WebExtensions API currently not supporting bookmarks tags

Once upon a time there was (and still is ) Xmarks add-on, which did a good work of syncing bookmarks across browsers and devices in general.

As FF 57 approached, Xmarks new build, using WebExtensions, appeared extremely unstable; the last straw that made me to abandon Xmarks was their decision to stop supporting bookmarks tags. That means that after I sync bookmarks across two FF browsers via Xmarks, tags will disappear. Totally and for good.

When I asked why on Earth they eliminated extremely useful feature, the response was this:

Currently it is not available because the new Firefox api doesn’t give us descriptions or tags. There currently is no way to get them in webextensions. We do have an internal bug ticket but due to the restrictions of the new Firefox API, there seems to be no way to implement this again.

Questions 1: is it true? Does WebExtensions API not provide means to assign/read tag attribute of bookmarks?

That’s politely saying, very strange. Firefox built-in sync feature copies tags without problem, and browser is capable of narrowing lookup in bookmarks using tags. But the feature was (intentionally?) omitted from WebExtensions.

I understand that WebExtensions developers just don’t care about browser extensions becoming useless due to API changes. What I would like to know (question 2): if WebExtensions doesn’t support tags in bookmarks, are there plans for foreseeable future to re-enable this support?

1 Like

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1225916

That bug, 2 years old, gives impression that developers just decided to abandon supporting all bookmarks fields.

Bookmark has

  • Name
  • Location (URL)
  • Tags
  • Keyword
  • Description

(as shown by FF bookmarks manager).

Only location and tag(s) are mentioned in WebExtensions Bookmarks API.

What about all the fields? How I am supposed to read them, to sync across devices etc?

1+ year has passed and @Konstantin_Boyandin received no answer. I second him. This is really important. Could someone talk to us here on this issue?

@here_there_everywhere Thanks for the support. I have no illusions - the Mozilla has long ago demonstrated it just abandoned a number of developers when switching to not-yet-finished new API.

Primary damage has already been done (extensions such as Xmarks have shut down), so I am not expecting any activity from Mozilla side.

That just should be an illustration and a warning to any developer who has an illusion that Mozilla will support them and their work, should anotehr major change happen. Chances are they won’t.