Export does not preserve special bookmarks (about:, chrome-extension://, etc.)

[Vlod-github]

Which version of floccus are you using?

5.8.3

How many bookmarks do you have, roughly?

Are you using other means to sync bookmarks in parallel to floccus?

Sync method

Nextcloud Bookmarks

Which browser are you using? In case you are using the phone App, specify the Android or iOS version and device please.

firefox, chrome

Which version of Nextcloud Bookmarks are you using? (if relevant)

No response

Which version of Nextcloud? (if relevant)

No response

What kind of WebDAV server are you using? (if relevant)

No response

Describe the Bug

Problem

When exporting bookmarks with floccus, bookmarks that use special URL schemes are not preserved.

Examples of affected bookmarks

• about:config
• chrome-extension://fnaicdffflnofjppbagibeoednhnbjhg/dist/html/options.html#/options/17665862612820.9357775041665473
• other non-http/https URLs

Expected Behavior

All bookmarks should be exported and imported without loss, regardless of the URL scheme, including:

• about:
• chrome-extension://
• moz-extension://
• other internal or special browser URLs

Actual behavior

Bookmarks with such URLs are missing from the exported file and are therefore lost during import or synchronization.

Why this matters

These bookmarks are commonly used for:

• browser configuration pages
• extension settings pages
• internal or utility pages
  Losing them makes exports and backups incomplete.

To Reproduce

1. Create a bookmark with a special URL (e.g. about:config or chrome-extension://…)
2. Verify that the bookmark is visible and opens correctly in the browser.
3. Start bookmark synchronization or export using floccus.
4. Check the exported file or the synchronization result.

Debug log provided

• I have provided a debug log file

[github-actions]

Hello! 👋

Thank you for taking the time to open this issue with floccus. I know it's frustrating when software causes problems. You have made the right choice to come here and open an issue to make sure your problem gets looked at and if possible solved. Let me give you a short introduction on what to expect from this issue tracker to avoid misunderstandings. I'm Marcel. I created floccus a few years ago, and have been maintaining it since. I currently work for Nextcloud which leaves me with less time for side projects like this one than I used to have. I still try to answer all issues and if possible fix all bugs here, but it sometimes takes a while until I get to it. Until then, please be patient. It helps when you stick around to answer follow up questions I may have, as very few bugs can be fixed directly from the first bug report, without any interaction. If information is missing in your bug report and the issue cannot be solved without it, I will have to close the issue after a while. Note also that GitHub in general is a place where people meet to make software better together. Nobody here is under any obligation to help you, solve your problems or deliver on any expectations or demands you may have, but if enough people come together we can collaborate to make this software better. For everyone. Thus, if you can, you could also have a look at other issues to see whether you can help other people with your knowledge and experience. If you have coding experience it would also be awesome if you could step up to dive into the code and try to fix the odd bug yourself. Everyone will be thankful for extra helping hands! If you cannot lend a helping hand, to continue the development and maintenance of this project in a sustainable way, I ask that you donate to the project when opening an issue (or at least once your issue is solved), if you're not a donor already. You can find donation options at https://floccus.org/donate/. Thank you!

One last word: If you feel, at any point, like you need to vent, this is not the place for it; you can go to the Nextcloud forum, to twitter or somewhere else. But this is a technical issue tracker, so please make sure to focus on the tech and keep your opinions to yourself.

Thank you for reading through this primer. I look forward to working with you on this issue! Cheers! 💙

[marcelklehr]

Hello @Vlod-github
thank you for taking the time to give feedback by opening this issue!
The nextcloud bookmarks sync method does indeed not sync about: and chrome: bookmarks, because Nextcloud Bookmarks does not support them. This is also documented in the description of the sync method:

However, exporting them from the mobile app should still work. But maybe the non-http bookmarks didn't even make it to the mobile app for you because of the above limitation.

If you need to sync these about: and chrome: bookmarks then you can switch to the webdav sync method. It can store a html or XBEL file in your nextcloud to sync the bookmarks and supports all URL schemes. Note, however, that not all browsers support the special schemes of other browsers, and e.g. chrome-extension:// bookmarks may not make it to your Firefox browser, even though they are synced correctly.

I hope this was a useful explanation. Let me know if you have more questions :)

[Vlod-github]

Hello @marcelklehr
Saving bookmarks with special URL schemes also does not work when using WebDAV synchronization.
Bookmarks with about:, chrome-extension://, and similar schemes are not saved or disappear after sync.

[marcelklehr]

mmh, I can indeed reproduce this. It seems that about: and chrome-extension: are not whitelisted, yet. Can you confirm that e.g. chrome: or file: works for you?

[Vlod-github]

chrome: and file: OK