Web clipper alternative and workflow?

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FESteward
Posts: 28
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2020 3:03 pm

Web clipper alternative and workflow?

Post by FESteward »

One of the features I used all the time from Zotero was the web clipper and my workflow would start from there and clip it. I know Bookends doesn't have that same feature, and I know about the "search" feature and can see that it brings up many references. I have a few questions on using this feature:
  • It seems to bring up too many references, ignoring when I use quotation marks around a specific term I want to specify. Any suggestions?
  • What do other people's workflows look like? If you see something when you are searching the internet, do you stop, open Bookends, go into the "search" function, select one of the filters you think will list it (what if it is just an Amazon listing?) and then hope you can narrow down the search to see the item you had found?
Thanks in advance for your help,
Hilary
Jon
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Re: Web clipper alternative and workflow?

Post by Jon »

As for question 1, you don't specify which search function you're using, or which site you're searching. If you're doing online search (as opposed to Bookends Browser), Bookends just submits the search to the site in question, using their rules. And quote marks may be honored or not.

Jon
Sonny Software

P.S. There's a Bookends bookmarklet that will open any web page you're viewing in your browser in Bookends Browser.

https://www.sonnysoftware.com/bookmarkl ... rklet.html
bencwbrown
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2020 10:45 am

Re: Web clipper alternative and workflow?

Post by bencwbrown »

Using the bookmarklet that Jon has linked, I searched for some sort of 'bookmarklet to Chrome extension' on the web and made my own Chrome extension for Bookends, using this website: https://sandbox.self.li/bookmarklet-to-extension/ (no affiliation to it, it was just the first one that came up in the search results - there are probably others too). It works pretty well as far as I've tried it, and saves having the bookmark toolbar always visible. There may be some similar service for Firefox extensions, though I haven't checked.
FESteward
Posts: 28
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2020 3:03 pm

Re: Web clipper alternative and workflow?

Post by FESteward »

bencwbrown wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2020 5:05 pm Using the bookmarklet that Jon has linked, I searched for some sort of 'bookmarklet to Chrome extension' on the web and made my own Chrome extension for Bookends, using this website: https://sandbox.self.li/bookmarklet-to-extension/ (no affiliation to it, it was just the first one that came up in the search results - there are probably others too). It works pretty well as far as I've tried it, and saves having the bookmark toolbar always visible. There may be some similar service for Firefox extensions, though I haven't checked.
That sounds like a good idea to make a Chrome extension. I could follow all of the instructions until it said to "Click "Load unpacked extension..." and select unzipped folder." I didn't see anything like that. Is there a way you could show a screen shot or describe how you did that step? Thanks!
bencwbrown
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2020 10:45 am

Re: Web clipper alternative and workflow?

Post by bencwbrown »

FESteward wrote: Mon Aug 24, 2020 4:50 am
bencwbrown wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2020 5:05 pm Using the bookmarklet that Jon has linked, I searched for some sort of 'bookmarklet to Chrome extension' on the web and made my own Chrome extension for Bookends, using this website: https://sandbox.self.li/bookmarklet-to-extension/ (no affiliation to it, it was just the first one that came up in the search results - there are probably others too). It works pretty well as far as I've tried it, and saves having the bookmark toolbar always visible. There may be some similar service for Firefox extensions, though I haven't checked.
That sounds like a good idea to make a Chrome extension. I could follow all of the instructions until it said to "Click "Load unpacked extension..." and select unzipped folder." I didn't see anything like that. Is there a way you could show a screen shot or describe how you did that step? Thanks!
Sure! I've made a Github repository with what I ended up creating, here: (https://github.com/bencwbrown/bookends- ... s/tag/v1.0) - the only benefit to using it rather than the website I referred to is that I added the Bookends icon to the extension. In the README I've added instructions with pictures as I was having problems uploading to the forum: (https://github.com/bencwbrown/bookends- ... -extension).

EDIT: Despite my pictures being taken on a Mac, it should work on any operating system (I assume)

If you would rather use the first website I linked rather than use the one I created, then after downloading the 'bookmarklet2extension.zip' archive, unzip it, then follow the instructions on the Github repository just with the unzipped 'bookmarklet2extension' folder, that is:
  • Turn Developer mode on whilst on the chrome://extensions page
  • Select 'Load unpacked'
  • Select the unzipped folder, 'bookmarklet2extension'
  • Then it should be activated
FESteward
Posts: 28
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2020 3:03 pm

Re: Web clipper alternative and workflow?

Post by FESteward »

Thank you, this was really helpful!
Hilary
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