The Bookmarks weeder

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Screenshot
About Safari Prairiefire
Registration
Version History
Installation and Uninstallation
Buy Safari Prairiefire and how to report feedback
Instructions and Tips
Remove iCloud Duplicates
FAQ
System requirements and legal stuff

About Mojave and Catalina
At this point Safari Prairiefire is not compatible with macOS 10.14 Mojave or 10.15 Catalina. We are working on an update but have no release data to announce. Please download the app and evaluate for free before buying.

About Safari Prairiefire
Safari is a great browser and it organizes bookmarks neatly. But... Sometimes it can get overwhelming to keep track of which bookmarks are expired ar faulty. This application is designed to clean up Safari's bookmarks jungle. Prairiefire lists all bookmarks, scans for dead and missing links, duplicates and allows the user to test, delete or edit any bookmarks.

Registration

Safari Prairiefire is shareware. Feel free to use it. If you liked the program please contribute 6 dollars to the PayPal account register(at)balooba.se (see below). By contributing you support the shareware philosophy which is a good thing. Unregistered, the app runs in Light (Demo) mode. You will not be able to scan all bookmarks at once and the program doesn't save the changes, but it is still very useful. The registered version has no such limitations.
The easiest way to access the PayPal site is to use the link built into Safari Prairiefire. Go under Preferences. You can also use the Pay Now button on top of this page. You may distribute the app as you want for non-commercial purposes and as long as you include the ReadMe file. Please send an email to support@balooba.se if you have questions.

News

Safari Prairiefire has been granted the Famous Software Award at Famous.Why.com. Please click on the link to check it out and to browse their other listings. Read more...

Version history

News May, 05, 2017: Version 1.9.7: Improved User Interface and increased Sierra compatability. Version 1.9.7 of Safari Prairiefire extends the support for the latest version of Safari in mac OS 10.12 Sierra and fixes additional instances of the rare issue where certain bookmarks could cause Safari Prairiefire to revert bookmarks to factory defaults. As for all previous versions his version is released as a free upgrade to all registered users and is recommended for all users. Download

Jun, 06, 2015. Version 1.9.6: Improved User Interface and increased Yosemite compatability. Version 1.9.6 of Safari Prairiefire extends the support for the latest version of Safari in OS X 10.10 Yosemite and fixes a rare issue where certain bookmarks could cause Safari Prairiefire to revert bookmarks to factory defaults. This version also brings major user interface updates to windows, instructive dialogs and the menu bar and features a much requested re-worked progress bar. This version is released as a free upgrade to all registered users and is recommended for all users. Special thanks to Hassan Agha for designing the new app icon. Download

Jan, 20, 2013. Version 1.9.3: Streamlined workflow and bug fixes. Version 1.9.3 of Safari Prairiefire removes the need to authenticate with a password in order to save changes to the bookmarks. It also include a few minor bug fixes. The new version is released as a free upgrade for all registered users and is recommended to all users. Download

Aug, 16, 2012. Version 1.9.1: UI and stability update. This version of Safari Prairiefire resolves an incompatabilitiy issue for users of Safari's Reading List feature, which in some cases could cause the bookmarks to be reset to the default installation (requiring users to restore from the saved backup). The new version also has numerous UI improvements, menu shortcuts and over 20 bug fixes. Download

Aug, 03, 2012. Version 1.9.0: Compatible with OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. This version of Safari Prairiefire resolves an incompatabilitiy issue for users running OS x 10.8 Mountain Lion, which in some cases could cause the application to quit unexpectedly. THe new version also requires the user to enter an administrator's password in order to modify Safari's bookmarks. The new version is released as a free upgrade for all registered users and is recommended to all users. Download

Mar, 13, 2011. Version 1.8.0: Compatible with Mac OS X 10.7. This version of Safari Prairiefire is designed to be fully compatible with Lion and Mountain Lion. We also finally gave it an icon that was designed from the ground up without elements from the Safari icon. Thanks to using a new compiler the app should also be a lot snappier. Download

Nov, 10, 2011. Version 1.6.0: Compatible with iCloud. This version of Safari Prairiefire addresses an issue where bookmarks files could become corrupted for users running Safari 5.1.1 under Mac OS X 19.7.2 or later. This update supports bookmarks for Safari version 5.1.1 which was released by Apple in November 2011. As part of implementing iCloud Apple modified the way the Safari bookmarks are stored by Mac OS X. (Note that SP always generates a backup copy so no bookmarks are permanently lost.) Version 1.6.0 addresses this issue. Download

Jan, 7, 2011: Version 1.5.0: All about performance. This version is a major performance update. Deleting bookmarks for users with many bookmarks is now over 100 times faster! Scanning for duplicates is significantly faster. Several bugs were identified and fixed: The app now works correctly also for users with more than 10000 bookmarks. The search feature has been improved. The ability to choose Brushed Metal as the window style is end-of-lifed. The bookmark sorting feature is improved and handles primary and secondary sort criteria based on the order the column headers are pressed. When duplicates are removed the default setting is to remove the bookmark that occurs the last (presumably most hidden). Various miscellaneous fixes and performance improvements. Download

Jan, 7, 2011: Version 1.5.0: All about performance. This version is a major performance update. Deleting bookmarks for users with many bookmarks is now over 100 times faster! Scanning for duplicates is significantly faster. Several bugs were identified and fixed: The app now works correctly also for users with more than 10000 bookmarks. The search feature has been improved. The ability to choose Brushed Metal as the window style is end-of-lifed. The bookmark sorting feature is improved and handles primary and secondary sort criteria based on the order the column headers are pressed. When duplicates are removed the default setting is to remove the bookmark that occurs the last (presumably most hidden). Various miscellaneous fixes and performance improvements. Download

Oct, 20, 2010: Version 1.3.3: Bug fixes and improvements. This new version brings increased scanning performance and addresses a bug that for some users could cause the application to incorrectly be identified as an unregistered demo version. This service update is free and recommended for all users. Download

May, 25, 2008: Version 1.3.2: Printing support. Due to multiple requests, Safari Prairiefire has now been equipped with support for printing the bookmarks lists. The lists can be sorted prior to printing for easy-to-read grouping of bookmarks with for example the same server error codes. Of course, the lists can also be sorted alphabetically based on the bookmark's names or the target URLs. The update is free and recommended for all users. Download

Apr, 24, 2008: Safari Prairiefire version 1.3 released. We are proud to announce yet another upgrade to Safari Prairiefire. This version brings bug fixes but also new features such as filtered searches, the highly requested ability to find duplicate bookmarks, and other user interface improvements. The update is free and recommended for all users. Download

Jul, 23, 2007: Version 1.2
Safari Prairiefire goes Universal Binary. The application has been rebuilt for increased performance on Intel Macs. It brings compatability with Safari version 3.0. The new version also brings compatibility with web proxies, and contains a variety of bug fixes. And the icon was changed a little bit. Download

Feb, 08, 2006: Version 1.1
Safari Prairiefire gets new serial numbers. Many serial numbers have been removed due to extensive pirating. If you are affected by this please follow this link to obtain a new valid registration code at no cost. Read more...

July 19, 2005: Version 1.1
Compatibility problems with bookmarked RSS feeds solved. Handles feed:// as normal http:// bookmarks. Safari Prairiefire version 1.1 is compatible with all version of Safari and is recommended to all users.

May 24, 2005: Version 1.0.1
This officially released version is compatible with Safari version 1.3 and 2.0 (Tiger). The bookmarks are stored in a different plist format not complatible with earlier versions of Prairiefire.

April 29, 2005: Beta version 1.0.1
This version affects users of Mac OS 10.3.9 and 10.4.0 only. Apple has changed the way the bookmarks are stored. A preliminary build of Safari Prairiefire has been made that addresses this issue. It is not the official release and comes without documentation, but should be stable and functional. Download the here. You will need to unzip the file.

Features in version 1.0
Finally, I think it's good enough to be called version 1.0. Some new features as well: Up to fifty (50) times faster to apply changes to
the bookmarks library. The window style can be altered between aqua and brushed metal, even on-the-fly. Safari no longer launches before it is quit. Fixed an issue where changes to bookmarks remained unchanged. Safari no longer needs to quit while applying changes.

Features in version 0.99.4
Added a feature where multiple bookmarks can be scanned simultaneously, which speeds up the scanning dramatically! The exact number of simultaneous scans can be set in the Preferences. Brushed metal is now used, thus following Apple's Guidelines for user interfaces, which rules that applications with lists should have brushed metal. I don't always like applications with brushed metal but in this case it actually works. More comprehensive reporting on bookmark status/error codes.

Features in version 0.99.SOS
(called 0.9.9 on Versiontracker due to a bug on their website)
The program has updated link to match my new server and does not phone home when wrong registration codes are entered (this function was never used anyway).
All proceedings are donated to the victims of the Tsunami disaster in South-east Asia. Read more on the www.balooba.se. The app version was updated with information and some artwork regarding this.

Features in version 0.98
It is now possible to edit bookmarks directly in the list!
Fixed bugs such as an issue that sometimes prevented the Preferences window to be opened.
The demo version: less annoying registration messages. Scans half of the bookmarks (previously 1/5).

Features in version 0.97
Scrolls the list while checking bookmarks so the user sees that the program is "active".
Supports proxy, enter proxy details in the Preferences.
Indicates when secure sites (https://) are not scanned.
build 16: fixed a bug that caused Safari to delete the Bookmarks.plist file in some cases.

Features in version 0.96
Faster scanning of the bookmarks. A feature to automatically check bookmarks based on their status codes. Sort based on status code, URL name, bookmark name etc and revert to original list order.

Features in version 0.94-0.95
A bug that in some situations made Safari not understand the modified bookmarks file was fixed. This happened sometimes when the last bokkmark was deleted. Safari is now quit prior to deleting bookmarks. If Safari is not running it will be launched and then directly quit. This will likely be an option in next version. The Help menu was added.

Features in version 0.9
The application displays Safari's bookmarks in a list. Bookmarks are read from the ~/Library/Safari/Bookmarks.plist file. Bookmarks are displayed in an iTunes-like list in columns that allow for sorting. From the list the user can choose to scan all or a selection to analyze if the links are alive or down. The user can test a specific bookmark by clicking on its URL at the bottom of the list. Bookmarks can also be renamed or edited without opening Safari. Support for proxies.

Installation

Drag the folder with the application to anywhere you want. To remove it, simply trash the application. It is optional to delete the small settings file

Buy Safari Prairiefire and how report feedback

Safari Prairiefire is $6.99. Puchase by clicking the Buy Now button on the top of this page. You can also locate purchase options inside Safari Prairiefire's Preferences screen. Report feedback, suggestions, comments etc to register(at)balooba.se. Versiontracker's forum is another good place for discussing and learning about application details.

Instructions

The application is largely self-explanatory. Launch the application by double-clicking its icon. Click "Get Bookmarks" to build the bookmarks list. Then click "Scan" to begin checking the URLs. If there is a need (feedback please) I will make a manual or Help function.

Details and tips on how to streamline your work

a. The scanning takes a while. But imagine how long it would take to wait for a browser to load each page and then each page's corresponding bookmark and delete. Prairiefire only reads the site's headers, that's why it is so (relatively) fast.

b. The bookmarks are read in the order Safari stores them. That means that even if Prairiefire doesn't diplay the hierarchical organization you will anyway recognize how they are grouped. Do not sort the columns if you wish to keep them in this order.

c. When the scanning is done you can view the list and browse for sites with loading errors. Test the link by using the Visit button. You can sort the list based in the error types and more quickly find retired bookmarks. Re-test especially links that wre reported for Timeout-error.

d. You can use the cmd+E shortcut to unlock the editing in order to rename and edit bookmarks.

e. People that tons of old bookmarks might want to scan and fix a portion of the bookmarks the first time. For example begin scanning all bookmarks beginning with the letters A-G. After scanning and organizing them, continue with another set or the rest of the bookmarks.

f. You can choose to delete unwanted bookmarks. Just check the little box and under the Tools menu click Delete Selected Bookmarks.

Remove iCloud Duplicates

iCloud has a very irritating bug that in some cases duplicates entire bookmarks sets. Safari Prairiefire can find and delete bookmarks stored locally on your Mac. But using this workflow you can make sure that your fixed, fresh bookmarks get uploaded to iCloud so you can enjoy them on all your Macs, iPhones etc.

Here is a blog post on how to remove duplicates introduced by iCloud and how to upload your fixes to iCloud (link)

Frequently Asked Questions

There have not been enough issues yet to create an FAQ list. Please email all your issues to me and I will put the common ones here.

Q: Safari Prairiefire seems to edit or remove bookmarks just fine. But when I launch Safari all bookmarks are deleted and replaced with a generic set of pre-installed bookmarks. What is going on here?

A: The reason for the issue is related to permissions. Safari reads and writes to the bookmarks.plist file. What happens is that Safari fails to read it and therefore decides to erase it completely and "start fresh". To avoid this from happening run Repair Permissions on your hard drive using Disk Utility (located in Applications/Utilities).

Q: Safari Prairiefire suddenly says that my serial number is not valid. It has worked before and I am using the same code as when I registered. Why is this and what shall I do?

A: Some serial numbers have been used for pirating. After a while it just got too much and some serial numbers had to be made invalid. We apologize for the inconvenience. As a registered used you are entitled to a valid serial number. To get a new registration code please send a quick mail. Just include some info that will link you to the original registration (the email you used for PayPal, your name etc). A new code will be emailed asap to you. Please allow for a day or so although usually the turn-around is within a few hours.

Q: Safari Prairiefire reports 'Timeout 5 s' about bookmarks that I know are ok. What is going on and how can I fix this?

A: A bookmark times out when Safari Prairiefire has not heard from the server with a specified number of seconds. Setting Safari Prairiefire to scan too high number of bookmarks at the time will result in the network bandwidth to become the bottleneck. Safari Prairiefire will then report 'Timeout' for sites that are otherwise intact. The solution is to re-scan the sites that have appeared as timed out but the permanent fix is to reduce the number of simultaneous scans to a number that your network can handle. Users with slow networks can also choose to adjust the time before timeout will occur (default is 5 seconds).

Q: Safari Prairiefire reports various error codes. What do they actually mean?

A: See here for a more or less complete list.


Q: Safari Prairiefire stops responding or stalls while it scans. What shall I do?

A: Sometimes the application can appear as stalled and frozen. This happens while checking certain URLs, that are defect in a manner that the connection has to wait. During this time all other ongoing connections are also forced to wait and the program seems to be non-responding. Patience is the vest cure at this point until the bookmark's connections times out and the program can respond.

System requirements, bugs, and disclaimer
The application was created to run under Mac OS X and version 0.9 was tested only on version 10.9.1. As of November 2013 this little application has no known serious bugs. Please report any bugs, complaints, applause et c to the email address below. The program comes with no guarantees whatsoever but it beats me how anyone could use Safari Prairefire to cause any harm. I assume no responsibility whatsoever for any damage, dataloss, hardware problems or any other undesired results caused by this or any other software. The user should back up the hard drive or at least the Safari Bookmarks file before using this application and by using the software the user agrees to not pressing any legal charges on anyone affiliated with Safari Prairiefire.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to madcadmium, mikevangorkom, j0h4nnes, and Larry Elliott for suggestions and betatesting. Thanks to Hassan Agha for making the 2015 Safari Prairiefire app icon.

Safari Prairiefire is ©2003-2015 Peter Berglund, Balooba Software, prairiefire@balooba.se