Joplin: [Feature Request] Automatically convert URLs to link

[guanqun-yang]

Problem

It is sometimes tiresome to manually copy the link insert link using markdown syntax [<description>](<URL>) especially when I need to work with many links in a document. I am wondering if it is possible to directly convert the link with descriptions scraped from the particular website.

Similar features are provided in another note-taking app (BoostNote) as is shown below. Note the description is provided by the app (probably scraped from website).

[stale[bot]]

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[Perkolator]

This would be a big time saver, don't kill this one silly bot.

Quickly copying just the link URL to the note is not that useful because, A) many times it's not that descriptive, B) the rendered view isn't that intelligent to wrap the long URL's (it knows to wrap when it encounters a hyphen (-) but many times the URL's have some other characters that could be used to indicate a "wrap point", but the rendered view doesn't do it).

[Perkolator]

And perhaps adding an on/off option for this feature would be wise.

[jtagcat]

Currently links get highlighted and are clickable.
As for description scraping, it seems like a very low priority for development.
Though if you want to implement this, make the link text a certain character (for example if you insert a hyphen [-](https://joplinapp.org)), then Joplin knows to scrape the content and replace the hyphen with the description.

[adrijshikhar]

i would like to work on this issue. is it still available?

[jtagcat]

i would like to work on this issue. is it still available?

Yes, go for it.

[alishamohanty]

@adrijshikhar Are you still working in the issue? If not I would like to take on the task.

[adrijshikhar]

Go ahead

[Perkolator]

Though if you want to implement this, make the link text a certain character (for example if you insert a hyphen [-](https://joplinapp.org)), then Joplin knows to scrape the content and replace the hyphen with the description.

I don't think that this would be that useful. Best implementation would be that when no text is selected and user just pastes URL, Joplin would automatically create the markdown syntax [<description>](<URL>) and fetch the title of the URL, just like I think the issue opener meant.

When text is selected and something (URL or no URL) is pasted, Joplin would just do normal paste.

This feature would need a settings option to turn this behavior on/off (which would be the default?). Some users might not like this feature.

[Rishabh-malhotraa]

Though if you want to implement this, make the link text a certain character (for example if you insert a hyphen [-](https://joplinapp.org)), then Joplin knows to scrape the content and replace the hyphen with the description.

I don't think that this would be that useful. Best implementation would be that when no text is selected and user just pastes URL, Joplin would automatically create the markdown syntax [<description>](<URL>) and fetch the title of the URL, just like I think the issue opener meant.

When text is selected and something (URL or no URL) is pasted, Joplin would just do normal paste.

This feature would need a settings option to turn this behavior on/off (which would be the default?). Some users might not like this feature.

this is definitely helpful @Perkolator I'll look into it and see what I can do

[tessus]

I certainly don't want this behavior. At least not by default. If it's guarded by a setting, I don't care.

But Joplin connecting to the Internet, every time I paste a link, would be a showstopper for me. This is unacceptable.

[Rishabh-malhotraa]

I certainly don't want this behavior. At least not by default. If it's guarded by a setting, I don't care.

But Joplin connecting to the Internet, every time I paste a link, would be a showstopper for me. This is unacceptable.

Ok, @tessus, this is to the best of my understanding, CORRECT ME IF I'm WRONG, if I was working on the PR I would go about like this,

_(AS mentioned by @Perkolator )_

• First when you need input Hyperlink in the dialogue box

• We would have a feature for feature automatically, if this is unchecked there would be no behaviour change, this will behave the same as it behaves now

• If the check-box is checked we can extract the title of the URL either from Regexp of using URL-Polyfill

• If you Enter the tittle it would override the automatic extraction of Tittle

BottleNecks

• We need to use a different dependency than small talk, as it only has one dialogue for entry, which seems like a major change, because you have to install a different dependency, and that dependency might not be consistent with the UI look of the app, but I'm confident we can find one

Any thoughts @Perkolator @PackElend

[tessus]

Thanks for the detailed explanation.

Ok, this makes sense and is acceptable. However, I had the impression that this PR was about pasting a link into the editor with Cmd+V. But if it's the same as #1731, let's close this one, since we don't need 2 issues for the same thing.

[Perkolator]

No no, this is NOT the same as the other one, I don't know what @Rishgod is messing about. This issue is about pasting URL and creating markdown syntax and description automatically. Here's my previous message again:

Best implementation would be that when no text is selected and user just pastes URL, Joplin would automatically create the markdown syntax [<description>](<URL>) and fetch the title of the URL, just like I think the issue opener meant.

When text is selected and something (URL or no URL) is pasted, Joplin would just do normal paste.

This feature would need a settings option to turn this behavior on/off (which would be the default?). Some users might not like this feature.

[Rishabh-malhotraa]

No no, this is NOT the same as the other one, I don't know what @Rishgod is messing about. This issue is about pasting URL and creating markdown syntax and description automatically. Here's my previous message again:

Best implementation would be that when no text is selected and user just pastes URL, Joplin would automatically create the markdown syntax [<description>](<URL>) and fetch the title of the URL, just like I think the issue opener meant.
When text is selected and something (URL or no URL) is pasted, Joplin would just do normal paste.
This feature would need a settings option to turn this behavior on/off (which would be the default?). Some users might not like this feature.

Okay can you, please clarify this, so that I understand you correctly

you mean to say if we post the link in the editor it automatically gets converted into markdown URL with a title

Like as soon as I paste the link it should look like what the latter looks in the gif

[Perkolator]

Yes, that's correct. But only when no text is selected in the editor prior paste. If some text is selected, then Joplin would do normal paste.

[mic704b]

@Perkolator what are you basing these requirements on?

[Perkolator]

What specifically? You can write a differentiating opinion how this could/should be implemented.

[mic704b]

Yes, I was going to ;) But I was wondering if your suggestions were based on an another editor? I just wanted to understand the context.

My concern was overriding the standard paste function.

I was thinking perhaps use Ctrl-K like here on GitHub but a bit more helpful. I was going to suggest Ctrl-K behaviours, depending on whether text is selected and whether there is a URL in the clipboard. Something like:

Text is selected and a URL is in the clipboard:
(selected text)[url from clipboard]

No text is selected and a URL is in the clipboard
(cursor is here )[url from the clipboard]

Text is selected and no URL is in the clipboard
(selected text)[cursor is here]

No text is selected and no URL is in the clipboard
(cursor is here)[ ]

[Perkolator]

I'm not a fan of that Ctrl-K idea. Harder to use button combination. And your suggestion doesn't automatically fetch the title/description of the URL like the issue opener wished. Also the Ctrl-K shortcut is already tied to the "insert hyperlink" popup window.

But your post makes me slightly revise my suggestion:

With normal Ctrl-V / paste operation:

No text is selected and a URL is in the clipboard:
(title from the url)[URL from clipboard]

Text is selected and a URL is in the clipboard:
(selected text)[URL from clipboard] (better implementation than my previous idea)

Otherwise, when there's no URL in the clipboard, Joplin would do normal paste operation.

This feature would need a settings option to turn this behavior on/off.

[tessus]

At one point we discussed a Paste special idea. e.g. for tables and/or csv. This could also be used for links. We haven't implemented this yet, but it could be useful.

e.g. Cmd+Shift+V or something would invoke the special paste. If the clipboard contains only a link, do the whatever-you-want-with-URLs-and-title-or-whatnot.

[mic704b]

And your suggestion doesn't automatically fetch the title/description of the URL like the issue opener wished

I thought that was a separate issue #1731

Also the Ctrl-K shortcut is already tied to the "insert hyperlink" popup window

Oh I didn't realise that.

But your post makes me slightly revise my suggestion

Sounds good on first read. For the first scenario, I would like it as you say, but with the title from the url text left selected at the end of the operation.

[mic704b]

e.g. Cmd+Shift+V or something would invoke the special paste

That could work too.

[Perkolator]

And your suggestion doesn't automatically fetch the title/description of the URL like the issue opener wished

I thought that was a separate issue #1731

That is primarily about the "insert hyperlink" popup window, it had an additional bonus, "enhanced" suggestion like what this issue primarily is about.

Here's a quote from the first post of this issue:

I am wondering if it is possible to directly convert the link with descriptions scraped from the particular website.

---

e.g. Cmd+Shift+V or something would invoke the special paste

That could work too.

That is a good idea. Ctrl+Shift+V is a rather easy key combination and normal paste would be left intact, which means IMO that Joplin wouldn't need a new settings option at all.

[mic704b]

That is primarily about the "insert hyperlink" popup window

OK so this one is about key command, and the other is about the popup window. I think I get it now!

IMO automatically formatting links when pasting into a note with a dedicated key combination is great. Retrieving info from the URL site should be optional (setting) defaulting to off.

[Perkolator]

Retrieving info from the URL site should be optional (setting) defaulting to off.

That's fine with me. :)

[aaronxn]

Text is selected and a URL is in the clipboard:
(selected text)[url from clipboard]

No text is selected and a URL is in the clipboard
(cursor is here )[url from the clipboard]

Text is selected and no URL is in the clipboard
(selected text)[cursor is here]

No text is selected and no URL is in the clipboard
(cursor is here)[ ]

I personally love the logic mentioned above, and the SHIFT+CTRL+V idea. If this feature workes really well and users love it, it can always be incorporated into a 'smart paste' hybrid as default CTRL+V behavior (with a settings toggle) later on.