Porting Bookmarks

[Bigaldoc]

I sure would like some advice on the best way to port Firefox bookmarks from one place to another !!!

I have a desktop that is still my primary computer. I also have a laptop that I use only several times each week. They are both running the latest versions of Fx.

In the past several days I've made a number of changes to my bookmarks on the desktop machine - quite a number as a matter of fact. I'd like to get those revised bookmarks onto the laptop and the ONLY way I've been able to succeed is to copy the whole @#$%^& Fx profile from the desktop to the laptop. THAT WORKS but it's a pain in the tush.

I've tried IMPORTING the bookmarks from the desktop and that stinks as it doesn't "replace" but just adds to an already existing file.

I tried to make a bookmark BACKUP on the desktop (.JSON file) and RESTORE that onto the laptop but it doesn't seem to do anything. I've also tried to DELETE ALL the bookmarks on the laptop, thinking that might be the problem but Fx isn't "willing" to do that.

Does anyone have a tutorial for me, please?

[PaulB]

Al, have you looked into Firefox Sync? (Firefox button>Options>Sync tab) I haven't used this myself, but it appears to address your issues.

[Bigaldoc]

Well, I just might have to give it a try. I've avoided it only because I don't "trust" relying on a 3rd party for data that's "valuable" to me. But, I guess it wouldn't hurt to give it a whirl, if only for the bookmarks part of it.

Thanks, I'd forgotten it was even there.

[stuck]

Have you read this on exporting/importing FF bookmarks as a HTML file?
http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/Exp ... TML%20file

Ken
edited to add; FF stores bookmarks in a file called places.sqlite, which you'll find in your profile. In theory all you need to do is copy that one file form one PC to the other, ensuring FF isn't when either the copy or the paste is made.

[John Gray]

'Swhat I do!

[Bigaldoc]

Have you read this on exporting/importing FF bookmarks as a HTML file?
http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/Exp ... TML%20file

Yes, I've tried the export/import route but when I import to the other machine it doesn't REPLACE what's already there, but rather adds all to the already existing bookmarks. Maybe I've missed a tick-box, I'm not sure.

I never thought of copying JUST the places.sqlite file. Silly me, I've been copying the whole profile!

Since it's uncharted territory for me, I'm going to try Paul's suggestion of the SYNCH method later today. It allows a number of selections of what you want to synch, so I'm going to try just bookmarks since it's just two machines in my little world.

[Argus]

Yes, I've tried the export/import route but when I import to the other machine it doesn't REPLACE what's already there, but rather adds all to the already existing bookmarks. Maybe I've missed a tick-box, I'm not sure.

Nothing missed, that's expected.
I did a comment to an earlier thread on the topic, and as you have noticed there's a difference between using import and restore. "Adds to" and "replace".

Replacing Bookmarks

But I saw you had problem with the restore, as mentioned in the OP.

[Bigaldoc]

Thanks Argus. Yes, I flunked with the backup and restore. The backup created the .JSON file nicely. When I went to the laptop, selected Restore, I picked "select file" since I didn't want to restore a backup already on the laptop.

So, I drilled to the .JSON file and selected it but I didn't get any messages and it appeared nothing had happened to the bookmarks. I closed Fx and restarted but that didn't change anything.

Anyhow, I just fired up the laptop and proceeded with Paul's suggestion about Synch. What a snap... worked like a charm and only took a few minutes to setup and link the two machines. I don't know what the time interval will be when the two Firefoxes do the synch "on their own." But when I was finished with the setup I went to Tools and clicked Synch Now and in about two seconds the bookmarks on the laptop were updated. (I had made about half a dozen changes on the desktop this morning, so I knew what to watch for.)

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I WILL followup some more on that .JSON route to see why it appeared not to work.

[Bigaldoc]

I'll continue my experiential learning here.

Continuing to test, I made some bookmark changes on the laptop while the desktop was sitting at my Fx home page. After making the changes on the laptop, I watched the desktop as I continued surfing elsewhere. I checked on it after about 15 minutes and the desktop had not been synch'd so I figured the time interval must be longer than "soon."

I said ho-hum and shut the laptop down for later in the day.

I didn't think any more about it for about an hour when I noticed that those bookmarks HAD been changed on the desktop.

Can't seem to find a page describing the "interval" so it must be that when I shut the laptop down, the data was uploaded to the Mozilla synch server and later added to the desktop. Doesn't matter too much 'cause there's always the "Synch Now" selection in the Fx Options menu.

I like it so far...