Frontends:Bookmarks Standard

Given the use of more and more mobile devices with SWORD front-ends, a shared bookmark system would be a useful addition.

Feature wish list for format

• nested folders
• able to link to specific modules
• has a way of adding free text at any given level
• can link to verses, verse ranges, chapters, sections, paragraphes, subverse
• should utilise as much as possible existing shared/shareable code
• internationalised
• history, history entry in my mind should consists of range user read, place and time user finished, module --Kalemas 11:29, 24 March 2010 (UTC)

Current formats in use

Xiphos and BibleCS(?) use this format:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
 <SwordBookmarks syntaxVersion="1.0">
   <Folder caption="Personal">
     <Folder caption="What must I do to be saved?">
       <Bookmark modulename="" key="Acts 16:31" moduledescription=" " description="Acts 16:31"/>
       <Bookmark modulename="" key="Eph 2:8,9" moduledescription=" " description="Eph 2:8,9"/>
       <Bookmark modulename="" key="Romans 1:16" moduledescription=" " description="Romans 1:16"/>
     </Folder>
     <Folder caption="What is the Gospel?">
        <Bookmark modulename="" key="1 Cor 15:1-4" moduledescription=" " description="1 Cor 15:1-4"/>
     </Folder>
  </Folder>
</SwordBookmarks>

A shared format

At top of XML structure should persists format version attribute.

Child nodes represent main data sets: bookmarks, history, notes. Each should have information about last synchronization time, application name and version (for debugging).

Existing standards

There are definitely bookmark formats floating around already which have some amount of standardization. See the XML Bookmark Exchange Language (XBEL) and the related links to XOXO and OPML.

Current situation

Please describe here which front-ends already support local bookmarks, and how?

Four of the listed front-ends support exporting of bookmarks.

• See Choosing a SWORD program - section 3.6 Bookmarking, Tagging, Listing and Notes. Some significant front-ends are not yet listed in this page. (e.g. PocketSword).

FireBible

FireBible is a unique case in that, being a Firefox add-on, it uses the existing bookmarks structure of Mozilla Firefox, with additions to the Firefox menus. Moreover, it also supports addresses that begin with bible: and sword: as extensions to the browser.