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Safari in Mavericks - sync and sort

Two questions:


  1. Can Top Sites be synced? I use my Mac Pro and MB Pro like they are one machine. Syncing the Top Sites would be a bonus.
  2. Why does Apple not understand the need to sort bookmarks alphabetically?


There is only one thing Windows does better than Mac - SORT - either within an Explorer window or sorting bookmarks in IE. I am a folders/files guy, and one thing that annoys the daylights out of me is to have to use an app like Safari Sort to sort my bookmarks. Once they are sorted if you start to rearrange bookmarks by creating separate folders and moving them - boom - they go wherever they please! Why can't I click a column heading and sort my bookmarks like I sort messages in Mail? Wouldn't that be simple?


And while I'm at it here's third issue. Finder sucques 😠 ! I want the option to be able to choose one view that's applied globally every time I open a Finder window, tab or execute any action from within a program. Yes, I realize I can change views when I want, but I want one global view (of my files that is). There are great programs like Forklift I can install that accomplish this but none interface with the O/S to completely replace Finder.


Yes, these suggestions have been submitted to Apple MANY times!

MacBook Pro (15-inch Mid 2012), OS X Mavericks (10.9), 16 GB RAM, 750 GB HDD

Posted on Oct 28, 2013 7:01 PM

Reply
3 replies

Nov 14, 2013 7:55 AM in response to Steve.Knepp

Hi Steve,


Your mind must work just like mine, which could be scary. 😮 Completely agree with every word. Anyway, they simply moved the door knob in the middle of the night. Give this a shot for # 2, I think it will work for you.


Tap on the bookmarks icon (under back forward arrows)


Grab and drag into order (you are right it won't sort alphabetically)

OR

In Safari menu > Choose Bookmarks dropdown > Edit bookmarks. Drag and drop. But no sort numberically or alphabetically.

Nov 18, 2013 12:53 PM in response to MacKnuckleHead

Dear MacKnuckleHead:


I replied to your post a few days ago but it was taken down by the host for using the same word that appears in my original post. If humans are reading these posts then the entire thread is doomed!


Certainly you can drag and reorder. When I'm 87 with nothing better to do that will be a great way to occupy my passing days . . . 😁


I did find a third party product SafariSort. You can d/l it at http://safarisort.com. One of the issues I had with it was that after sorting, then editing the bookmarks reverted back to any random order. The developer responded to my web inquiry and states:


"This is caused by iCloud. Take a look at the blog post below on how to fix this issue. http://www.sullysrants.com/2012/05/duplicatemissingnot-syncing-safari-bookmark-m adness/

Sully

Support | SafariSort.com"


I'm in the process of implementing the suggested fix. I'll post back when I complete the process.

Nov 18, 2013 7:27 PM in response to Steve.Knepp

The developer's process as stated:


  1. Pick your Mac that has the best set of bookmarks.
  2. Copy your bookmarks file to a safe location (i.e. the Desktop). Launch Terminal via the Applications > Utilities folder. Copy and paste the following command in Terminal:
    cp ~/Library/Safari/Bookmarks.plist ~/Desktop/ and press return. Verify that “Bookmarks.plist” was copied to your desktop.
  3. Turn off bookmark sharing on EVERY iOS device. Go to “System > Settings > iCloud”. Toggle the Bookmarks options to Off. Choose “Delete from my device” when prompted.
  4. Delete ALL bookmarks from Safari on EVERY Mac system. Via Safari; select “Bookmarks > Show All Bookmarks”.
  5. Wait for 30 minutes. This time allows for your bookmarks to be cleared from the multiple iCloud servers.
  6. Turn off bookmark sharing for iCloud on EVERY Mac system. Go to “System Preferences > iCloud” and uncheck Bookmarks from the list.
  7. Via your Mac with the best set of bookmarks, reset your original bookmarks file via Terminal:
    cp -f ~/Desktop/Bookmarks.plist ~/Library/Safari/ and press return.
  8. Open Safari and verify your bookmarks are there. Via Safari; select “Bookmarks > Show All Bookmarks”.
  9. Run the SafariSort app to sort your bookmarks. Clean up any duplicates and make any further changes as needed.
  10. Turn on bookmark sharing for iCloud. Go to “System Preferences > iCloud” and check Bookmarks from the list. Select Merge bookmarks with iCloud when prompted.
  11. Wait for 10 to 15 minutes. This time allows for your bookmarks to be updated on the multiple iCloud servers.
  12. Verify all your bookmarks still exist after your brief wait. If they are still there you can now reenable bookmark sharing on ALL your other Mac systems and iOS devices.



A few tweaks to this process for simplification (on OS 10.9 Mavericks):


  1. Pick your Mac that has the best set of bookmarks (we'll call it Mac 1). At this point do not disable iCloud | Safari on this machine!
  2. On all other iOS Mac's and devices go to System Preferences | iCloud; or Settings | iCloud and deselect Safari. Note: On iOS devices you will be prompted to remove the bookmarks. Select "yes."
  3. On Mac 1, either manually manipulate or use SafariSort to sort your bookmarks, delete duplicates and add any folders/subfolders for organizational purposes.
  4. Copy your bookmarks file on Mac 1 to a known location (i.e. the Desktop). Launch Terminal via the Utilities folder. Copy and paste the following command in Terminal: cp ~/Library/Safari/Bookmarks.plist ~/Desktop/ and press return. Verify that “Bookmarks.plist” was copied to your desktop.
  5. Starting on Mac 1, delete ALL bookmarks from Safari on EVERY Mac system. Via Safari; select “Bookmarks | Show All Bookmarks” and manually delete; or locate the bookmarks.plist file and delete the file, whichever is easier for you.
  6. Turn on bookmark sharing for iCloud on an iOS device. The Bookmarks and Favorites should be totally empty. If not, carefully repeat Step 5.
  7. On Mac 1, create a sample bookmark in the Favorites Bar, and a different sample bookmark in the Bookmarks Menu.They can be any site as long as they're not the same.
  8. Open Safari on your iOS device. In a few minutes those two bookmarks should populate. After they appear, delete those bookmarks from Mac 1.
  9. On Mac 1, reset your original bookmarks file via Terminal: cp -f ~/Desktop/Bookmarks.plist ~/Library/Safari/ and press return.
  10. Open Safari on Mac 1 and verify your bookmarks have populated. Via Safari; select “Bookmarks | Show All Bookmarks”.
  11. Turn on bookmark sharing for iCloud on each subsequent Mac system, one at a time. Go to “System Preferences | iCloud” and select Safari from the list. Select Merge bookmarks with iCloud when prompted.
  12. Verify your bookmarks still exist after a brief wait. If they are present you can now reenable bookmark sharing on ALL other Mac systems and iOS devices. It is recommended to repeat this process one device/system at a time until you are sure that all systems are in sync and contain all bookmarks.


I found that running SafariSort earlier at Step 3 made far more sense than later. By cleaning up the list first you ensure when importing the bookmarks that you retained the changes you made. It's important to note that if you disable iCloud | Safari too early in the process all of your bookmarks may not be deleted from iCloud. Adding Step 7 not only ensures the sync process is working, but also assures there were no bookmarks retained throughout the multiple iCloud servers.


Hope this helps!

Safari in Mavericks - sync and sort

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