Bookmarks in Opera

Introduction to the Bookmark list

Bookmarks are a kind of shortcut to Internet sites and pages, consisiting 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.

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