Solved: Need to save URL as file

klaatu · Mar 17, 2010

This should be simple but it's eluding me. I want to save a web address as a clickable file (.URL extension). How to do? I'm using Chrome, WinXP. I'd be happy to be able to do this with a text editor.

tomdkat · Mar 17, 2010

In Chrome, go to the site you want to save and drag the "star" next to the URL to the desktop.

Peace...

klaatu · Mar 17, 2010

Perfect! Thanks much. I note there's a lot of code related to the website in the file. Just out of curiosity, is the code necessary, or would a file with just the URL work just as well?

klaatu · Mar 17, 2010

I also notice that renaming the file breaks it ("The target "" of this Internet Shortcut is not valid"). I'd like to be able to do that if possible.

tomdkat · Mar 17, 2010

klaatu said:
Perfect! Thanks much. I note there's a lot of code related to the website in the file. Just out of curiosity, is the code necessary, or would a file with just the URL work just as well?

I just did a test using the Google Chrome home page. I dragged the "star" to the desktop and a file with this contents was created:

[InternetShortcut]
URL=http://www.google.com/chrome/intl/en/welcome.html

and that's it. When I double-click it, I also get that "Windows cannot find file..." message and I don't know how to get rid of that.

What are things do you see in the file you created?

Peace...

tomdkat · Mar 17, 2010

klaatu said:
I also notice that renaming the file breaks it ("The target "" of this Internet Shortcut is not valid"). I'd like to be able to do that if possible.

Renaming the file does NOT break the link for me, so you must be doing something different from me.

So, to make sure we're on the same page, do tihs:

Go to Amazon.com
Drag the star to the immediately left of the Amazon.com URL to the desktop
Confirm the name of the icon is "Amazon.com - Online Shopping For Electronics... (and more stuff)"
Double-click the file and make sure Amazon.com eventually opens.
Right-click on the icon on the desktop and click "Rename".
Type "techguy" and press enter
Double-click the file and make sure Amazon.com eventually opens

On a side note, I found changing the name of the file to something "short' (I'm thinking 8 characters or less) gets rid of the "Windows cannot find file..." message.

Peace...

klaatu · Mar 17, 2010

tomdkat said:
I just did a test using the Google Chrome home page. I dragged the "star" to the desktop and a file with this contents was created:

and that's it. When I double-click it, I also get that "Windows cannot find file..." message and I don't know how to get rid of that.

What are things do you see in the file you created?

Here's the contents of the file I created in this manner for Google's home page:

Code:

<!doctype html><html onmousemove="google&&google.fade&&google.fade(event)"><head><meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=8"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"><title>Google</title><script>window.google={kEI:"PyOhS6-mKJWytAOK-NiRCw",kEXPI:"17050,24079,24081,24100,24126,24136",kCSI:{e:"17050,24079,24081,24100,24126,24136",ei:"PyOhS6-mKJWytAOK-NiRCw",expi:"17050,24079,24081,24100,24126,24136"},ml:function(){},pageState:"#",kHL:"en",time:function(){return(new Date).getTime()},log:function(b,d,c){var a=new Image,e=google,g=e.lc,f=e.li;a.onerror=(a.onload=(a.onabort=function(){delete g[f]}));g[f]=a;c=c||"/gen_204?atyp=i&ct="+b+"&cad="+d+"&zx="+google.time();a.src=c;e.li=f+1},lc:[],li:0,j:{en:1,l:function(){},e:function(){},b:location.hash&&location.hash!="#",pl:[],mc:0,sc:0.5},Toolbelt:{}};(function(){for(var d=0,c;c=["ad","bc","p","pa","zd","ac","pc","pah","ph","sa","xx","zc","zz"][d++];)(function(a){google.j[a]=function(){google.j.pl.push([a,arguments])}})(c)})();
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The file I created for Amazon's home page has 2851 lines of code. I did the file rename you suggested and it worked.
However, I'm getting inconsistent results when I try it with other similarly created files -- sometimes the rename
breaks the link; sometimes it doesn't. In every case I'm shortening the filename, making sure there are no disallowed
characters, etc. I have yet to find any patterns related to when it works and when it doesn't. Will keep checking...

tomdkat · Mar 17, 2010

Weird. My Amazon link contains this:

[InternetShortcut]
URL=http://www.amazon.com/

Which version of Chrome are you running?

Peace...

klaatu · Mar 17, 2010

tomdkat said:
Which version of Chrome are you running?

I'm using 4.0.249.89, which was the current stable release last time I checked, but I see it's now 4.1.249.1036. I'll install that and see if it affects my results.

tomdkat · Mar 17, 2010

klaatu said:
I'm using 4.0.249.89, which was the current stable release last time I checked, but I see it's now 4.1.249.1036. I'll install that and see if it affects my results.

I'm also running version 4.0.248.89 and it's working fine for me.

Just to make sure we're on the same page, you're clicking the star identified in this screenshot, right?

Peace...

klaatu · Mar 17, 2010

Yes, same star. Meanwhile, I tried again with the newest Chrome release and am still getting all the code. This continues to stump.

tomdkat · Mar 17, 2010

Well, you got me. I drag the star to the desktop and I get files created with contents similar to what I posted above.

I would ask on the Google Chrome Help Forum and see if you can get an answer there.

Peace...

klaatu · Mar 17, 2010

I appreciate your help! Just being able to create the file solves my problem; the rest is just polishing.

VistaRookie · Mar 18, 2010

Just playing around with the information in this thread (I don't use Chrome).

We'll take tomdkat's example for Amazon.

[InternetShortcut]
URL=http://www.amazon.com/

If you want to set this up manually in Notepad, just type in the header
[InternetShortcut].

Then URL= {whatever specific URL you want]

Save it with the extension .URL

Then I saved it in a folder in Windows Explorer - or you can save/copy
to the desktop (since the desktop is a folder as well).

I can then click on it and Internet Explorer opens directly to Amazon.

I also changed the name to "Chrome" - still works properly.

I dragged it out of Windows Explorer onto the desktop to be sure it
held - works fine.

klaatu · Mar 18, 2010

Great suggestion -- works for me too. I tried something similar to this earlier, but didnt put [InternetShortcut] as the first line.

But heres something weird. After I successfully tested it, upon opening it again in Notepad, (1) it was filled with code, and (2) Notepads title bar identified the filename as www.amazon[2] (Read Only) instead of the filename I gave it, which still appears in the icon. It looks like the first time its used, its replaced by (or changes the file the shortcut links to) one with some kind of default structure. Thats all I can figure.

VistaRookie · Mar 18, 2010

klaatu said:
Great suggestion -- works for me too. I tried something similar to this earlier, but didnt put [InternetShortcut] as the first line.

But heres something weird. After I successfully tested it, upon opening it again in Notepad, (1) it was filled with code, and (2) Notepads title bar identified the filename as www.amazon[2] (Read Only) instead of the filename I gave it, which still appears in the icon. It looks like the first time its used, its replaced by (or changes the file the shortcut links to) one with some kind of default structure. Thats all I can figure.

Made up a new shortcut. Tried clicking several times (8-10 times). Both in
a Windows Explorer folder and from the desktop. I left it named Amazon
and I also renamed it - both worked correctly. I can't duplicate what you
found.

There was some extra code added to the original file:

[InternetShortcut]
URL=http://www.amazon.com/
IconFile=http://www.amazon.com/favicon.ico
IconIndex=1

That information can be seen via DOS or DOS based programs. I can't
see anything internal through Windows itself. Actually, Notepad says it
can't find the file when I try to open it a second time in Notepad.

Techiewoman · Mar 18, 2010

You're doing something wrong. The file you get should be a shortcut, not the page itself. Make your Chrome window smaller, so you can see the desktop at the same time. Now drag the star and release it. That's a shortcut to the URL. VistaRookie did the same thing in a diff way, but this should work. And the method is exactly the same for Firefox and IE. You can rename that shortcut anything you wwant, because shortcuts can always be renamed.

If you want to save the page and its contents as a file, that's something else, and you need to check Chrome's Help file for that

klaatu · Mar 19, 2010

Techiewoman said:
You're doing something wrong. The file you get should be a shortcut, not the page itself.

I dont think Im doing anything wrong. As I said, the file created either by the dragging method or by creating a .url file from scratch both work for me (i.e., clicking on them opens the site in my browser), but the file/shortcut created always has a bunch of code in it when I attempt to re-open it. Try this:

1. With Notepad, create a file with these two lines:
[InternetShortcut]
URL=http://www.amazon.com/
2. Save it to your Desktop as randomname.url
3. Close Notepad. Or leave it open; it doesnt matter.
4. In Notepad, open the file you just created. Now

A. Whats in it? The two lines you put in it, or lots of code?
B. What filename is shown in Notepads title bar? The file you told Notepad to open, or www.amazon[x] Notepad, where x is some number from 1 up?

Im getting the latter for A & B. And Im not hallucinating.

Techiewoman · Mar 19, 2010

You're not hallucinating. But I'm creating the shortcut right on the desktop, not in Notepad. You're creating a text document containing HTML text which is symbolic of a shortcut, which is not necessary.

Squashman · Mar 19, 2010

Just drag the darn favicon to your desktop!!!!!

Techiewoman · Mar 19, 2010

That's what I said a few days back.

klaatu · Mar 19, 2010

Techiewoman said:
I'm creating the shortcut right on the desktop, not in Notepad. You're creating a text document containing HTML text which is symbolic of a shortcut, which is not necessary.

I know its not necessary to create the file from scratch; I said Ive done both and that either type opens the website page when clicked. Were going in circles here. To recap: the question I initially asked is SOLVED (hence my marking the thread so). Im now wondering why the saved file has all the extra contents it does. You said earlier that after dragging the star to the desktop

Techiewoman said:
The file you get should be a shortcut, not the page itself.

I didnt say its the page itself; your words, not mine. All I know is that the drag method results in a file filled with code every time when I attempt to open it -- except that opening it apparently results in the opening of a different file. Id just like to know whats actually going on when one attempts to open a shortcut and instead gets a read only file with a different name.

Techiewoman said:
That's what I said a few days back.

Not in this thread.

VistaRookie · Mar 19, 2010

Since we are not all on the same page...is everyone using Chrome?
I am using IE8.

It's a minor thing that most likely not 1 in 1000 people will ever use. Yet I
felt compelled to offer a notepad hand coded way to klaatu - because he
asked if it could be done.

@ Techiewoman, creating the shortcut on the desktop by dragging the favicon
to the desktop gives me this:

[InternetShortcut]
URL=http://www.amazon.com/
IDList=
[{000214A0-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
Prop3=19,2

Whereas, hand coding was based upon what tomdkat visually saw. Which
may not be 100% accurate:

[InternetShortcut]
URL=http://www.amazon.com/

Because after clicking that a few times, code was added (not by me) and
it changed to this:

[InternetShortcut]
URL=http://www.amazon.com/
IconFile=http://www.amazon.com/favicon.ico
IconIndex=1

But as to how they function, there is no difference. Which I believe is due
to the extension .url.

Incidently, I'll mention again, that I cannot open that .url file in any Windows
program (e.g. Notepad). All the above was using a DOS based program
which gives an accurate listing of the code used for each.

Why klaatu's file changes is beyond me. Or why he can open it in Notepad
is also beyond me.

In Windows Explorer details view, the extension, .url disappears. Only the
word Amazon remains for the filename. On the desktop, the file name is the
url (www.amazon.com). Doing a mouse over, it shows "http://www.amazon.com"
in WE, same as the "real" shortcut on the desktop.

In IE, a URL saved to the favorites folder does have more code than any of
the previous examples.

[DEFAULT]
BASEURL=http://www.amazon.com/
[DOC_searchPrecache]
BASEURL=http://www.amazon.com/
ORIGURL=
[DOC_dpPrecache]
BASEURL=http://www.amazon.com/
ORIGURL=
[InternetShortcut]
URL=http://www.amazon.com/
IDList=
IconFile=http://www.amazon.com/favicon.ico
IconIndex=1
[{000214A0-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
Prop3=19,2

Squashman · Mar 19, 2010

klaatu said:

Here's the contents of the file I created in this manner for Google's home page:

Code:

<!doctype html><html onmousemove="google&&google.fade&&google.fade(event)"><head><meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=8"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"><title>Google</title><script>window.google={kEI:"PyOhS6-mKJWytAOK-NiRCw",kEXPI:"17050,24079,24081,24100,24126,24136",kCSI:{e:"17050,24079,24081,24100,24126,24136",ei:"PyOhS6-mKJWytAOK-NiRCw",expi:"17050,24079,24081,24100,24126,24136"},ml:function(){},pageState:"#",kHL:"en",time:function(){return(new Date).getTime()},log:function(b,d,c){var a=new Image,e=google,g=e.lc,f=e.li;a.onerror=(a.onload=(a.onabort=function(){delete g[f]}));g[f]=a;c=c||"/gen_204?atyp=i&ct="+b+"&cad="+d+"&zx="+google.time();a.src=c;e.li=f+1},lc:[],li:0,j:{en:1,l:function(){},e:function(){},b:location.hash&&location.hash!="#",pl:[],mc:0,sc:0.5},Toolbelt:{}};(function(){for(var d=0,c;c=["ad","bc","p","pa","zd","ac","pc","pah","ph","sa","xx","zc","zz"][d++];)(function(a){google.j[a]=function(){google.j.pl.push([a,arguments])}})(c)})();
window.google.sn="webhp";window.google.timers={load:{t:{start:(new Date).getTime()}}};try{window.google.pt=window.external&&window.external.pageT;}catch(u){}window.google.jsrt_kill=1;
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google.y={};google.x=function(e,g){google.y[e.id]=[e,g];return false};if(!window.google)window.google={};window.google.crm={};window.google.cri=0;window.clk=function(d,e,f,j,k,l,m){if(document.images){var a=encodeURIComponent||escape,b=new Image,g=window.google.cri++;window.google.crm[g]=b;b.onerror=(b.onload=(b.onabort=function(){delete window.google.crm[g]}));b.src=["/url?sa=T","",e?"&oi="+a(e):"",f?"&cad="+a(f):"","&ct=",a(j||"res"),"&cd=",a(k),"&ved=",a(m),d?"&url="+a(d.replace(/#.*/,"")).replace(/\+/g,"%2B"):"","&ei=","PyOhS6-mKJWytAOK-NiRCw",l].join("")}
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The file I created for Amazon's home page has 2851 lines of code. I did the file rename you suggested and it worked.
However, I'm getting inconsistent results when I try it with other similarly created files -- sometimes the rename
breaks the link; sometimes it doesn't. In every case I'm shortening the filename, making sure there are no disallowed
characters, etc. I have yet to find any patterns related to when it works and when it doesn't. Will keep checking...

When you drag the favicon on to your desktop, it creates a shortcut link to the website. If you try to open that file with Notepad, it actually reads in the source of the actual site into notepad. Basically does the same thing as Viewing the page source when you are in a browser.

Squashman · Mar 19, 2010

Techiewoman said:
You're doing something wrong. The file you get should be a shortcut, not the page itself. Make your Chrome window smaller, so you can see the desktop at the same time. Now drag the star and release it. That's a shortcut to the URL. VistaRookie did the same thing in a diff way, but this should work. And the method is exactly the same for Firefox and IE. You can rename that shortcut anything you wwant, because shortcuts can always be renamed.

If you want to save the page and its contents as a file, that's something else, and you need to check Chrome's Help file for that

klaatu said:
Not in this thread.

I believe she did.

moper · Mar 19, 2010

Squashman is right, don't use the 'open' in Notepad.

If you want to see the Url, put a shortcut to Notepad in your 'Send To' folder.

moper

Solved: Need to save URL as file

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