESR will only get security updates for the next 10-12 months, staying stable with the features of Firefox 60. Then ESR will jump to a new version, expected to be Firefox 68. We don't know what Firefox 68 will look like; it might not have descriptions, either.
More info on this option: Switch to Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR) for personal use.
This change is unlikely to be reversed. However, if you want to advocate for changes in Firefox to compensate for the loss, you can submit feature suggestions through one or more of the following links:
- Feedback: https://qsurvey.mozilla.com/s3/FirefoxInput/
- Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/
- Discourse: https://discourse.mozilla.org/c/firefox-development
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/firefox
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Firefox
Thank you for the response. If there is a valid reason for removing this feature I'd be interested to hear it. I've voiced my dissent about the removal of this feature through the Feedback link you provided, so there's not much else that I can do about it. The options you provided, while technically viable, are not really practical. It's like being told that you just need to mold a new tire to repair a flat. True, it would work, but not really something that I want to do or maintain longterm. I appreciate you taking the time to respond though.
ztirffritz said
If there is a valid reason for removing this feature I'd be interested to hear it.
The FF people say the data that gets trickled back to them on how people used their FF browser indicated hardly anyone used the Description field with the Bookmarks.
Well, Vizio gets data back to them on how and what features were used with their TVs a few years back, and it showed hardly anyone used the built-in TV tuner.
So, the next year, they removed the tuners. Guess what? This year's newer models have the tuner back in them. What happened?
I can only guess there were skipped sales and returns when people found out there was no TV tuner, even though on the box it was stated 'Tunerless', though it wasn't very large print on the box. Sort of 'hidden' in plain sight. Lost sales spoke louder than their data, I guess.
So, we have mess here with FF and how to handle our Descriptions. Sure, I can export to an HTML file. Then what? How do I add Descriptions with FF 62 and beyond? Especially since an Extension won't be able to handle this.
Looks like no way to do this unless FF backs off on this, but it appears it's all but etched in stone right now to get rid of the Descriptions.
What a mess.
~Pj
Pj said
So, we have mess here with FF and how to handle our Descriptions. Sure, I can export to an HTML file. Then what? How do I add Descriptions with FF 62 and beyond?
I feel like I answered this question earlier in this thread.
The annotation API that is used for the descriptions is running on the main Firefox thread (synchronously) and thus affects the responsiveness of Firefox. There has been an effort to move all places transactions to separate threads (asynchronously) and because there is already another description field present that is used for Activity Stream (Firefox Home) it has been decided to remove the bookmarks description field that was exposed only under More in the Bookmarks Manager (Library).
jscher2000 said
I feel like I answered this question earlier in this thread.
Ah, but the 'answer' wasn't an 'answer' that would work for me. (Sigh) Yes, I can export what I have now, but then how to go about adding 'notes' in future FF versions?
So, I'll end up with an HTML file to refer to AND Bookmarks within FF itself. Double (or more, really) the work to search, maintain, etc with two sources: one internal and one external. This could be miserable as watching the Cleveland Browns over the last two seasons. (GASP!)
~Pj
Pj said
jscher2000 saidI feel like I answered this question earlier in this thread.Ah, but the 'answer' wasn't an 'answer' that would work for me. (Sigh) Yes, I can export what I have now, but then how to go about adding 'notes' in future FF versions?
So, I'll end up with an HTML file to refer to AND Bookmarks within FF itself. Double (or more, really) the work to search, maintain, etc with two sources: one internal and one external. This could be miserable as watching the Cleveland Browns over the last two seasons. (GASP!)
~Pj
Did you look at the options under Next steps ?