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Someone MUST make a new PowerMarks program.
markstone:
Thanks for superboyac and all above, for your great suggestions and criticisms. :Thmbsup:
I'm very happy to hear the voices of the really bookmark users. I know where I should go now. I will try my best to release the new version soon. Hope to get your opinions again.
tranglos:
Am I missing something or none of this programs support Firefox 3.0 new bookmarks storage architecture?
-thorazine74 (September 24, 2008, 09:39 AM)
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They switched from a simple HTML file to an SQLite database. For any developer who has not worked with databases before, this is going to be a hurdle, though thankfully SQLite is one of the simplest db engines. Still, you first need to research what you can use to operate on FF's database files; there are free bindings for most programming languages (typically talking to SQLite via a DLL, which may have some performance implications), as well as commercial solutions. For example, there's a very good one for Delphi that sells for 90 or 270 Euro, depending on whether you want full source code. So finding a way to talk to SQLite is another hurdle.
Then you have to figure out the schema of FF's "places" database, which is simple if you just want to pull out the URLs, but gets somewhat convoluted if you need to do more. For anyone interested, here's the schema of the places database. The nice thing about the db is that you can get not only bookmarks, but the entire FF history from the same db.
Many bookmark programs will catch up eventually, but it may take some time.
TexasT:
I've implemented the feature of importing bookmarks from Powermarks. The search speed is OK while testing with about 7,000 bookmarks.
-markstone (September 19, 2008, 11:59 AM)
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A measly 7K bookmarks? Add another 40K and you'll come close to what I've got...
The Powermarks features I loved (yes, past tense, since it's dead now) were:
- Being able to color-code bookmarks, so I could easily tell which were the best sites for that particular search
- Being able to annotate the bookmarks separately from where the keywords were kept
- The different options for exporting selected bookmarks
- Being able to bookmark files on my hard drive
- Being able to keep separate bookmark files (i.e., one for URLs on the Web, another one for files on my hard drive, although sometimes I mixed them)
- Never having to worry about duplicate URLs, because if it was already there, PM would simply pop open the window to edit what was already there
- Automatic checking of pages at an interval chosen by me from the standard choices given
- The awesome, greased-lightning-fast search feature, which was letter by letter and could accomodate separate words (e.g., lib vid when looking for "library" and "video")
Lots more, but those are the main ones. A truly awesome program, and I wish someone would copy it or buy it and continue development.
TexasT - still in deep mourning :'( and frustrated at not finding anything that comes close
patteo:
Superboyac, I'm am also a long time user of Powermarks and ever since switching to Firefox 3, I have been looking for a way to overcome what we long time users of Powermarks are facing.
I've look long and hard and I thought I had found a solution with combination of TagSifter and HandyTag
TagSifter
"Firefox 3 lets you tag your bookmarks, but it doesn't give you a great way to browse your bookmarks by their tags. TagSifter tries to. Select a group of tags in the sidebar or menu, and TagSifter shows you all the related tags and bookmarks. Or search your bookmarks with set operators, like "tag1 - (tag2 + !tag3)". Comes with a tool to help tag your existing bookmarks as you move to Firefox 3."
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/search?q=tagsifter&cat=all
Handytag
Search Add-ons :: Firefox Add-ons
"HandyTag simply providing a complete set of most relevant keywords in the bookmark's edition panel. These keywords are retrieved from many different sources."
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/search?q=handytag&cat=all
BUT, I keep thinking that a lot of the convenience I was experiencing with Powermarks was still missing.
Besides, I have not figured out how to backup all these Tags I'm entering into Firefox.
But guess what, I think I have hit upon a solution - with just a couple of small steps missing.
This is what I'm doing :
You will need to have a few things to accomplish this.
1. Powermarks
2. Firefox 3
3. Turnon Global HotKeys - enable you to hit the hot key to bring Powermarks to the foreground
Make sure you assign an unused key combination to "Add Bookmark from Clipboard" such as Alt+Shift+P
Chapter 8 - Powermarks User Guide
" 8.1.7 Hotkeys
Switch to Powermarks
Display the Powermarks window
Add Bookmark to Browser
Add the current browser URL to the Powermarks bookmark list and allow for editing.
Fast Add Bookmark from Browser
Adds the URL currently in the Browser to the Powermarks bookmark list.
Add Bookmark from Clipboard
Searches the clipboard for a URL and adds it the Powermarks bookmark list. Powermarks will attempt to contact the site and retrieve the name, keywords and description of the new bookmark. "
http://www.kaylon.com/help/chapter_8.htm#SystemTray
4. Chapter 8 - Powermarks User Guide
"8.1.12 Browsers"
http://www.kaylon.com/help/chapter_8.htm#browsers
If you look at your actual Option Screen in your Powermarks program, you will see an additional line item - Firefox which is not shown in the online Powermarks User Guide.
Make sure you tell Powermarks where to find Firefox 3.
Your are almost all set for a test run now.
5. Using Firefox, do you usual surfing on the web.
Let's say you are at
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/search?q=handytag&cat=all
And you want this url plus whatever keywords to be captured in Powermarks.
(Note: Do make sure Powermarks is loaded and it could also be minimized in the backgroud)
a. Press Crtl+L - this highlights the URL bar in Firefox 3 (Note that Alt+D also works in same way)
b. Press Crtl+C - this places https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/search?q=handytag&cat=all into the clipboard.
c. Press Shift+Alt+P - this executes "Add Bookmark from Clipboard" which you configured in Step 3 above such as Alt+Shift+P
Step 5c tells Powermarks to store retrieve https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/search?q=handytag&cat=all into the database together with the associated keywords.
And all this time, Powermarks remain in the background until you invoke it with say Crtl+Alt+P Hotkey you assigned (See 8.1.7 Hotkeys in Chapter 8 - Powermarks User Guide)
Presto - you are done - back in business with Powermarks. Clicking on a url in Powermarks would launch the url in a new tab (if you set the options correctly) in Firefox (if it had been set as the default browser.)
Now of course Steps 5.a, 5.b and 5.c can all be combined as a single command if someone can write a Autohotkey script and compile it into and exe and attach it to a Button on Firefox - This part I have not figured out as yet - but it certainly can be done. Once the script has been written and compiled, it could possibly be launched by
"Launch External Windows Applications Directly From Firefox
http://www.inspiredgeek.com/2008/01/28/launch-external-windows-applications-directly-from-firefox/
But take note that "Launch External Windows Applications Directly From Firefox" does not seem to operate properly with Firefox 3. [See How to add a Button (to execute a AutoHotkey script or an exe) to Firefox 3 - DonationCoder.com
"I would like to execute a particular command from within Firefox 3.
This could be calling a AutoHotkey script or the same script compiled into a DoThis.exe"]
https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=14850.0
Perhaps someone with Greasemonkey script (if that is the thing to use) could figure this out.
Take note that "Alt+Ins Add URL from clipboard" does not quite work - It would have completed the picture for people like us.
Chapter 10 - Powermarks User Guide
"Alt+Ins Add URL from clipboard"
http://www.kaylon.com/help/chapter_10.htm#ShortcutKeys
Do tell me what do you think - no more worries that Firefox 4, 5, or 6 would break it !!!
Yes no doubt it is not as convenient right now, but it works !!!
Anyone would like to craft a Autohotkey script for us poor Powermarkers and figure out how to use "Launch External Windows Applications Directly From Firefox"
-patteo (September 10, 2008, 09:15 AM)
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I mentioned a while back that the ""Launch External Windows Applications Directly From Firefox" does not seem to operate properly with Firefox 3."
Well, I just discovered that the Firefox Add-On extension IE Tab has an option that allows you to launch an External Application.
It works when you Crtl+Click the IE Tab BUTTON.
This could be used to launch a compiled Autohotkey script such as the one written by Twinkler.
So this could be THE solution for the clickable button solution that I was looking for.
When I can find sometime to work this out, I'll post again.
But of course whoever wants to beat me to this is most welcomed.
I suspect there may be other Add-ons that has a hidden option to launch an external program that we are not aware of.
That it happened to be part of the IE Tab Add-on is just a conincidence.
superboyac:
Thanks Patteo, your info here so far has been great.
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