Where is the bookmarks.html file located?
John
installed. I also have SeaMonkey v2.0.4 installed and previously had
SeaMonkey v1.1.8 installed (now removed, but old profile still in place).
When I search for the file bookmarks.html, I find it in three locations,
one for each of the above mentioned programs.
The problem is that the file which *should* be for Firefox, found at
C:\Users\John\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\iebve76.default,
is only 7KB, which is the default starting bookmarks.html file, but
Firefox is *actually* using a much larger file containing all my
bookmarks. I just can't figure out where this file is located!
I have used Firefox to open the other two bookmarks.html files I have
found, one of which is for SeaMonkey v1.1.8, and the other which is for
SeaMonkey v2.0.4. Neither of them is the one that Firefox is using.
Even stranger, in the directory
C:\Users\John\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\iebve76.default\bookmarkbackups
there are several copies of the correct bookmark.html file, which is
over 2000KB.
Firefox is using and backing up the correct bookmarks file. Why can't
Windows Explorer find it? Where else should I look? I want to
synchronize the bookmarks on this laptop with the bookmarks on my
desktop (running XP), and I need to know where to copy it to. Thanks!
John
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Please reply in this newsgroup. Thank you.
goodwin
> I have a Dell laptop running Windows Vista SP2. I have Firefox v3.6.3
> installed. I also have SeaMonkey v2.0.4 installed and previously had
> SeaMonkey v1.1.8 installed (now removed, but old profile still in place).
>
> When I search for the file bookmarks.html, I find it in three locations,
> one for each of the above mentioned programs.
>
> The problem is that the file which *should* be for Firefox, found at
> C:\Users\John\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\iebve76.default,
> is only 7KB, which is the default starting bookmarks.html file, but
> Firefox is *actually* using a much larger file containing all my
> bookmarks. I just can't figure out where this file is located!
>
> I have used Firefox to open the other two bookmarks.html files I have
> found, one of which is for SeaMonkey v1.1.8, and the other which is for
> SeaMonkey v2.0.4. Neither of them is the one that Firefox is using.
>
> Even stranger, in the directory
> C:\Users\John\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\iebve76.default\bookmarkbackups
> there are several copies of the correct bookmark.html file, which is
> over 2000KB.
>
> Firefox is using and backing up the correct bookmarks file. Why can't
> Windows Explorer find it? Where else should I look? I want to
> synchronize the bookmarks on this laptop with the bookmarks on my
> desktop (running XP), and I need to know where to copy it to. Thanks!
>
> John
the file should be places.sqlite
see http://kb.mozillazine.org/Bookmarks.html
It has been called places since FF3.0 I believe but I am as confused as
you now that I looked since I have both bookmarks.html /and/
places.sqlite and both have been accessed this morning. I have to look
at the html one...
David McRitchie
"goodwin" <conn...@cox.net> wrote in message news:auudnbgALeVD5HjW...@mozilla.org...
goodwin
> On 05/08/2010 07:32 AM John scribbled:
>
>> Even stranger, in the directory
>> C:\Users\John\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\iebve76.default\bookmarkbackups
>> there are several copies of the correct bookmark.html file, which is
>> over 2000KB.
those are backups, like the folder title says.
>>
>> Firefox is using and backing up the correct bookmarks file. Why can't
>> Windows Explorer find it?
do you mean find by search or manually looking around?
Where else should I look? I want to
>> synchronize the bookmarks on this laptop with the bookmarks on my
>> desktop (running XP), and I need to know where to copy it to. Thanks!
>>
sounds like you are already looking in the correct place so I don't
follow you here...
>> John
>
> the file should be places.sqlite
> see http://kb.mozillazine.org/Bookmarks.html
>
> It has been called places since FF3.0 I believe but I am as confused as
> you now that I looked since I have both bookmarks.html /and/
> places.sqlite and both have been accessed this morning. I have to look
> at the html one...
Looks like FF keeps a copy of the old bookmarks.html and adds new
bookmarks to both files.
It hasn't deleted anything from the old .html file either.
Nothing like redundancy in computers.
Didn't know that...
As for your syncing question, I can only guess - use the bookmark
manager to export in one machine to a html file and copy it or store it
to a disk or USB stick, then go to other box, open bookmarks manager,
and import that file?
David McRitchie
> I have a Dell laptop running Windows Vista SP2. I have Firefox v3.6.3
> installed. I also have SeaMonkey v2.0.4 installed and previously had
> SeaMonkey v1.1.8 installed (now removed, but old profile still in place).
>
> When I search for the file bookmarks.html, I find it in three locations,
> one for each of the above mentioned programs.
>
> The problem is that the file which *should* be for Firefox, found at
> C:\Users\John\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\iebve76.default,
> is only 7KB, which is the default starting bookmarks.html file, but
> Firefox is *actually* using a much larger file containing all my
> bookmarks. I just can't figure out where this file is located!
>
> I have used Firefox to open the other two bookmarks.html files I have
> found, one of which is for SeaMonkey v1.1.8, and the other which is for
> SeaMonkey v2.0.4. Neither of them is the one that Firefox is using.
>
> Even stranger, in the directory
> C:\Users\John\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\iebve76.default\bookmarkbackups
> there are several copies of the correct bookmark.html file, which is
> over 2000KB.
>
> Firefox is using and backing up the correct bookmarks file. Why can't
> Windows Explorer find it? Where else should I look? I want to
> synchronize the bookmarks on this laptop with the bookmarks on my
> desktop (running XP), and I need to know where to copy it to. Thanks!
Hi John,
Firefox 3 (after about 3.02) no longer uses bookmarks.html, which is only used
for backward compatibility, The new file is a database file places.sqlite
see http://kb.mozillazine.org/Places.sqlite
and bookmarks.html is NOT updated unless one turns on the preference
browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML in about:config
see http://kb.mozillazine.org/Browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML
and http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config_entries
Firefox now provides an indirect access to your profile folder using
Help (menu) > Troubleshooting Information... > click on "Open Containing Folder"
The files in the bookmarksbackup folder are .json files, which are compressed
database files. There will be five one per each of the most recent days of use.
If after restores and copies from cumulative backups and you end up with more than 5
then Firefox will remove the extra copies when it creates the next backup.
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Bookmarkbackups_folder
There is a difference between the backup & restore and the export & import.
The export & import deal with the old HTML files from and to the places.sqlite file,
and any file imported will be added to the end of the bookmarks Menu folder in
Firefox -- so you would have to move such imported folders/bookmarks where you want them.
The backup & restore strictly deal with the places.sqlite file.
All of those are done with Firefox being up.
To create matching bookmarks in another profile, I generally restore from my
latest .json file from my production profile to a test profile. I may instead for
a single bookmark folder simply copy it (Ctrl+C) and then paste it where I
want it into another Firefox 3 profile.
Many people use the xmarks extension (formerly Foxmarks extension) to synchronize
their bookmarks.
Xmarks Bookmark and Password Sync
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2410/
Some more references:
Sorting and rearranging bookmarks - Firefox - MozillaZine Knowledge Base
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Sorting_and_rearranging_bookmarks_-_Firefox
If you want to copy your files from one profile to another with Firefox down, you
might take a look at ...
Transferring data to a new profile - MozillaZine Knowledge Base
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Transferring_data_to_a_new_profile
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Transferring_data_to_a_new_profile_-_Firefox
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Transferring_data_to_a_new_profile_-_SeaMonkey
--
HTH,
David McRitchie, extensions I use are briefly documented on my site
Firefox Custom: http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/firefox/firefox.htm
David McRitchie
David Pyles
import bookmarks from the bookmarks.html file, but the import will
import all of the bookmarks from there and duplicate any in the
places.sqlite file on the receiving machine.
The bookmarks.html file no longer has any function in the operation of
Firefox, though you can make it create an updated one by setting
browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML in about:config to true.
Dave Pyles
goodwin
> The file you want to copy to your other box is places.sqlite. You can
> import bookmarks from the bookmarks.html file, but the import will
> import all of the bookmarks from there and duplicate any in the
> places.sqlite file on the receiving machine.
ah, that could be a mess
>
> The bookmarks.html file no longer has any function in the operation of
> Firefox, though you can make it create an updated one by setting
> browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML in about:config to true.
Never heard of that setting so the default must be set to true since any
new bookmarks that go to my places also goes to the html file.
Theres a good source of bloat...
EE
The bookmarks.html file in the profile would be a leftover from version
2. Firefox 3 and beyond save the bookmarks in places.sqlite. You can
make Firefox save bookmarks as html as well by changing a setting in
about:config, and you can have it export bookmarks as html from the
bookmarks organizer window. Set "browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML" to
true to make Firefox copy bookmarks to HTML on shutdown.
goodwin
>>
>> As for your syncing question, I can only guess - use the bookmark
>> manager to export in one machine to a html file and copy it or store it
>> to a disk or USB stick, then go to other box, open bookmarks manager,
>> and import that file?
>
> The bookmarks.html file in the profile would be a leftover from version
> 2. Firefox 3 and beyond save the bookmarks in places.sqlite. You can
> make Firefox save bookmarks as html as well by changing a setting in
> about:config, and you can have it export bookmarks as html from the
> bookmarks organizer window. Set "browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML" to
> true to make Firefox copy bookmarks to HTML on shutdown.
already covered in this thread earlier...
BTW, for whatever reason, the html file I have is kept up to the minute
with the sql one without asking.
I have no idea why...
John
>>> Firefox is using and backing up the correct bookmarks file. Why can't
>>> Windows Explorer find it?
>
> do you mean find by search or manually looking around?
I was using the search function of Windows Explorer. I didn't know about
the places.sqlite file. I'll have to look into that. Thanks!
Chris Ilias
> goodwin wrote:
>
>>>> Firefox is using and backing up the correct bookmarks file. Why
>>>> can't Windows Explorer find it?
>>
>> do you mean find by search or manually looking around?
>
> I was using the search function of Windows Explorer. I didn't know about
> the places.sqlite file. I'll have to look into that. Thanks!
Go to Help > Troubleshooting Information, then click on [Open Containing
Folder].
--
Chris Ilias <http://ilias.ca>
List-owner: support-firefox, support-thunderbird, test-multimedia
John
Thanks for the detailed reply. I'm going to spend some time looking at
all this new (to me) information.
Since SeaMonkey v2 is based on Firefox v3, does that mean that SeaMonkey
is now also using places.sqlite instead of bookmarks.html?
David McRitchie
> Since SeaMonkey v2 is based on Firefox v3, does that mean that SeaMonkey
> is now also using places.sqlite instead of bookmarks.html?
Good question, if you haven't read the links yet, I don't use SeaMonkey and
didn't know but it is in the first reference and implied in the last reference.
Quote from http://kb.mozillazine.org/Places.sqlite
"Places.sqlite is used in Firefox 3 instead of the older bookmarks.html and
history.dat files (the older files are left in the profile folder for backward compatibility).
Starting in SeaMonkey 2, places.sqlite is used to store browsing history
(but not bookmarks).", and is implied in
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Transferring_data_to_a_new_profile_-_SeaMonkey
Ron Hunter
for dead links, at least until they are updated to use the places.sqlite
file....
Caesar Romano
<fire...@verizon.net> wrote Re Re: Where is the bookmarks.html file
located?:
>Firefox now provides an indirect access to your profile folder using
>Help (menu) > Troubleshooting Information... > click on "Open Containing Folder"
I don't have that in v3.5.6 Is it new?
--
Work is the curse of the drinking class.
Alan Baxter
>On Sat, 8 May 2010 13:08:29 -0400, "David McRitchie"
><fire...@verizon.net> wrote Re Re: Where is the bookmarks.html file
>located?:
>
>>Firefox now provides an indirect access to your profile folder using
>>Help (menu) > Troubleshooting Information... > click on "Open Containing Folder"
>
>I don't have that in v3.5.6 Is it new?
It's one of the Fx 3.6 improvements.
http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Using+the+Troubleshooting+Information+page
By the way, Fx 3.5.6 has many unpatched vulnerabilities . You should
update to Fx 3.5.9 at least. It has some bug fixes too. Help > Check
for Updates.
--
"Trim your follow-ups."
http://www.mozilla.org/community/etiquette.html
Alan Baxter
>> Firefox, though you can make it create an updated one by setting
>> browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML in about:config to true.
>
>Never heard of that setting so the default must be set to true since any
>new bookmarks that go to my places also goes to the html file.
>Theres a good source of bloat...
The default value for browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML is false --
easily verified with about:config.
goodwin
> goodwin <conn...@cox.net> wrote:
>> On 05/08/2010 10:20 AM David Pyles scribbled:
>>> The bookmarks.html file no longer has any function in the operation of
>>> Firefox, though you can make it create an updated one by setting
>>> browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML in about:config to true.
>> Never heard of that setting so the default must be set to true since any
>> new bookmarks that go to my places also goes to the html file.
>> Theres a good source of bloat...
>
> The default value for browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML is false --
> easily verified with about:config.
>
Thats where I went and it was set to true - never saw the setting before.
I went to the knowledgebase @
http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config_entries#Browser and it isn't
listed there.
So, we have an impasse, or I'll allow my install to be wrong.
Alan, do you have a better source for config entries?
I asked this question a while ago and was given a couple of URLs but I
had already had those and I find that I still have trouble finding some
of the more esoteric ones.
Alan Baxter
>On 05/09/2010 06:35 AM Alan Baxter scribbled:
>> goodwin <conn...@cox.net> wrote:
>>> On 05/08/2010 10:20 AM David Pyles scribbled:
>>>> The bookmarks.html file no longer has any function in the operation of
>>>> Firefox, though you can make it create an updated one by setting
>>>> browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML in about:config to true.
>>>
>>> Never heard of that setting so the default must be set to true since any
>>> new bookmarks that go to my places also goes to the html file.
>>> Theres a good source of bloat...
>>
>> The default value for browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML is false --
>> easily verified with about:config.
>
>Thats where I went and it was set to true - never saw the setting before.
>I went to the knowledgebase @
>http://kb.mozillazine.org/About:config_entries#Browser and it isn't
>listed there.
>
>So, we have an impasse, or I'll allow my install to be wrong.
I'll elaborate. Examine the line for browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML
in about:config, in particular the Status and Value fields. If the
Value is true, then the Status is "user set", suggesting that may not
be the default value. Now double-click the line to change the value
to false. Notice that the Status field now says "default", i.e. false
is the default value for this pref.
You've also said elsewhere in Message-ID:
<YZidnfDvlb6LfXjW...@mozilla.org>:
goodwin <conn...@cox.net> wrote:
>BTW, for whatever reason, the html file I have is kept up to the minute
>with the sql one without asking.
>I have no idea why...
I don't know why either, but it may be being done by an extension.
Also, one of your extensions may have changed the value of
browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML
>Alan, do you have a better source for config entries?
>I asked this question a while ago and was given a couple of URLs but I
>had already had those and I find that I still have trouble finding some
>of the more esoteric ones.
I see Fred already gave you a link to the pref's kb page. If I know
the name of a pref, then searching on its name takes me directly to
its page, if one exists. To browse pref names you can use
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Category:Preferences
goodwin
> goodwin <conn...@cox.net> wrote:
>> So, we have an impasse, or I'll allow my install to be wrong.
>
> I'll elaborate. Examine the line for browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML
> in about:config, in particular the Status and Value fields. If the
> Value is true, then the Status is "user set", suggesting that may not
> be the default value.
ok
>> BTW, for whatever reason, the html file I have is kept up to the minute
>> with the sql one without asking.
>> I have no idea why...
>
> I don't know why either, but it may be being done by an extension.
> Also, one of your extensions may have changed the value of
> browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML
No extensions at the moment nor have I had any in the past that could
effect this. In a recent upgrade I did import bookmarks from an HTML
file - that probably changed tha setting.
>
>
> I see Fred already gave you a link to the pref's kb page. If I know
> the name of a pref, then searching on its name takes me directly to
> its page, if one exists. To browse pref names you can use
> http://kb.mozillazine.org/Category:Preferences
>
I'll make that one my default, thanks
Alan Baxter
»Q«
Ron Hunter <rphu...@charter.net> wrote:
> goodwin wrote:
> >> The bookmarks.html file no longer has any function in the
> >> operation of Firefox, though you can make it create an updated one
> >> by setting browser.bookmarks.autoExportHTML in about:config to
> >> true.
> >
> > Never heard of that setting so the default must be set to true
> > since any new bookmarks that go to my places also goes to the html
> > file. Theres a good source of bloat...
> >
> It's not bloat if you want to use something like a program that
> checks for dead links, at least until they are updated to use the
> places.sqlite file....
CheckPlaces works with the current Fx bookmarks file.
<http://www.andyhalford.com/checkplaces/index.html>
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