IDEA: Stand alone bookmarks toolbar

[app103]

How come most browsers do not allow you to have multiple bookmarks toolbars?

I would love to have a stand alone application that could allow me to point it at a folder of bookmarks and it would add the contents to a toolbar.

Some features it has to have:

• must be able to set folders on the toolbar, that when clicked will access a menu containing the links and subfolders of that folder. (not just links on the toolbar)

• must display the icon associated with those bookmarks, and/or allow you to set an icon for each item. If there is no icon available or selected, show the default folder icon or icon for default browser.

• allow the addition of multiple rows with more folders.

• links must open in default browser. (command line parameter to set a browser path other than default would be nice too, but not necessary)

• must be able to display new additions of both folders & bookmarks automatically if the contents should change while the program is running.

• must support drag & drop of items & folders for reorganizing, allow adding, editing, and deleting of items/folders

• must stay always on top

• must be resizable

• rows must be slim in size like in this image so it won't take up much screen space:

Basically what I am looking for is more bookmark toolbar rows compatible with existing folders of IE bookmarks. If it can handle the bookmark files of Firefox, Opera, and a few others too, that would be a nice bonus.

[housetier]

This is quite an interesting idea. Not for me, but I can fully understand why people want this.

Also this STABOOM (stand alone bookmark master) could <marketing-buzz>integrate</marketing-buzz> with the likes of del.icio.us or beautiful ma.gnolia.com so you could not only synchronize between browsers but also between workstations.

And when we make sure to require a lot more features it will never get done  So that idea is just an idea one might find interesting.

[app103]

Also this STABOOM (stand alone bookmark master) could <marketing-buzz>integrate</marketing-buzz> with the likes of del.icio.us or beautiful ma.gnolia.com so you could not only synchronize between browsers but also between workstations.

STABOOM...I like that name 

[mouser]

it would be fun if we could gather some toolbar coders here at dc and then keep coming up with new toolbar ideas..

[app103]

I still want this. 

[Sheer Novelty]

no need to reinvent the bridge

[app103]

Here is the link for Bookmark Bridge:

http://bookmarkbridge.sourceforge.net/

From what I can see, that isn't anything like what I wanted. That seems to be a syncronyzing tool. It doesn't add any additional toolbars to any browser, and doesn't act as a substitute for the toolbars.

The idea that you can only have a single toolbar in any browser to hold your bookmarks has irritated me with just about every browser I have ever used. Why can't you have more than 1 for that purpose? Am I the only person that hates when the bookmarks toolbar gets overloaded and you get the button at the end of the row rather than the ability to have a second row?

I put folders on mine in order to have the ability to pack more on there. But there are only so many folders you can add before you run out of space in that single row, any way.

I figured a stand alone set of nice, pretty, slim rows of stuff (that open in whatever the default browser is) would take care of the problem, no matter what browser I choose to use.

[wraith808]

What does this point

* allow the addition of multiple rows with more folders.

mean?

[skrommel]

I started coding this tool last night, but then I remembered that Explorer can do this too!

Just create a shortcut to your favorites folder on the desktop, and drag the icon to one of the screen's edges. When you drop it, it creates a toolbar!

Now rightclick it's handle, and select Always on top. To make it more usable, detach it from the edge by dragging it's handle and dropping it somewhere in the middle of the screen. Then resize it to make it as small as possible to make the folders in your favorites work properly.

Now you have a tiny, floating, always on top favorites toolbar that you can move where you like, edit and update at will.

Skrommel

[app103]

Yes, I know about that, and normally I have a giant toolbar just like my giant taskbar, full of program shortcuts and other stuff. I don't think I could handle a 3rd one. 

Plus it doesn't have the same behavior I am looking for with folders on it. When you click a folder, it will open those folders in explorer rather than giving you a menu to the contents of that folder, unless you set it up to show only the title of the root folder on the toolbar and slide it so nothing that is on the toolbar shows, except the title. (I used to do this with 'desktop' toolbar and could access entire contents of my pc through the 'my computer' menu, if I felt like navigating through the menu maze)

What I would really love is the look & feel of a set of browser toolbars, independent of any browser, that will mimic the behavior found in the bookmarks toolbar but give you a lot more freedom and allow additional rows.

To be totally honest, I think my real wish is that browser developers would just get with it and allow users to have more bookmarks toolbars, and I think any other solution would be just attempting to pacify my cries for that, but never quite hitting the mark.

Maybe some day I will create a deskbar/IE toolbar that will do exactly what I am thinking, and at least give IE users the additional rows, that in my opinion should have already been possible.

[skrommel]

But won't a regular toolbar get in the way?

Anyway, here's a very early version of BookmarkBar so you can test if it's a practical approach.

Resize by editing the width:= line, no sortinging or reordering

The first time you run it, it has to fetch the favicons, so just hang in there!

Skrommel @ 2008

Code

;BookmarkBar.ahk
; A standalone toolbar for your bookmarks
;Skrommel @ 2008

favorites=
width:=A_ScreenWidth
maxlines=33
wrap:=100
columnwidth=200

#NoEnv
#SingleInstance,Force
SetBatchLines,-1
SetWinDelay,0
CoordMode,Mouse,Screen

applicationname=BookmarkBar

FileCreateDir,FavIcons
Gui,1:Color,FFFFFF
Gui,1:Margin,0,0
Gui,1:+ToolWindow +Border +AlwaysOnTop +OwnDialogs
x=0
counter=0
If favorites=
  RegRead,favorites,HKEY_CURRENT_USER,Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders,Favorites

SplitPath,favorites,,,,name_no_ext,
counter+=1
Gui,1:Add,Picture,V1%counter% GMENU x+%x% w16 h-1 Icon14,%A_WinDir%\Explorer.exe
Gui,1:Add,Text,V2%counter% GMENU x+0,%name_no_ext%
Loop,%favorites%\*.url,0,0
{
  list%counter%:=list%counter% . A_LoopFileLongPath "`n"
  IniRead,iconfile,%A_LoopFileLongPath%,InternetShortcut,IconFile
  SplitPath,A_LoopFileLongPath,,,,name_no_ext
  icon:=name_no_ext
  IfNotExist,FavIcons\%icon%.ico
    UrlDownloadToFile,*0 %iconfile%,FavIcons\%icon%.ico
}
x=10

Loop,%favorites%\*.*,1,1
{
  IfInString,A_LoopFileAttrib,D
  {
    GuiControlGet,pos,Pos,2%counter%
    If (posX+posW>width-wrap)
    {
      Gui,1:Add,Text,xm yp+17 w0
      x=0
    }
    counter+=1
    Gui,1:Add,Picture,V1%counter% GMENU x+%x% w16 h-1 Icon14,%A_WinDir%\Explorer.exe
    Gui,1:Add,Text,V2%counter% GMENU x+0, %A_LoopFileName%
    If x=0
      x=10
    list%counter%=
    Loop,%A_LoopFileLongPath%\*.*,0,0
    {
      list%counter%:=list%counter% . A_LoopFileLongPath "`n"
      IniRead,iconfile,%A_LoopFileLongPath%,InternetShortcut,IconFile
      SplitPath,A_LoopFileLongPath,,,,name_no_ext
      icon:=name_no_ext
      IfNotExist,FavIcons\%icon%.ico
        UrlDownloadToFile,*0 %iconfile%,FavIcons\%icon%.ico
    }
  }
}

Gui,1:Show,W%width%,%applicationname%
Return


MENU:
MouseGetPos,mx,my
mx+=10
my+=10
Gui,2:Destroy
Gui,2:Color,FFFFFF
Gui,2:Margin,1,1
Gui,2:+ToolWindow +AlwaysOnTop -Caption +Border +Owner1
StringTrimLeft,control,A_GuiControl,1
x=1
y=1
lines=0
Loop,parse,list%control%,`n
{
  If (lines>maxlines)
  {
    x:=x+columnwidth+27
    y=1
    lines=0
    Gui,2:Add,Text,x%x% ym w0
  }
  lines+=1
  SplitPath,A_LoopField,name,,,name_no_ext,
  IniRead,url%A_Index%,%A_LoopField%,InternetShortcut,URL
  IniRead,iconfile,%A_LoopField%,InternetShortcut,IconFile
  IniRead,iconindex,%A_LoopField%,InternetShortcut,IconIndex
  IfExist,%iconfile%
    Gui,2:Add,Picture,V3%lines% GURL x%x% yp+%y% w16 h-1 Icon%iconindex%,%iconfile%
  Else
  {
    icon:=name_no_ext
    IfExist,FavIcons\%icon%.ico
      Gui,2:Add,Picture,V3%A_Index% GURL x%x% yp+%y% w16 h-1 Icon%iconindex%,FavIcons\%icon%.ico
    Else
      Gui,2:Add,Picture,V3%A_Index% GURL x%x% yp+%y% w16 h-1 Icon15,%A_WinDir%\Explorer.exe
  }
  If y=1
    y=17
  If name_no_ext<>
    Gui,2:Add,Text,V4%A_Index% GURL x+0 w%columnwidth% -Wrap,%name_no_ext%
  Else
  {
    url:=url%A_Index%
    Gui,2:Add,Text,V4%A_Index% GURL x+0 w%columnwidth% -Wrap,%url%
  }
}
Gui,2:Show,X%mx% Y%my%,%applicationname%
Return


URL:
StringTrimLeft,control,A_GuiControl,1
url:=url%control%
Run,%url%
Return


1GuiClose:
ExitApp

[Nod5]

This is a good idea app103!

It got me thinking... I'm looking for some way to have very quick access to a list of advanced searches on a whole set of bookmarks. Launchers like FARR can be used for that (that's what I'm using right now) but a specialized bookmark toolbar could be even faster for some purposes. So in addition to the regular folders on the toolbar (each folder acting as a dropdown menu for all bookmarks within it), there could also be some dropdown menus that list the results from advanced searches on a large set of bookmarks (Example: one dropdown meny lists the 20 most recent bookmarks with tag ____ in the name and with domain ___ in the URL).

[superboyac]

(slightly OT and not particularly useful)
Powermarks is (was) the greatest bookmark tool ever made.

[housetier]

How about SQLNotes? 

[app103]

I recently discovered that K-Meleon allows you to have 3 bookmark toolbars, one each for your Mozilla, Opera, and IE favs, and allows you to add links to all of them. And you don't need to have Opera installed to have that 3rd one!

I think it is the first/only browser to do that. 

Skrommel,

I will test your ahk script when I am on a decent pc. Not sure when that will be, but as soon as I am and I try it, I'll let you know what I think. This pc I am stuck using right now is just way too old & slow to run much stuff and I have had to live without most of my favorite software just to be able to run the bare necessities.

[psionics]

I hope this may help: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/faview.html