Importing bookmarks from HTML

[billmcct]

Operating system: See the Sig
Browser version: @NiUCK-THs AVx 2 build latest
32-bit or 64-bit browser?: x64
Problem URL:
Browser theme (if not default):
Installed add-ons: Way too many to list
Installed plugins: (about:plugins): NA

I remember trying to import bookmarks from HTML a few years ago, before I went south for a while, and was not able to do so. Today I am trying to import some bookmarks from HTML, and also can't do so. I have even tried in a new profile to no avail. Anybody got some idea what's up here?
Bill

[suzyne]

I have found that HTML bookmark files are not all equal, and so won't import depending on where it came from.

What is the source of the HTML file?

[Night Wing]

Have you tried, instead of importing bookmarks from HTML, restoring those bookmarks from a .json file? An explanation is below. It may help you if you are using the Bookmarks Toolbar in Pale Moon.

Anytime I take a new linux distro for a test ride, I put all of my Pale Moon bookmarks into a json file, on to a flash/thumb drive. Then when I have the new linux distro installed, I restore those files (which are in folders) from the flash/thumb drive to the Bookmarks Toolbar in Pale Moon. I never use HTML to import my files on to the Bookmarks Toolbar .

[billmcct]

What is the source of the HTML file?

I exported from PM 33.5.x Portable. I change those time to time just to copy from them.

[billmcct]

Have you tried, instead of importing bookmarks from HTML, restoring those bookmarks from a .json file? An explanation is below. It may help you if you are using the Bookmarks Toolbar in Pale Moon.

That would wipe out my existing bookmarks. Importing from HTML simply adds to them.
I know they can be copied from the Portable to the installed. Was trying to get out of all that work.
I even loaded a backup into PM 25.8 and exported to HTML, however that also didn't work.

[Moonchild]

If you want to get your bookmarks on both and they are both Pale Moon, why not use Pale Moon Sync? You can leave everything else separated and only sync bookmarks, or choose more categories you want. Using sync will "merge" them and not overwrite. Export to html/import from html is a "last resort" for otherwise incompatible browsers, and it doesn't always work; importing a large number of bookmarks can also take a very long time (and doesn't really give feedback while it works).

[suzyne]

I exported from PM 33.5.x Portable. I change those time to time just to copy from them.

Oh, I was thinking that the HTML file might have been coming from somewhere else. If a file has been exported from Pale Moon (and hasn't been edited manually and maybe messing up the format) then it is reasonable to expect that the bookmarks will import back into Pale Moon.

For what it's worth, I have previously found that importing a set of bookmarks into Firefox (about 700) and then doing the export from Firefox and using that file to import has helped in other situations.

[billmcct]

If you want to get your bookmarks on both and they are both Pale Moon, why not use Pale Moon Sync?

Well being old as dirt and very forgetful now days, I didn't even think about that.
Thanks, MC