Index · Features · E-mail · Contact List · News Reader · Messaging · Bookmarks · Security · Contact Home

# Bookmarks in Opera

The Opera bookmark list offers a unique way of creating, storing and utilizing bookmarks in a browser. Fully compatible with Internet Explorer's Favorites and Netscape Navigator Bookmarks, the bookmark list is a brilliant tool recognized for its powerful, yet highly intuitive, bookmarking features. In this document you'll find a thorough walk-through of its features; those obvious at the offset and those particular to Opera, which will soon become second nature as you get to know the inner workings of the Opera bookmark list.

Top!

## Introduction to the Bookmark list

Bookmarks are a kind of shortcut to Internet sites and pages, consisting of a name for the shortcut, a Universal Resource Identifier (the URI) which is the Internet Address, and often a short description. The term "bookmark" was made famous by Netscape Navigator, but is now a general term for any personal collection of URI's on a computer or the Internet. Opera's bookmark list differs from bookmarking lists in other applications, and is a flexible, customizable tool for managing "bookmarks", both those that come already entered with the browser when you install it as well as those you yourself add to it.

The bookmark list can be accessed statically from the "Bookmarks" menu and by clicking on the Hotlist icon in the button bar, or dynamically toggled on and off by using one of the following:

- F4
- CTRL + F2
- SHIFT + F7
- By right-clicking on the "Active Bookmarks" icon on the button bar
- By holding CTRL and left-clicking on the "Active Bookmarks" icon on the button bar

The difference between the static "Bookmarks" menu and the dynamic Bookmarks list on the Hotlist pane in the left area of the Opera workspace, is the level of interactivity that can be exerted over it. There are three actions that can be performed in the Lists menu; "Add current document here...", "Set as active folder" and "Open all folder items". As is seen from these, there is no way to remove or organize the entries and folders in this menu, but the Bookmark list, on the other hand, offers sorting and deleting, as well as a host of other options, as described later in this document.

Let's examine the Bookmarks menu items in more detail now:

> #### Add current document here...

> When you find a page or site on the Internet that you wish to make into a bookmark, go to the Bookmarks menu, browse your way through the folder structure to find the folder that best suits the page you're currently on, and when in it, select this option to save the current document in the active window in the folder.

> #### Set as active folder

> This feature is especially useful when using Opera to do things that are related to work, projects, school or hobbies, as you won't have to browse through the menu structure in order to find the folder you wish to add the bookmark entry to. Instead, simply go use the Bookmarks menu to browse your way through to the desired folder and once in it, select this option to set the current folder as the active folder. Now, you only need to press the "Active Bookmarks" button on the button bar to be able to easily add the site to the active folder.

> #### Open all folder items

> If you do not wish to have to first open a window in Opera and then open one bookmark in it, and then repeating this process for all the bookmarks in the folder you're in, just select this option to open them all in their own windows. This is especially useful for sites such as news sites and other informational sites which are constantly updated.

Buttons on the Bookmark Pane
| Create new bookmark |  | Create new folder |  | Open context sensitive menu

While these are the first configurational options that many are likely to come across, the Opera bookmarking system has several others that will be explained shortly.

Top!

### Context sensitive Bookmarks menu

The context sensitive bookmarks menu is accessed either through right-clicking on the Bookmarks part of the Hotlists pane in the left hand side of the Opera workspace, or by using the hotkey CTRL + M. The menu contains these items:

Open
Opens the selected bookmark. When on a folder, all bookmarks in that folder will be opened in the Opera workspace.

Add current...
Adds the URL of the active page to the selected folder in the bookmark file.

Add all
Adds all the pages in open windows to the selected bookmark file.

Cut
Removes the selected item or folder from the list. This item can then be pasted to a different folder.

Copy
Copies the selected item or folder and it's properties.

Paste
Pastes the selected item or folder and it's properties.

Delete
Deletes the selected item.

Select all
Selects all the folder items and folders.

New

> Folder...
> Creates a new folder and brings up the Bookmark folder properties dialog box.

> Bookmark...
> Creates a new bookmark and brings up the Bookmark properties dialog box.

File

> New...
> Creates a new bookmark file and brings up the operating system's standard "Browse..." dialog for placement of the file.

> Open...
> Opens another bookmark file on your local drive.

> Save
> Saves the current bookmark file.

> Save as...
> Brings up the operating system's standard "Save as..." dialog which allows you to select the placement of the bookmark file and its name.

> Save selected items as...
> Brings up the operating system's standard "Save as..." dialog which allows you to save the selected bookmarks and folders as a new bookmark file and write a name.

> Insert File...
> Inserts any ".htm" or ".html" file, including the "bookmark.htm" files from Netscape, adding all the links from the selected ".htm" or ".html" file to the selected folder as bookmarks

> Insert Internet Explorer Favorites...
> Inserts bookmarks from your Internet Explorer browser directory

Properties...
Brings up the Properties dialog box for the current Item or Folder.

View

> Docking view
> View the Hotlists pane as a docking window in the left hand part of the Opera workspace or as an independent window in the Opera workspace.

> Stay on top
> When the Hotlists pane is an independent window in the Opera workspace, select this option to have the window float "always on top" of the other windows.

> Close
> Closes the Hotlists pane.

Top!

### The Active Folder

The active folder is the folder that is highlighted in the bookmarks part of the docked Hotlist or in the drop-down bookmarks menu. In the "Bookmarks" drop-down menu, you have the choice to set the highlighted folder as active: "Set as active folder". That means the active folder is the menu or sub-menu that becomes immediately available to you when you click the "Active Bookmarks" icon from the Opera toolbar. Very useful if you use a certain folder often!

Top!

### Bookmark file properties

Selecting the top folder in the Bookmarks part of the Hotlists pane and viewing its properties either by right-clicking and choosing "Properties..." from the menu, or by using the hotkey Alt + Enter, you'll be presented with the "Bookmark file properties" dialog. This is what the menu contains:

> Name
> The name of the top folder of the bookmark file. This name can not be changed by the user.

> Filename
> The name of the file, along with the path to it, is detailed in this field.

> Created
> This field contains the date that the file was created and cannot be changed.

Top!

### Bookmark folder properties

Selecting any folder in the Bookmarks part of the Hotlists pane and viewing its properties either by right-clicking and choosing "Properties..." from the menu, or by using the hotkey Alt + Enter, you'll be presented with the "Bookmark folder properties" dialog. This is what the menu contains:

> Name
> The name of the folder whose properties you are viewing. To change the name, type another one into the field and press the "OK" button.

> Nickname
> Here, you can enter a nickname for the folder in order to quickly locate it later, with the Nickname search.

> Description
> If you wish, you can enter a description of the folder or its contents in this field.

> Parent folder
> Here, the name of the parent folder whose child folder this is, is detailed. Cannot be changed.

> Created
> This field contains the date that the folder was created and cannot be changed.

Top!

### Bookmark properties

Selecting any bookmark in the Bookmarks part of the Hotlists pane and viewing its properties either by right-clicking and choosing "Properties..." from the menu, or by using the hotkey Alt + Enter, you'll be presented with the "Bookmark properties" dialog. This is what the menu contains:

> Name
> The name of the bookmark whose properties you are viewing. To change the name, type another one into the field and press the "OK" button.

> Nickname
> Here, you can enter a nickname for the bookmark in order to quickly locate it later, with the Nickname search.

> URL
> The URL to the local or remote page that the bookmark refers to. This can be changed by entering another URL in this field and pressing the "OK" button.

> Description
> If you wish, you can enter a description of the bookmark in this field. For example, the kind of site it is, the type of information it will contain and so and so forth.

> Parent folder
> Here, the name of the parent folder whose child bookmark this is, is detailed. Cannot be changed.

> Created
> This field contains the date that the bookmark was created and cannot be changed.

> Last visited
> This field contains the date that the bookmark was last visited and cannot be changed.

Top!

### How to add a bookmark to the bookmark list

There are several ways of adding bookmarks to the bookmark list:

- First of all, you can use the "Bookmarks" menu and select "Add current document here..." to add the document from the active window to the folder of your choice in the bookmark list's menu structure. This will bring up the Properties dialog box.
- You can click on the "Active Bookmarks" icon and choose to "Add current document here..." to add the document in the active folder, which is almost the identical procedure to that of the above point.
- You can open the Hotlist window in the left hand side of the Opera workspace, activate the "Bookmarks" tab and select "New/Folder" or "New/Bookmark" to create a new folder or a new item in the current directory which will create a new bookmark through opening the Properties of the bookmark.
- You can open the Hotlist window in the left hand side of the Opera workspace, activate the "Bookmarks" tab and right-click on the Hot List and select "New/Folder" or "New/Bookmark" to bring up the Properties dialog box.
- You may also use the keyboard shortcut CTRL + T to bring up the Properties dialog box, which will place the bookmark in what is currently set as the active folder.

In addition to these ways, you may also "drag", by clicking and holding down the left mouse button, the icon that shows the active window's current security status, from the Opera workspace and over to the Hotlist window in the left hand side of the Opera workspace, where you can "drop" it wherever you wish to add the bookmark.

Top!

### How to remove a bookmark from the bookmark list

In order to remove an entry from the bookmark list, i.e. a bookmark or a folder, please open the Hotlist window in the left hand side of the Opera workspace and activate the "Bookmarks" tab as described above, look up the entry and either use the drop-down menus on the middle-bar to select "Edit/Delete", the right-click menu to select "Delete", or simply press the "Delete" button on your keyboard.

Top!

### How to edit bookmarks in the bookmark list

Bookmarks can also be edited by using the standard Windows editing shortcuts CTRL + C, CTRL + X, CTRL + V and Delete.

When you open the Properties dialog box, you'll be able to enter or change the name of the bookmark or folder, the URL, the description of the entry or folder, and also add a short nickname for easy search through the bookmark list.

Opera's bookmark file is placed in the Opera directory and is called "opera3.adr" by default, though you might have another name for it on your system if it has been renamed. Please look for ".adr" files as this extension identifies bookmark and contact files.

Disclaimer: We cannot guarantee that the instructions in these documents will work on every computer and every platform. Please inform us if you have problems with Opera, but please, first check our online support section, as this section is updated on a regular basis with information about the Opera Browser.

Copyright © 1995 - 2001 Opera Software AS. All rights reserved.