MFL 195:
ORGANIZING NETSCAPE BOOKMARKS


 
Sooner or later, the question of bookmarks in Netscape inevitably comes up.  If you've been surfing the net for over a week, you now have a list of totally unmanageable bookmarks.  Surely, there has to be a better way than to string them all out in one long disorderly list.  Indeed, there is.

To add a bookmark

The quick and dirty way to bookmark a web site is simply to click on "Bookmark" then "Add a bookmark."  That's what got you into trouble in the first place because when you do that, Netscape just adds the bookmark to the bottom of the list.  Eventually you are wallowing in bookmark backwater.

Folders

Let's get ourselves organized.  You can organize bookmarks into folders the same way you organize the hard drive of your computer by using folders.  To create a folder, click on "Bookmarks" then "Edit Bookmarks."  The bookmark window opens up.  Highlight (click once on) the top item that should say "Bookmarks for XXX."  Then click on "file" then "new" then "folder".  When the dialogue box opens up, give the folder a name and click OK.  You now have a folder into which you can put bookmarks that belong in that category.

Bookmarking the New Way

Now instead of "dumping" bookmarks into the bookmark file, you have an efficient way to file them properly where they belong (theoretically).  I have found the following to be the most efficient procedure for bookmarking:

  1. Highlight the URL of the site you wish to bookmark; press CTRL +C to copy the URL to the clipboard.
  2. Now open the bookmark file - click on "bookmark" then "edit bookmarks".
  3. Highlight (by clicking once on) the folder into which you want to plop your bookmark.
  4. Now click on "file" then "new bookmark."  When the dialogue box opens up, name the site, and when you get to the URL box, just press CTRL +V to copy the URL into the bookmark. 
  5. You can use the description box for any notes you may want to make about the site.
  6. Click "OK" and you're done.
By using CTRL + C to copy and CTRL + V to paste, you will avoid making those pesky typos in URLs that render them totally useless.

To view the contents of a folder:

  1. Open the bookmark file ("bookmarks" then "edit bookmarks")
  2. To the left of the folder, you will see a + sign - click on it and the contents of the folder will be revealed.
  3. To close the folder, click on what is now a - sign.
To view the contents of a bookmark after it has been created
  1. Open the bookmark file (you know the drill now)
  2. Place your cursor over the bookmark you want to view
  3. Click the RIGHT mouse button - a menu will pop up
  4. At the bottom of the menu is "Properties" - click on it
  5. Voilà - you're back to the original bookmark notations
To delete a bookmark (or a folder):
  1. Click on "bookmarks" then "edit bookmarks."
  2. Highlight (click once on) the bookmark you want to delete.
  3. Hit the delete key on your keyboard.  It's history.
To move a bookmark (or a folder):
  1. Click on "bookmarks" then "edit bookmarks."
  2. Click on the file or folder you want to move, do not release the mouse button but hang on and drag it to its new home.
  3. Release the left mouse button and it will move in to its new location.
Now where is that bookmark/site/reference????
  1. You've become so adept at bookmarking you now have 1,894 bookmarks.  Even with the best of filing systems, you won't remember where you put things.
  2. That's where CTRL + F comes in.
  3. From within the bookmark file, to find a word, a site, a URL, hold down the Control key and press F ("Find in bookmarks").  Type in the word or phrase you want to locate and click OK.
  4. Netscape will find and highlight the first occurrence of the item.  To go to the next occurrence, press CTRL + G.
Personal Toolbar Folder
  1. This is one of the least used but most useful folders in the bookmark file.  You can put other folders or files in this folder.
  2. When you do, they will appear in the row at the top of the screen just under the URL box.
  3. I use this personal toolbar folder to put bookmarks I use every day.  Try bookmarking the Web Design Workshop home page onto the Personal toolbar folder.
  4. To access the site, all you have to do is click on the icon on the Personal Toolbar - you don't even have to open up the bookmark file.
History

Bookmarks provide a convenient way to get back to a site you visited a long time ago.  But there is another feature of Netscape that makes return visits even easier.  When you've been working on the web for awhile, you've built up a history of sites you've visited.  One way to return to them is to keep hitting the "back" button a gazillion times until you get back to where you were an hour ago.  A more efficient way is to use the "history" feature.  Anytime you are in Netscape, you can press CTRL + H and a window containing the history of all the sites you've visited will pop up.  You can set how long to keep the history (one day, one week, one month, etc.) by clicking on "Edit" (in Netscape) then "Preferences."  Highlight "Navigator" in the white menu box on the left.  You will see a line that says:  "Pages in history expire after ___ days."  You can set this for as long (or as short) as you like.  Right next to it is a button that says "Clear History."  If your history has gotten entirely too long, clear it out.  The history feature of Netscape is a backup for that great site you stumbled across yesterday but forgot to bookmark.
 



 

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MFL 195 Page
This page was created by Pat Pecoy
Last updated June 28, 1999