another attempt at making a bluesky post extractor bookmarklet that covers all the different types of posts and order of posts on the site.
The bookmarklet, now named
"Bluesky/Bsky to BBcode" v1.2, is a tool designed to work on the Bluesky social media platform (bsky.app). When you run it while viewing a post or thread on Bluesky, it grabs the content (text, images, videos, and links) from the post you’re focused on, along with related posts in the thread, and converts it into a special format called BBcode. BBcode is a simple way to style text (like bold or URLs) that works on many forums. The bookmarklet then copies this formatted text to your clipboard so you can paste it somewhere else, like a forum or website that supports BBcode.
Here’s a detailed summary in simple terms of what it does:
What "Bluesky/Bsky to BBcode" v1.2 Does on Bluesky
- Finds the Post You’re Looking At:
- It starts with the post you’re currently focused on (called the "active post"). This could be one you clicked on or the first visible post on the page.
- It figures out who wrote it, what they said, and grabs any pictures, videos, or links in the post.
- Looks for Related Posts:
- If the active post is a reply, it tries to find the parent post (the one it’s replying to) using Bluesky’s API (a behind-the-scenes data tool) or by checking the page if the parent is visible.
- It also grabs up to a certain number of posts that come after the active post in the thread (like replies or continuations), based on a number you choose.
- Pulls in Extra Details:
- It collects the author’s username (e.g., @joshtpm.bsky.social), the post’s URL (e.g.,
https://bsky.app/profile/joshtpm.bsky.social/post/3lky4roqne32u), and the text they wrote.
- If there’s a quoted post (something embedded in the active or parent post), it grabs that too, including its text and author.
- It finds images and videos, turning them into BBcode tags like
[img] for pictures or [URL] for video links.
- Asks How Many Posts to Grab:
- A little pop-up window appears asking how many posts you want to include (e.g., 1, 2, 10, etc.). You can type a number or click buttons like "1," "2," "10," "25," "35," or "50" to pick quickly.
- Formats Everything into BBcode:
- It organizes the content into a neat BBcode structure:
- Top Line: The URL of the active post (e.g.,
https://bsky.app/profile/joshtpm.bsky.social/post/3lky4roqne32u).
- "Threads Continued" Section: A hidden (spoiler) box with URLs of the parent post, quoted posts, or other posts by the same author, but only if they’re different from the active post URL. This avoids duplicates.
- "Full Text & Large Images" Section:Another hidden box with all the posts’ details:
- Each post gets a number (e.g., "1/3," "2/3," "3/3").
- Shows the author’s handle (e.g.,
joshtpm.bsky.social).
- Includes the text, images (
[img] tags), videos ([URL] tags), and links ([U][URL] tags).
- If there’s a quoted post, it’s added as
[QUOTED POST] with its own text and author.
- Ends with a red, bold note linking to a guide on how to use this format.
- Handles Big Threads:
- If there are too many images (more than 20) or posts, it splits the output into chunks, separated by [threads continued] lines, so it’s not overwhelming.
- Copies to Clipboard:
- Once everything is formatted, it copies the BBcode text to your clipboard automatically.
- A small message pops up saying how many posts were copied (e.g., "Copied: 13 posts").
- Works Without Scrolling (Mostly):
- It uses Bluesky’s API to get parent post info, so you don’t always have to scroll to see it. But if the API fails and the parent isn’t on the screen, it might miss it unless you scroll to load it.
Example of What It Creates
If you run it on a Bluesky thread, it might look like this when pasted into a BBcode-compatible forum:
Code:
https://bsky.app/profile/joshtpm.bsky.social/post/3lky4roqne32u
[SPOILER="Threads Continued"]
https://bsky.app/profile/joshtpm.bsky.social/post/3lky4roqmet2u
[/SPOILER]
[SPOILER="full text & large images"]
1/2
🇺 joshtpm.bsky.social
9/ with data that can be purchased commercially - the kind of profiles generated by sales data, social media graphs and so forth...
2/2
🇺 joshtpm.bsky.social
10/ you go to a whole new level. This stuff is deeply inculcated in the career staff at the IRS...
[COLOR=rgb(184,49,47)][B][SIZE=5]To post tweets in this format, more info here: [URL]https://www.thecoli.com/threads/tips-and-tricks-for-posting-the-coli-megathread.984734/post-52211196[/URL][/SIZE][/B][/COLOR]
[/SPOILER]
Detailed Summary in Simple Terms
- Purpose: It’s a quick way to take posts from Bluesky and turn them into a forum-friendly format (BBcode) that you can copy and paste anywhere that supports it, like discussion boards.
- What It Grabs:
- The post you’re on (text, images, videos, links).
- The parent post if it’s a reply (even if you haven’t scrolled to it, thanks to the API).
- Any quoted posts inside those.
- Extra posts in the thread (up to the number you pick).
- How It Formats:
- Puts the main post’s URL at the top.
- Hides extra URLs (like the parent or quoted posts) in a "Threads Continued" spoiler box to keep things tidy.
- Puts all the text, pictures, and videos in a "full text & large images" spoiler box, numbered like "1/2," "2/2," with authors marked by a flag ().
- Adds links and media with BBcode tags so they work on forums (e.g.,
[img] for pics, [URL] for videos or links).
- Why It’s Useful:
- Saves time by grabbing everything at once instead of copying each post by hand.
- Keeps threads organized with spoilers, so it’s not a wall of text.
- Works even if you don’t see all the posts on screen (mostly), thanks to the API.
- How You Use It:
- Click the bookmarklet while on a Bluesky page.
- Pick how many posts you want in the pop-up (e.g., click "2" or type "13").
- Wait a second—it copies the formatted text, shows "Copied: X posts," and you paste it wherever you want.
- Special Features:
- Limits images to 10 per post to avoid overload.
- Splits big threads into chunks if there are too many images or posts.
- Avoids duplicate URLs in the "Threads Continued" box.
- Handles self-replies (when the same person replies to themselves) correctly, showing both posts.
- Limitations:
- If Bluesky’s API fails and a parent post isn’t on screen, it might miss it unless you scroll to load it.
- Only grabs one level up (parent) via API, not a whole deep thread.
- Needs you to pick a number of posts, or it won’t run.
This version (v1.2) fixes earlier bugs like duplicate URLs, missing parent posts, and errors, making it smoother and more reliable for turning Bluesky threads into BBcode for forums as of March 24, 2025.
edit:
Change Log from V1.2 to V1.2.1
V1.2.1 (March 24, 2025)
- Enhancements:
- Improved Video URL Extraction for Quoted Posts: Added support for fetching video URLs from quoted posts using the Bluesky API (getPostThread with depth=0) when a quoted post ID is available. This ensures video playlist URLs (e.g., .m3u8) are included in the output for quoted content.
- Fallback Video URL Methods: Implemented two fallback mechanisms for quoted post video URLs when the API fails:
- Poster Fallback: Uses the poster attribute of a <video> element (e.g., https://video.bsky.app/watch/{did}/{cid}/thumbnail.jpg) to construct a playlist URL (https://video.bsky.app/watch/{did}/{cid}/playlist.m3u8).
- Blob Fallback: Falls back to the blob URL (e.g., blob:Bluesky...) from the <video> src attribute if no other URL is found.
- Refined Video Handling: Split getEmbedUrl and constructVideoUrl into separate functions for better modularity and readability. Removed direct WebM condition from getEmbedUrl to streamline logic, relying on constructVideoUrl for format-specific URLs.
- Bug Fixes:
- Duplicate Video URLs: Replaced array concatenation in extractMedia with a Set to eliminate duplicate video URLs from <video> and <source> elements, ensuring cleaner output.
- Active Post Detection: Updated extractPosts to use URL matching (a[href*="/post/"]) instead of document.activeElement for identifying the active post, improving reliability across different page states.
- Quoted Post Processing: Fixed extractPost to only process subsequent posts in extractPosts with isActivePost=false, preventing unnecessary API calls and ensuring consistent behavior.
- Optimizations:
- Code Cleanup: Simplified cleanText by inlining the URL normalization logic into the regex replacement, reducing function calls. Removed redundant variables in extractMedia for conciseness.
- Known Issues:
- The hasThreads condition in extractPosts contains a typo (quotedPostUrl&"edPostUrl!==activeUrl), which may cause syntax errors in some environments. This will be addressed in a future patch.
Summary in Simple Terms
What’s New in V1.2.1?
- Better Video Support: Now grabs video links from quoted posts using the Bluesky API. If that fails, it tries to guess the video URL from the video’s thumbnail or uses the temporary blob link as a backup.
- No More Duplicates: Fixed a bug where the same video link could show up multiple times in the output.
- Smarter Post Selection: Finds the current post based on the page URL instead of where your cursor is, making it more reliable.
- Cleaner Code: Made some parts shorter and easier to read.
Why It Matters: This update makes the bookmarklet better at finding and showing video links, especially in quoted posts, and fixes some small issues so it works smoother.
): Copies just that post or comment with its details (like title, link, or text) in BBCode format.