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xbrowsersync / app

xBrowserSync browser extensions / mobile app
GNU General Public License v3.0
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Ensuring Bookmark Safety with Xbrowsersync #484

Open maroofmedia opened 3 months ago

maroofmedia commented 3 months ago

Hello,

I've been a long-time user of Xbrowsersync and have always been impressed with its functionality. However, I have two concerns that I'd like to address:

  1. Bookmark Backup: Is there a way to export bookmarks from Xbrowsersync to an external storage device? This would allow me to regularly back up my bookmarks in case something goes wrong with the service. I recently experienced a two-day outage with the API on my mobile app, which highlighted the importance of having a backup.

  2. Device Replacement: If I were to lose my current device, how can I retrieve my bookmarks on a new device? Since Xbrowsersync doesn't use accounts, I'm wondering if noting down the sync ID and using it on the new device would work. Could someone confirm if this is the correct procedure?

Thank you for your time and assistance.

SPQRBob commented 3 months ago

Note: I am not a contributor to this project; just a long-time user of it.

  1. In the Settings of the XBrowserSync browser extension (gear icon when you click the extension), there is a 'BACKUP' option which exports your bookmarks in plain-text JSON formatted file which you choose where to save. You can likewise import or 'RESTORE' your bookmarks into XBrowserSync from this JSON file on the same device or another if you do not want or are unable to use your Sync ID and encryption password (corruption, accidental deletion, etc.).

  2. As you probably got from the end of the 1st answer, your Sync ID and encryption password will restore your bookmarks from the xbrowsersync.org service's servers (or your own, if self-hosted).

maroofmedia commented 3 months ago

Hi, thank you for your response. However, I noticed that the backup option only provides a JSON format, which is not compatible with most browsers' import bookmark features. This limits our ability to easily migrate to a different browser or syncing service.

createchange commented 2 months ago

@maroofmedia, I just wrote a tool for that. I'm not planning on supporting it whatsoever, but I did test importing the converted HTML file (which both Chrome and Firefox support), and it worked in both browsers.

There are binaries on the release page for various OS and architecture types. If there an a release missing for you, let me know and I can patch that in.You'll see how to get to those binaries in the README.

YMMV, but hopefully it helps: https://gitlab.com/createchange/xbs_bookmarks_converter