Feature request - delete all higlights from page and remove bookmark

[piecevcake]

If you're going to do an update this would be handy if not too difficult! Not a deal breaker

• stop bookmarks getting cluttered with pages no longer required - can remove before closing page,
• sometimes need to redo highlights when I highlighted them in the wrong order

[ldenoue]

@piecevcake you mean you'd like to be able to delete all highlights of a page, and remove it from the bookmarks?

What do you mean by "wrong order"? Yawas should always show your highlights by order they appear on the page, not the order in which you created them.

[peter-lyons-kehl]

Suggest to keep the scope of Yawas to highlights, and anything else only if necessary (if there is no other way), or if it would be much more ergonomic than any other way.

Regarding the 1st part (deleting bookmarks): Multiple existing ways to delete/move/navigate bookmarks (and to search in Yawas' highlights):

• Two clicks (or one click, then TAB or Shift+TAB to navigate through the popup): Firefox Toolbar star icon. If the page is already bookmarked, the icon "shines" (or is "full"); if you then click at the icon, you can move the bookmark (though this UI is NOT ergonomic when you have many/deep folders, see BSP2 below); and you have a "Remove Bookmark" button.
  If you do not have such an icon button in your toolbar, add it: Right click in Firefox toolbar (left or right of the address bar) > "Customize Toolbar..." > locate a star icon & add.
  Then one click shows the popup. One more click removes the bookmark.
• One click less than the above: Shortcut key Ctrl+D (possibly Command+D on Mac OS?) opens the above "Edit bookmark" popup.
• Firefox Bookmarks side bar.
• Firefox menu Bookmarks > "Manage Bookmarks"
• BSP2 = https://github.com/aaFn/Bookmark-search-plus-2 = https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/bookmark-search-plus-2 (UI is not obvious but rich; sub/folders can be collapsed/expanded and the collapse/expand state stays between showing/hiding the toolbar; to locate an existing bookmark in it you may want to search for it).

This suggestion to keep the scope is not harsh, but realistic. Everyone keeps the scope if they want to be productive AND keep it all manageable.

For example, BSP2 clarified that automatic sorting of folders aaFn/Bookmark-search-plus-2#281, or referring to other add-ons (Yawas, in this case) aaFn/Bookmark-search-plus-2#226, is out of their scope.

UPDATE: Mentioned "shortcut key Ctrl+D" alternative to the toolbar star button.

[peter-lyons-kehl]

@piecevcake: regarding the 1st part "I highlighted them in the wrong order": What does it matter? You mean you're worried that the order of the highlights stored in the bookmark title (name) doesn't match their order on the screen? If that matters to you,

• Edit the bookmark (see multiple methods above), copy the whole bookmark title (name) to a text editor, carefully reposition the highlights, copy back, save, REFRESH the page... Good luck.
• Remove the bookmark, start from fresh.
• Accept that we are imperfect, and so are our bookmarks. Life is too short. Let's focus on what matters, but make it worthwhile.

If you mean the order of highlighted content on dynamic (AJAX) pages, and collapsible/expandable content: That is a difficulty. I don't see an easy solution.

If you have too many bookmarks that you DO want to keep, suggest putting them in folders. Again, I believe it shouldn't be Yawas's job to select a folder (nor to move existing bookmarks within folders) - because once a user has many folders, the next feature request would be to expand/collapse folders... - that's what BSP2 is for.
If you want a Yawas-highlighted page to be bookmarked in a folder:

1. Bookmark the page in a folder of your choice. Use

• Firefox built-in
  1. bookmark icon in the toolbar, or its shortcut key Ctrl+D (possibly Command+D on Mac OS?), or
  2. Bookmarks menu > "Manage Bookmarks", or
  3. Bookmarks toolbar, or
• BSP2.

2. Then highlight with Yawas.

Remember that if you modify an existing bookmark with one tool/extension, you may need to refresh the page before adding/removing/changing highlights with Yawas (and vice versa). Otherwise the bookmark will get corrupted/overwritten, or (if you're moving it between folders) it can get duplicated.

Suggest NOT to delete bookmarks with BSP2, because it puts them in a recycling-like Trash folder tree. Then Yawas still picks up such a bookmark.

There can NOT exist something easier/more convenient than above, because no tool can read our minds. (There exists https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/default-bookmark-folder, but last time I've checked it corrupted my bookmarks. I've left a review about it on AMO.)

Either way, and again, suggest not to expand Yawas's scope. It's a highlighter, not a full manager/editor. Extra related methods are described above.

UPDATE: Mentioned "shortcut key Ctrl+D" alternative to the toolbar star button.

[piecevcake]

@piecevcake you mean you'd like to be able to delete all highlights of a page, and remove it from the bookmarks?

• Yes, a button for this would be great. Maybe on the Yawas box at the bottom of the web page?

What do you mean by "wrong order"? Yawas should always show your highlights by order they appear on the page, not the order in which you created them.

It doesn't.

In particular if I rename a page by applying the Yawas bookmark text, then bookmark it to another bookmark location, then add another highlight, the entire set of yawas are appended to the existing bookmark containing the earlier highlights.

Then there are multiple layers of highlights in the web page- so rightClick, Y,D multiple times for each highlight on the page. Could be 30 highlights.

I haven't got time to do that, so bookmarks get longer, + hundreds of bookmarks I no longer need.
WBG to click a button on pages I no longer need to save the highlights for.
:)

[piecevcake]

Suggest to keep the scope of Yawas to highlights, and anything else only if necessary (if there is no other way), or if it would be much more ergonomic than any other way.

?

Firefox Toolbar star icon. If the page is already bookmarked, the icon "shines" (or is "full"); if you then click at the icon, you have a "Remove Bookmark" button. Ctrl+D (possibly Command+D on Mac OS?) opens the above "Edit bookmark" popup.

Thanks I didn't know of that function. That's perfect for removing temporary working bookmarks I don't want to save, also rename PDF bookmarks and copy the bookmark into Word without renaming the tab.

However if I have manually added the same page to another bookmark folder (the fastest way - rename the tab from the Yawas bookmark using Tab Retitle 1. shortcut, 2. click "rename from bookmark", 3. drag from address bar to bookmarks toolbar dropdown folders - save opening other pages, searching opening locations etc),

• the FF popup doesn't show the Yawas location so I can't delete it and keep my manually saved bookmark. It says "delete 2 bookmarks?"

This suggestion to keep the scope is not harsh, but realistic. Everyone keeps the scope if they want to be productive AND keep it all manageable.

How is "delete Yawas bookmark" not in the scope?

For example, BSP2 clarified that automatic sorting of folders aaFn/Bookmark-search-plus-2#281, or referring to other add-ons (Yawas, in this case) aaFn/Bookmark-search-plus-2#226, is out of their scope.

I suggest you use Bookmarks Manager and Viewer - much more functionality. :)

[peter-lyons-kehl]

Suggest to keep the scope of Yawas to highlights, and anything else only if necessary (if there is no other way), or if it would be much more ergonomic than any other way.

?

How is "delete Yawas bookmark" not in the scope?

There are NO "Yawas bookmark(s)". Yawas stores the highlights in Firefox/Chrome bookmarks. If the page is not bookmarked yet, it auto-creates the bookmark in "Other Bookmarks > Yawas > YEAR > Month." However, it's a bookmark like any other. So, again: Use existing tools whenever possible, and don't ask for existing functionality to be replicated in Yawas.

The fact that you end up with multiple bookmarks is because you don't follow what I've suggested: To create a bookmark first, in a folder you want, before highlighting anything with Yawas. If you did so, then Yawas stores the highlight in the location where you bookmarked it already.

As you've discovered, Yawas doesn't work well if you have two (or more) bookmarks for the same page. Again, as I've explained above.

[peter-lyons-kehl]

I have over 3,500 bookmarks highlighted with Yawas:

Yawas works excellent as-is. It could do with some more special handling, but it would take effort to both clarify the new behavior, and effort to implement it.

And, two years ago I've given 0 stars to https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/bookmarks-manager-and-viewer/reviews. I can't remember the exact reason, but it must have been a good one - I rarely give 0 stars. I've tried hundreds of various Firefox extensions.
.

[piecevcake]

Thanks - very long answers shortened -

1. To delete yawas bookmark if it's the only bookmark for the page: Ctrl_D, click delete button.
2. To delete (edit or move) only the Yawas bookmark, if there are other bookmarks for the page (Ctrl_D only has edit one of them or delete all): Ctrl_Q open Bookmark search plus 2 in sidebar, text search, click results to find the one in the yawas folder, delete/edit.

• Not what I want to be doing while trying to research.
• In addition while re-testing for peter-kehl's snide remark and your claim that highlights are added into bookmarks in the order on the page, Yawas created one bookmark then after I added 2 further bookmarks for the same page (in different folders) it updated only the first new bookmark, leaving 3 different bookmarks. It also removed my custom prefix from that bookmark, reverting it to the page title. Screenshot below.
• Also when highlights were deleted from a page and it was re-loaded, the delineator #__# wasn't removed (no big deal).
• which makes a remove all highlights from page button more important. Maybe instead of search all bookmarks button (already at ShiftCtrl_H), you could have a "search for all bookmarks of this url" button?

Bonus info:

1. Ctrl_D to edit the bookmark and/or copy the page title with highlighted text into an external editor t
2. Drag any page from the address bar, link in a page, etc into exact position in Bookmark search plus 2, and between the sidebar FF bookmarks toolbar, and side-by-side page in a separate tab.

I have over 3,500 bookmarks highlighted with Yawas: works excellent as-is. It could do with some more special handling, but it would take effort to both clarify the new behavior, and effort to implement it.

I have 12,392 bookmarks in 5510 folders, in one of 73 Firefox profiles.
There are 4143 yawas #__# delineators in 1940 of those bookmarks, 1179 of those bookmarks are in yawas folders, the others scattered through other folders.
991 of them have duplicate appended highlights.
5 have triplicate appended highlights.
That's after I had fixed umpteen more in notepad - hence my polite suggestion at the top of this page.
See screenshot below.

And, two years ago I've given 0 stars to https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/bookmarks-manager-and-viewer/reviews.

You can't give "0 stars". 2 years ago peter-kehl gave Bookmarks manager and viewer 5 stars. I gave it 5 stars 5 years ago.
It had features then that Bookmarks search plus 2 doesn't have: bulk validation, remembers last folder setting, and icon changes colour for bookmarked pages. It doesn't have external drag and drop (only inside the bookmarks list), undo or open in container. So both are best for different purposes.

BTW, Is peter-kehl the dev here? Or some self-appointed watch dog to savage anyone who dares to make suggestions?

[piecevcake]

There are NO "Yawas bookmark(s)". Yawas stores the highlights in Firefox/Chrome bookmarks. If the page is not bookmarked yet, it auto-creates the bookmark in "Other Bookmarks > Yawas > YEAR > Month." However, it's a bookmark like any other. So, again: Use existing tools whenever possible, and don't ask for existing functionality to be replicated in Yawas.

The fact that you end up with multiple bookmarks is because you don't follow what I've suggested: To create a bookmark first, in a folder you want, before highlighting anything with Yawas. If you did so, then Yawas stores the highlight in the location where you bookmarked it already.

As you've discovered, Yawas doesn't work well if you have two (or more) bookmarks for the same page. Again, as I've explained above.

Get some sex.
"Yawas bookmarks" are bookmarks created or modified by Yawas.
I don't use bookmarks the way you do.

If you're the dev, there's no need to be rude, just say you don't want to do it. (And keep getting 1 star ratings on your page.)
If you're not the dev, get lost.

[peter-lyons-kehl]

Yes, I was confused. I did give that other extension 5 stars. But I haven't used it for long. For me BSP2 works better, especially if I need to locate bookmark duplicates (which is what seems to happen with Yawas for you, too).

[ldenoue]

Hi @piecevcake let's all be courteous with each other: we're all trying to build better tools.
Peter @peter-kehl has been a long time user and commenter of Yawas.
I'm the main developer of it, and will try when I have time to improve the tool that I use daily.

Yawas used to store bookmarks inside what was once called Google Bookmarks, and since Google announced that product was going away, we switched Yawas to using the built-in Browser Bookmarks, which is nice since they can also be synchronized.

But the move was made quickly. I single handedly chose to create a new entry called Yawas under which I add bookmarked pages inside folders named after the date the page was added. Once there, even if you add highlights later, it'll stay under that initial folder.

I never thought about how users would actually want to manage these bookmarks under Yawas. I simply treated these folders a storage for Yawas.

My typical use case is to simply highlight some pages, and if I need to find something later I search for these highlighted words using the Yawas Search. So I don't categorize my pages.

Hope this helps.

I value all ideas, but don't necessarily have time of course to implement them, or only when I have some time outside of work.

Laurent