Strange Safari bookmarks behavior

[palmerc2]

I have been away for about 1 1/2 months, since I have an iMac I wasn't on it at all while I was gone / nobody used it.

While I was gone I was using my iPhone as my main source of communication. I do not know if I did something strange in Safari.app on my iPhone, like adding a new subcategory of bookmarks (which I did).....because now when I go to Safari on my computer, there are no bookmarks on the top row (file, edit, view, history, bookmarks)....I just noticed this yesterday. I just did a restart of the whole system to see if that would do anything but it didn't. However, the weird thing is that when I click on the bookmarks "icon" on the bookmarks bar, it brings me to a new window and all the bookmarks are there.....so how do I make them appear in the "list" button on top?

I've attached a photo to show what I mean, because I have about 12 different folders, and thousands of bookmarks - Which now it only shows one bookmark, which I made before I left. I have tried restoring the bookmarks file (forget what exactly its called) from Time Machine with no luck. I should also note that when I go to bookmarks on my iPhone they are all there......any ideas?

 

[pit29]

However, the weird thing is that when I click on the bookmarks "icon" on the bookmarks bar, it brings me to a new window and all the bookmarks are there.....so how do I make them appear in the "list" button on top?

Just wondering - do they appear in the Collection section under the menu item, or are those folders in the Bookmarks section? If the latter is the case, just drag and drop them to the bookmark item above...

 

[Gregg2]

So I gather that the photo is from another Mac, because that Bookmarks item has gone missing on the one in question.

I'd say get some new Finder preferences. Here's how:

Find com.apple.finder.plist
Mine (OS 10.5.8) is in Users/MyUserName/Library/Preferences
Move that file to the Desktop.
Restart. That will build a new finder.plist file in Preferences.

Is the menu item back?
If so, you can Trash the plist file you moved to the Desktop.

 

[palmerc2]

pit29: I have tried to drag and drop a folder from the bookmarks screen but it does not work.....below is a picture of what it looks like when I click on "show all bookmarks" or click on the bookmark logo next to "top sites"

edit: which is normal, that is how it has always looked - I just cannot figure out why all of these folders / bookmarks do not appear when I click on "bookmarks" on the top, and only that one for Diesel Black Gold - which I bookmarked long before I left.....


Gregg2: I have tried searching for that file with no luck. I am on 10.6.2

edit: oops, I didn't realize you gave a directory to find the file.....I just did a spotlight search, I will do what you said and let you know
2nd edit: I did what you said, it did nothing but screw up the folders on my desktop....

 

[pit29]

I guess the easiest thing is to rebuild the folder structure - and you're right, you cannot simply drag and drop here (which is what I thought would be possible).

So, click on Bookmarks Menu in the Collection part. To the right, you should only see that one bookmark. Press the "+" below to create folders, and name them. Then click on e.g. Clothes in the Bookmarks part, and drag and drop the entries (right) to the Folder you created in the Bookmarks Menu.

Hope that helps...

 

[richard.mac]

the folders below BOOKMARKS do not show in the bookmarks menu, drag the folders one-by-one (cant select all) onto Bookmarks Menu below COLLECTIONS.

 

[Gregg2]

Is the menu item back?
If so, you can Trash the plist file you moved to the Desktop.

If not...

2nd edit: I did what you said, it did nothing but screw up the folders on my desktop....

Then put that plist file back into the Preferences folder. It will overwrite the new one that was created. This will restore the changes you had made to Finder preferences.

Since that wasn't the solution, you might want to try the next "Troubleshooting 101" step: log in under a different user account. How does it behave then?