History.dat: Difference between revisions

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m (→‎Editing: grammar)
(More info up front; misc. editing for clarity)
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{{profile-file|filename=history.dat}}
{{profile-file|filename=history.dat}}
history.dat stores the browsing history: the record of all recently-visited pages. It should not to be confused with session history which controls the Back and Forward buttons, or with [[downloads.rdf | download history]] which stores details of files saved to the hard drive or opened with external programs. The [[History Sidebar]] provides an interface to view and edit this file.
File "history.dat" stores the browsing history: the record of all recently-visited pages. It should not to be confused with session history which controls the Back and Forward buttons, or with [[downloads.rdf | download history]] which stores details of files saved to the hard drive or opened with external programs. The [[History Sidebar]] provides an interface to view and edit this file.
 
By default Firefox stores the browsing history for 9 days.  If the history becomes long enough, the file can become large enough to greatly increase the startup time.  To reduce the startup time, you can delete part of your browsing history, or you can delete the file.


==Editing==
==Editing==
Because of the complexity of the storage format (called Mork) used in "history.dat", editing this file manually is not recommended. Changes can be made through the [[History Sidebar]].
File "history.dat" is written in a complex format called "Mork". Changes can be made through the [[History Sidebar]], but editing this file manually is not recommended.


==Moving==
==Moving==
This file can be moved to a different profile without any extra effort.
This file can be moved to a different profile.


==Deleting==
==Deleting==
Deleting history.dat will delete your browsing history. A new file containing browsing history will be created on startup or when it is first needed.
Deleting "history.dat" will delete your browsing history. A new, empty file will be created automatically.


==Related bugs==
==Related bugs==
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* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=241438 Bug 241438 - please make history.dat easier to parse (i.e., not Mork)]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=241438 Bug 241438 - please make history.dat easier to parse (i.e., not Mork)]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=315020 Bug 315020 - Files can not be saved when history.dat is read only]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=315020 Bug 315020 - Files can not be saved when history.dat is read only]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=319004 Bug 319004 - CVE-2005-4134 overlong document.title setting can corrupt history data, causing non-responsive temporary hang (crash?) on subsequent startups]
* [https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=319004 Bug 319004 (fixed) - CVE-2005-4134 overlong document.title setting can corrupt history data, causing non-responsive temporary hang (crash?) on subsequent startups]





Revision as of 14:44, 25 July 2006

File "history.dat" stores the browsing history: the record of all recently-visited pages. It should not to be confused with session history which controls the Back and Forward buttons, or with download history which stores details of files saved to the hard drive or opened with external programs. The History Sidebar provides an interface to view and edit this file.

By default Firefox stores the browsing history for 9 days. If the history becomes long enough, the file can become large enough to greatly increase the startup time. To reduce the startup time, you can delete part of your browsing history, or you can delete the file.

Editing

File "history.dat" is written in a complex format called "Mork". Changes can be made through the History Sidebar, but editing this file manually is not recommended.

Moving

This file can be moved to a different profile.

Deleting

Deleting "history.dat" will delete your browsing history. A new, empty file will be created automatically.

Related bugs


See also