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Duplicated, not merged!
How do I get foxmarks to recognize that folders with the same name should be merged and not duplicated?
I often get bookmark folders duplicated instead of simply merging them together. Why does foxmarks do that and how do I turn that off?
Seems straightforward enough: Folder named 'cars' and folder named 'cars' are one in the same, not two different folders!
I often get bookmark folders duplicated instead of simply merging them together. Why does foxmarks do that and how do I turn that off?
Seems straightforward enough: Folder named 'cars' and folder named 'cars' are one in the same, not two different folders!
I’m frustrated
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Inappropriate?The "merge" process only happens under two conditions:
- A computer is synchronizing with Foxmarks for the first time, and there are already bookmarks on the server, or
- Another computer has uploaded bookmarks to the server.
Neither of those cases is "normal" synchronization, so if you find that you're doing merges quite often, the problem is likely that there are too many uploads happening with your Foxmarks account, or else you're adding new computers very frequently (and they're all pre-loaded with your bookmarks?).
The merge algorithm is actually pretty smart about merging duplicate folders, but if the other folder named "cars" is stored in a different folder, we have to assume that it's not a duplicate, and thus needs to be retained. -
Inappropriate?Well, *of course* the second 'cars' folder is a different folder. But foxmarks should recognize two folders with the same name as the same folder. That seems pretty straightforward enough. Why would anyone want two folders with the same exact name?!?
I don't know what is 'normal' synchronization and what isn't. I just know that I have multiple duplicate folders (and sub-folders) with the same name and that contain the same bookmarks.
Something is wrong with your
merge algorithm. How can that not be clear?
I’m frustrated
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Inappropriate?Easy there Duriel. I have two folders named "Credit Cards" one has links to my personal credit card accounts. The other is in a "Finances" subfolder of my business related bookmarks. I do NOT want them merged, and I don't want to change the name of either one.1 Comment
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This answers the question
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Easy yourself, Adagio. If the same named folder is at the same level as another folder with the same name, they should be considered the same folder. Your example doesn't apply and is obviously completely different. 'Easy there', indeed. -
Inappropriate?Sorry for the confusion about "normal" synchronization--I simply meant bookmark synchronization that doesn't include an upload. If you're still having trouble with duplicated entries, please EMAIL us your foxmarks.log information as described on this page:
http://wiki.foxmarks.com/wiki/Foxmark...
And Adagio is right; what works for one person may not work for everyone.
Things shouldn't be getting duplicated, though, unless you're doing something unusual on one of your computers (e.g., performing an upload).1 Comment Add a comment
This answers the question
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I e-mailed you the file. I got this:
This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification.
Delivery to the following recipients failed.
foxmarks@helpdesk.kei.com
So much for *that* idea. -
Inappropriate?No, Adagio is not right. No one is suggesting that /FolderA/FolderB and /FolderB are the same folder and should be merged. They are two very different folders due to hierarchy.
I'm not performing an upload. And this has happened again and again, which is why I'm finally contacting you after many months of frustrating, manual duplicate removal and merging.
I'd really just had enough. One time, okay, maybe it's my mistake or just a system fart. But time after time after time after time...no.
If I could delete bookmarks on the my.foxmark page in grid view, that would make handling these damned duplicates a bit easier, albeit manual.
I just don't see why foxmarks doesn't see that /FolderA/FolderB and /FolderA/FolderB should be considered the same. At least provide an option for it, for pete's sake.
I’m frustrated
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Inappropriate?Duriel,
The challenge here is that while you've clearly expressed the problem you're having, you haven't said anything about what you're doing that leads to the problem, which is why you see Eric speculating that perhaps you're doing uploads and merges.
I believe you're assuming that typical usage leads to the duplication problem that you're seeing, but I can assure you it does not -- it if did, there would be loads of complaints and, frankly, we would have addressed it long ago.
Which all leads to the conclusion that you're doing something atypical. Can you describe (with as much detail as you can muster) what you're doing?
-Todd -
Inappropriate?I'm not assuming *anything*.
Even if I was doing uploads and merges, which I'm not, why would Foxmarks handle the same named folders as anything other than two folders that should be merged together?
Again, what is the logic of ignoring the existence of the same named folder, creating a duplicate instead of merging?
Regardless of the cause, what is the solution, other than another round of tedious manual 'un-duping' which will then get undone at some future date for some unknown or mysterious reason?
In SQL terms, how do I do a SELECT DISTINCT on the bookmarks to get rid of the growing redundancy in my bookmark folders?
I’m frustrated
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Inappropriate?Duriel,
A folder's name is not its identity. Firefox allows you to have two folders with the same name within the same parent folder. Why someone would want to do this is a philosophical question, but it's definitely supported by Firefox and by Foxmarks too.
Synchronization is not merging. If you add a folder on one machine and then add a folder on another machine, you have added two folders; synchronization in this context means replicating those additions so that the end result is a unified set of bookmarks that is the same no matter which changes were made where, and also no matter the order in which your computers were synchronized.
So, for example, if you add a folder named Cars on one computer and then add a folder named Cars on another computer, the net result is that you have added two folders named Cars. Foxmarks will not combine them, which is what I gather what you would like to see happen. Instead, you'll have two folders named Cars. If you don't want this to happen, make sure you sync both computers after adding the first folder; it will then appear on the second computer so you don't have to create it.
As above, we don't yet have tools to do duplicate detection and elimination, though we are considering developing them. But we also don't believe that Foxmarks contributes to a proliferation of duplicates, which is what you seem to be saying. Instead, what we understand you to mean is "I keep adding folders with duplicate names." To which we respond (like the doctor to the patient who says "Doctor! It's hurts when I lift my arm like this!"): well, don't do that.
As above, it would really help inform this discussion if you'd tell us what you're doing. -
Inappropriate?Well, I never said that I was adding folders with duplicate names, so I'll thank you NOT to make up statements, attribute them to me falsely and then belittle them.
I did NOT add the same folder name twice.
Clearly you people either don't see folder duplication as a problem or want to resort to Strawman tactics, so I'll exit now and try some other product or solution. -
Inappropriate?Duriel,
I'm sorry that you were offended by my attempt at humor. I shall refrain from such henceforth. That will be a challenge -- I mean, look at me.
Anyway, to the extent that Foxmarks is causing unwanted duplication of folders in people's bookmark sets, we are definitely interested in understanding and solving that problem; I would think that the time obviously invested in this dialog serves as evidence of our diligence in this matter.
The challenge here is that we don't see what you're seeing, and you haven't told us anything about what you're doing that might produce the problem. We've resorted to guessing, but we haven't guessed correctly.
Perhaps someone else reading this thread experiencing the same problem will shed some light. In the meantime, we'll understand if you've decided to seek another solution. -
This reply was removed on 10/03/08.
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This comment was removed on 10/03/08.
see the change log -
This comment was removed on 10/03/08.
see the change log -
This comment was removed on 10/03/08.
see the change log -
Inappropriate?I've had the same problem as Duriel - it began with Firefox 3 - prior to that I had no issues. My assumption is that it has something to do with the new folders FF3 created. I was doing nothing special except that over time I began to notice multiple (sometimes up to 5 times). I did not create new folders, but apparently, the already synch'ed bookmarks would just fully repeat in the list.
I've tried a few things to correct this problem (none of which have worked):
1. Deleted all extra bookmarks
2. Upload and overwrite synch file from one machine
3. Download and overwrite bookmarks on all synchronized machines
That would look like it worked... only to discover days later that the symptom had returned. I'm really baffled and I can't see what I might be doing differently. Perhaps another add-on is causing some conflict?
Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
I’m frustrated
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This answers the question
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doulos2k: Other add-ons could potentially cause this behavior if they're loading and re-loading the bookmark collection from another source. Even the Firefox restore feature can cause this behavior. What other extensions do you use?
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I found a free app that solves your problem.
It's called AM-Deadlink and it's free. http://www.aignes.com/deadlink.htm
It gets rid of *ALL* duplicates, leaving just unique URL. Outstanding...finally, I got rid of the hundreds of duplicates I had, just like you.
Sadly, it doesn't get rid of the duplicate folders Foxmarks creates.
I wish Foxmarks would recognize that they have a *real* problem, that *real* people are experiencing this bug and that they would simply provide the option (should be default) to reject the creation of duplicate folders at the same level and duplicate bookmarks within the same folder, but apparently they would prefer to blame other add-ins. -
Inappropriate?Hmm - none of my add-ons are related to my bookmarks in any way. How would the FF restore feature do this?1 Comment Add a comment
This answers the question
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Are you using any restore feature? When bookmarks are restored from backups within Firefox, they're assigned new identifiers, and Foxmarks treats them as the new bookmarks they are, which can look like it's creating copies of bookmarks, when in reality it's just preserving the backup copy along with the original.
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Inappropriate?i have 3 computers cofigured in foxmarks
p3
p4
laptop
and
had firefox installed on my main computer
added foxmarks import favo en synct with server. in profile p4
done same profile p3
done same with profile laptop
nou days later get many duplicated folders what went wrong??
what am i doing false??
please help...
I’m confused
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Inappropriate?anthony68: Are you using the Foxmarks for IE beta software? The most recent release has fixes for duplication of bookmarks and folders.
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Inappropriate?anthony68: Okay, thanks, just wanted to be sure. Have you done any uploads of your bookmarks recently? Do you have a way to reliably replicate the duplication of folders? This isn't something I've had any luck in replicating.
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Inappropriate?now my foxmarks is sync
i have uploaded my bookmarks en downloaded it on two computers
now there's no duplicate folder .
current situation;
master computer with bookmarks p4 saved bookmarks in html and syct upload to server
slave computer p3 downloaded sync
slave laptop downloaded sync
all bookmarks are sync and i get every time qwestion if i want to merge or download
witch must i choose??
I’m confused
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Inappropriate?anthony68: When you upload from one computer, that resets the bookmarks on the server, and then other browsers need to know whether they should just overwrite their bookmarks with what's on the server, or if you want to try to merge any differences between the two bookmark collections. Thus, "download" or "merge".
Merging is safest, but can result in some duplicate folders if you don't have your bookmarks set up in a very similar folder hierarchy. -
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Inappropriate?AM-DeadLink 3.3 found a total of 6,058 bookmarks to check the validity of (those links that end up with error codes of 401, 500, etc)...after deleting 219 confirmed error code eliciting 'deadlinks', the list was then checked for duplicates at which point the application found 3,992 duplicates for discarding, leaving me with a much more understandable bookmark list count of 1,847 items. At this point I have whittled it down to a mere 1,419 items within the 94 parent level folder in the hierarchy tree, which considering that there have been two people sharing one list is a pretty good number.
Throughout out the entire process I have saved multiple BAKups of my bookmarks.
Mind you, I began the afternoon by trying to 'manually' take control of the folder tree hierarchy.
I think that (1) I may have done the initial setup incorrectly; (2) I was hoping/expecting for a slightly different end result from the product; (3) I have since upgraded not only to Firefox 3.0.* but am now running FF 3.5.* (this is on my ASUS desktop which is running on WinXP SP2 and IE 7), the only other computer sharing the bookmarks is a one year old Dell Vostro laptop with someone else as the default user on it and running Firefox 3.0.* with WinXP SP3 and IE 7 (Yes, I am stubborn and untrusting of 'fresh out of the box' softwares because they tend to not have all the bugs out of them by the time they release it out of the betas and release candidates statuses); (4) I then upgraded FoxMarks to XMarks; (5) then came the Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer integrations. I am just waaaay happy that I didn't put it in Opera and thankfully I have yet to find a Google Chrome plugin.
I was hoping to organize a list, customized and all, and upload it to the XMarks server, then have the laptop user install and login to the account and download the "master" bookmark list, then when either one of us adds a bookmark from our respective computers, they would upload to XMarks and when the second computer came along and logged in, it would then download and overwrite the 'older' list in the respective browser browser.
Its been sooo long since I installed FoxMarks originally that I can barely remember, but I think I chose the server as the 'master' directory and possibly I remember the word 'merge'...I am almost sure that these are my recollections...I think. LOL
Right now I am going to just go about syncing the two pcs the good old fashioned way of import/export/manual-edit with the occasional check with AM-DeadLink in case I miss a duplicate.
Don't get me wrong, if there is some way to make XMarks do what I need it to, then I would love to continue to use it because, even though there is a LARGE duplicate issue going on in my case, it still was a VERY useful extension to use. -
Inappropriate?I'm trying out XMarks for Chrome Alpha. As per many users I also ended up with a lot of duplicates. I tried installing Duplicate Bookmark Detector (an extension for Firefox), which removed all my duplicate bookmarks, but now I'm left with a whole lot of duplicate folders, most of which are empty.
I agree that merging folders should not be part of the normal sync process. However I strongly suggest you add two functions under 'Tools' in my.xmarks.com
1) Delete duplicate bookmarks (regardless of their location in the folder hierarchy)
2) Merge similar folders (provided that their parent folder is the same).
Because these actions will be manual user-instantiated actions, the user takes responsibility for them.
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Inappropriate?I don't understand why this is still a problem and why the developers continue to fight this. There isn't any logical reason for have two or more of the same folder names under the same parent, so why would xmarks even allow it?
Amazing that this problem has been going on for more than a year! -
Inappropriate?I'm running Xmarks under Firefox 3.5 under two computers and have the same problem.
I often get folders that become duplicated by Xmarks, even some that will be created empty (the bookmarks inside are not duplicated). Sometime, the folder and bookmarks even get duplicated at a different folder level!?! So for:
-> RootFolder\FolderA\FolderB\FolderC
A new FolderC will be created and like this:
-> RootFolder\FolderC
Also when syncing, I sometimes get told that a duplicate already exists and I get a choice of adding as a duplicate or canceling. Why can't I get a choice to just say ‘don’t add’? Because canceling, cancel all of the the sync, but the problem will return the next time the sync is done. And even adding the file as a duplicate doesn't work as it will ask me the question again the next time it syncs!
I've tried manually merging everything and forcing an upload back to the server and then re-syncing both computer but after a while the problem occurs again.
The problem seems to come from the fact that often my bookmarks change on both computers before they are synced back onto the server. So a merge is needed by Xmarks.
This has gotten so annoying (duplicate folders and repeat dialog warning of duplicate bookmarks) that I have 'very sadly' stopped using it for now until a solution is found!
Two possible solution to help on this:
1) Using the time stamp of bookmarks and folders to know that they are the same.
2) As mentioned before, an option to ignore duplicates and merge folders that have the same name (at the same folder level of course) would be a very efficient solution for most users.
I’m sad and frustrated!
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This answers the question
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Yep...use the tool I mentioned previously to get rid of the duplicate bookmarks, but the duplicate folders are very annoying...yet the foxmarks/xmarks people don't believe they exist! Very aggrevating and it would seem that it would be a very simple fix: Merge bookmarks from the same named folders. Simple.
I get RootFolder\FolderA\FolderB\FolderC and RootFolder\FolderA\FolderB\FolderC...two identically named folders in the same path structure, yet the vendor doesn't believe these exist. -
Inappropriate?This is no longer a Firefox only issue. Xmarks is used by other browsers as well. Some Firefox plugin to remove duplicates is therefore NOT a solution.2 Comments Add a comment
This answers the question
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It isn't a firefox plugin.
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Sorry, I wasn't referring to your suggestion. I was just saying in general. Other threads have mostly mentioned Firefox plugins.
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Inappropriate?AM-Deadlink works with any browser, as you export your bookmarks to a file that it then de-dupes. You then re-import the bookmarks after nuking your existing ones.
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Inappropriate?I've had this issue for about a week now. Before, Xmarks was a boon, since I have three machines and 6 virtual machines running on them, not to mention my work computer. The ability to sync all was a time saver. Now, the opposite is true.
I will say that I actually never sync; only upload and download, but still get duplicate bookmarks in other folders, and even duplicate folders. I also just upgraded them all to 3.3.3 today with the hope that maybe it's solved. Then I cleaned up one of the instances of firefox, uploaded then downloaded to all 10 versions I'm running.
If this doesn't work, I'll have to pull the plug on Xmarks because it's taking up too much of my time. Pity since it's an incredible product, when it works...
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