Bookmarks: separate set of bookmarks in directory

Bookmarks: separate set of bookmarks in directory

[Alan E. Davis]

I have an extensive dropbox folder with subdirectories for projects; I
would like to share the bookmarks between different computers.  These
computers have distinct files outside this dropbox folder to which I need
to have bookmarks.  So far, I have not found a way to do all the necessary
parts.

I tried to find something like this in the extensive documentation for
bookmarks+.  I think that package is overkill for my usage.


   1. I need to load both sets of bookmarks, local and global, so to speak.
   2. The bookmarks to files in the dropbox folder do not need to be saved
   and loaded separately.
   3. Bookmarks that are local to each machine must be loaded, but must be
   saved separately in a local bookmarks file like
   ~/.emacs.d/localbookmarks.txt .

The deeper I dig, the more complicated it looks.  I would appreciate any
ideas.  I thought of org-mode, and I like and use it, but it would be much
simpler to use the canonical bookmark facility of Emacs.


Thanks for any suggestions,


Alan Davis

-- 
[I do not] carry such information in my mind since it is readily
available in books. …The value of a college education is not the
learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think.
          ---Albert Einstein



"Sweet instruments hung up in cases. . . keep their sounds to themselves."

         ---Shakespeare, _Timon of Athens_

RE: Bookmarks: separate set of bookmarks in directory

[Drew Adams]

> I have an extensive dropbox folder with subdirectories for projects; I
> would like to share the bookmarks between different computers.  These
> computers have distinct files outside this dropbox folder to which I need
> to have bookmarks.  So far, I have not found a way to do all the necessary
> parts.
> 
> I tried to find something like this in the extensive documentation for
> bookmarks+.  I think that package is overkill for my usage.
> 
>    1. I need to load both sets of bookmarks, local and global, so to speak.
>    2. The bookmarks to files in the dropbox folder do not need to be saved
>    and loaded separately.
>    3. Bookmarks that are local to each machine must be loaded, but must be
>    saved separately in a local bookmarks file like
>    ~/.emacs.d/localbookmarks.txt .
> 
> The deeper I dig, the more complicated it looks.  I would appreciate any
> ideas.  I thought of org-mode, and I like and use it, but it would be much
> simpler to use the canonical bookmark facility of Emacs.

Sorry, but I don't really understand your use case and the problem
you see.

It sounds like you are just looking for a way to keep separate, and
separately loadable, sets of bookmarks.  Is that it?

If so, you can do that with vanilla Emacs bookmark.el, but Bookmark+
can help.  It makes it easier to have multiple bookmark files, switch
among them during an Emacs session, combine any of them during a
session, etc.

If it sounds to you like this might help then you might want to
take a look at this part of the Bookmark+ doc, about using multiple
bookmark files:

https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/BookmarkPlus#UsingMultipleBookmarkFiles

Re: Bookmarks: separate set of bookmarks in directory

[Alan E. Davis]

Drew:

Thank you for your response.  I have re-read that section now, and I can
see some ways that it could help me.  My chief concerns are:


   1.   for transparency: i don't want to have to think about the mechanics
   of bookmarking or calling or saving them.
   2. The dropbox bookmarks could, if possible, be stored in one bookmark
   file.  Any time I access the folder, using emacs, I would want to see the
   list in a listing such as "list-bookmarks" provides.
   3. Each machine has a unique set of groupings and files, which would
   ideally be stored in a single unique bookmarks file.
   4. Saving bookmarks would (in my perfect world) put them into either the
   local or the dropbox bookmarks file, perhaps through a regular expression
   recognition process.  Perhaps just recognition of "~/Dropbox" or whatever
   other top level directory name would make this possible?
   5. If the previous is even possible, it would be sufficient (I think)
   for one bookmark file to load another.  Perhaps the idea of setting a
   bookmark file bookmark would make this easy enough.  Still I wonder about
   the saving.

I am sorry if this is overly convoluted or if I have missed something
obvious.

(I might just go ahead and use the directory-wise bookmark files ploy.
Would there then be an easy way for these to be called by the directory
bookmark file in the toplevel subdir?  (And hence be visible at a glance.).


Thank you again,


Alan




On Thu, Sep 14, 2017 at 8:06 AM, Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com> wrote:

> > I have an extensive dropbox folder with subdirectories for projects; I
> > would like to share the bookmarks between different computers.  These
> > computers have distinct files outside this dropbox folder to which I need
> > to have bookmarks.  So far, I have not found a way to do all the
> necessary
> > parts.
> >
> > I tried to find something like this in the extensive documentation for
> > bookmarks+.  I think that package is overkill for my usage.
> >
> >    1. I need to load both sets of bookmarks, local and global, so to
> speak.
> >    2. The bookmarks to files in the dropbox folder do not need to be
> saved
> >    and loaded separately.
> >    3. Bookmarks that are local to each machine must be loaded, but must
> be
> >    saved separately in a local bookmarks file like
> >    ~/.emacs.d/localbookmarks.txt .
> >
> > The deeper I dig, the more complicated it looks.  I would appreciate any
> > ideas.  I thought of org-mode, and I like and use it, but it would be
> much
> > simpler to use the canonical bookmark facility of Emacs.
>
> Sorry, but I don't really understand your use case and the problem
> you see.
>
> It sounds like you are just looking for a way to keep separate, and
> separately loadable, sets of bookmarks.  Is that it?
>
> If so, you can do that with vanilla Emacs bookmark.el, but Bookmark+
> can help.  It makes it easier to have multiple bookmark files, switch
> among them during an Emacs session, combine any of them during a
> session, etc.
>
> If it sounds to you like this might help then you might want to
> take a look at this part of the Bookmark+ doc, about using multiple
> bookmark files:
>
> https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/BookmarkPlus#UsingMultipleBookmarkFiles
>



-- 
[I do not] carry such information in my mind since it is readily
available in books. …The value of a college education is not the
learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think.
          ---Albert Einstein



"Sweet instruments hung up in cases. . . keep their sounds to themselves."

         ---Shakespeare, _Timon of Athens_

RE: Bookmarks: separate set of bookmarks in directory

[Drew Adams]

I can't address all of your questions, in particular for lack of time; sorry.

 

You can have any number of bookmark files. You can load them separately, switching from one to another, or you can load any number of them together.

 

You can create a bookmark to a bookmark file, i.e., a bookmark that, when invoked ("jumped to") loads a particular bookmark file, either adding its bookmarks to the current bookmark list or replacing the current list with its bookmarks. 

 

You can create a bookmark to a sequence of any number of arbitrary actions, any of which could be to load a particular bookmark file (either adding bookmarks or replacing the current ones).

 

There are lots of possibilities. It's up to you to figure out the best way to use the available features for your particular use context.

 

Specifying your use context in detail to others, so that they might be able to help you craft a solution that best meets them, is too much work for you and the others. It's better, I think, for you to get acquainted a bit with what the tools offer (reading and experimenting), and then to figure out what you might do with them to help you get your job done. If you run into a particular problem along the way, ask for specific help. 

 

Thx - Drew

 

Drew:

Thank you for your response.  I have re-read that section now, and I can see some ways that it could help me.  My chief concerns are:

  for transparency: i don't want to have to think about the mechanics of bookmarking or calling or saving them.  
The dropbox bookmarks could, if possible, be stored in one bookmark file.  Any time I access the folder, using emacs, I would want to see the list in a listing such as "list-bookmarks" provides.  
Each machine has a unique set of groupings and files, which would ideally be stored in a single unique bookmarks file.  
Saving bookmarks would (in my perfect world) put them into either the local or the dropbox bookmarks file, perhaps through a regular expression recognition process.  Perhaps just recognition of "~/Dropbox" or whatever other top level directory name would make this possible?
If the previous is even possible, it would be sufficient (I think) for one bookmark file to load another.  Perhaps the idea of setting a bookmark file bookmark would make this easy enough.  Still I wonder about the saving.  

I am sorry if this is overly convoluted or if I have missed something obvious.  

(I might just go ahead and use the directory-wise bookmark files ploy.  Would there then be an easy way for these to be called by the directory bookmark file in the toplevel subdir?  (And hence be visible at a glance.).

Thank you again,

Alan 

Re: Bookmarks: separate set of bookmarks in directory

[Alan E. Davis]

I thank you for your advice.  It looks daunting;  I think, though bookmarks
to bookmark files then arranging for directory specific bookmark files may
do what i need with minimal distraction, better than what i had envisioned.


Alan

On Thu, Sep 14, 2017 at 5:02 PM Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com> wrote:

> I can't address all of your questions, in particular for lack of time;
> sorry.
>
>
>
> You can have any number of bookmark files. You can load them separately,
> switching from one to another, or you can load any number of them together.
>
>
>
> You can create a *bookmark to a bookmark file*, i.e., a bookmark that,
> when invoked ("jumped to") loads a particular bookmark file, either adding
> its bookmarks to the current bookmark list or replacing the current list
> with its bookmarks.
>
>
>
> You can create a bookmark to a sequence of any number of arbitrary
> actions, any of which could be to load a particular bookmark file (either
> adding bookmarks or replacing the current ones).
>
>
>
> There are lots of possibilities. It's up to you to figure out the best way
> to use the available features for your particular use context.
>
>
>
> Specifying your use context in detail to others, so that they might be
> able to help you craft a solution that best meets them, is too much work
> for you and the others. It's better, I think, for you to get acquainted a
> bit with what the tools offer (reading and experimenting), and then to
> figure out what you might do with them to help you get your job done. If
> you run into a particular problem along the way, ask for specific help.
>
>
>
> Thx - Drew
>
>
>
> Drew:
>
> Thank you for your response.  I have re-read that section now, and I can
> see some ways that it could help me.  My chief concerns are:
>
>    1.   for transparency: i don't want to have to think about the
>    mechanics of bookmarking or calling or saving them.
>    2. The dropbox bookmarks could, if possible, be stored in one bookmark
>    file.  Any time I access the folder, using emacs, I would want to see the
>    list in a listing such as "list-bookmarks" provides.
>    3. Each machine has a unique set of groupings and files, which would
>    ideally be stored in a single unique bookmarks file.
>    4. Saving bookmarks would (in my perfect world) put them into either
>    the local or the dropbox bookmarks file, perhaps through a regular
>    expression recognition process.  Perhaps just recognition of "~/Dropbox" or
>    whatever other top level directory name would make this possible?
>    5. If the previous is even possible, it would be sufficient (I think)
>    for one bookmark file to load another.  Perhaps the idea of setting a
>    bookmark file bookmark would make this easy enough.  Still I wonder about
>    the saving.
>
> I am sorry if this is overly convoluted or if I have missed something
> obvious.
>
> (I might just go ahead and use the directory-wise bookmark files ploy.
> Would there then be an easy way for these to be called by the directory
> bookmark file in the toplevel subdir?  (And hence be visible at a glance.).
>
> Thank you again,
>
> Alan
>
-- 
[I do not] carry such information in my mind since it is readily
available in books. …The value of a college education is not the
learning of many facts but the training of the mind to think.
          ---Albert Einstein



"Sweet instruments hung up in cases. . . keep their sounds to themselves."

         ---Shakespeare, _Timon of Athens_