Shareable lists

A .kpin list is a small file of links and feeds you can hand to anyone: “Rust blogs worth following”, “design systems”, “small-web feeds”. Open one to see what’s inside and choose what to keep; make one by collecting things in the bundle.

Open a list#

Any of these opens the Import list window:

• Choose Import a file… in the ⋯ menu of the toolbar and pick the .kpin file.
• Drop the file on the list in the Koona Pin window.
• Double-click a .kpin file on your computer.
• Click a link on a web page that offers a list. Koona Pin asks whether to download the list from that site. Nothing is downloaded until you press Download, and lists come over https only.

A list can be at most 2 MB and 5,000 items; a bigger one is refused rather than cut. A list made in a newer Koona Pin either asks you to update (Check for updates) or opens and skips the parts this version doesn’t know.

Choose what to import#

The window shows what’s inside before anything is saved: the title, the author and date when the list has them, a description, and how many links are new and how many you already have.

The items come in sections. A section’s name becomes a tag on its links, shown as “→ tag” beside it. A link you already have shows Saved or In Trash; a feed you already follow shows Following.

Choose what happens:

• Put links into sets where the new links go: a new collection named after the list (or the existing one with that name), another collection of yours, No collection, or No collection, no section tags.
• Keep new in Inbox sends the new links to your Inbox to sort later.
• For feeds, tick the ones to follow, or press Follow all.

Nothing is saved until you press Accept; Cancel leaves everything as it was. Then the window says List imported, with what was added and skipped, and Show collection opens the collection. Links you already have keep their tags and collection, and links in your Trash stay there.

Make a list with the bundle#

The bundle is a tray where you collect things to share. It sits in the bottom-right corner of the window while it holds something, and it appears as soon as you start dragging a bookmark. Its × hides it (Hide the bundle). To open it at any time, choose Share as list… in the ⋯ menu of the toolbar.

Point at a number on the picture, or tab to it, to see what that part does.

Add things to the bundle#

Drag onto the bundle any of these: selected bookmarks, a collection or a tag from the sidebar, a feed, or All feeds. Or:

• on the selection bar, choose Export, then Add to bundle;
• open the bundle and press its Add button, which names what’s on screen (a collection, a tag, search results or your feeds) and how many items it holds.

Items in Trash can’t be added. Each collection or tag becomes a section of its own; loose bookmarks go under Links and feeds under Feeds. Press × beside a section or an item to take it out, or Clear to empty the bundle (the notice offers Undo).

Shape the list#

• Click the title at the top to type a name. Until you do, the list is named after its first collection or tag, or Untitled list.
• Add description and author says what the list is and who made it. Your name is remembered for next time.
• Click an item to see its description and tags. Your notes stay private unless you press Add my note, which uses the note in place of the description.
• An address that may contain a private key, such as a link with a token, gets a key icon and a Remove button. Check these before you share.

Every list is marked “CC0, anyone may reuse it”. A bookmark you move to Trash leaves the bundle by itself.

Save or copy#

• Save .kpin… saves the list as a file you can send, post or upload.
• Copy as Markdown copies the links as Markdown, ready to paste into a note or a post.

The size shows once the list nears the 2 MB limit. A list that’s too big says so; remove a section to fit.

Note: The bundle lives only while the app runs. Quit Koona Pin and it’s emptied; it isn’t saved, synced or backed up. Save the .kpin file when you’re done.

About the format#

The .kpin format is open and in the public domain, so other apps can read and write it. A list holds titles, descriptions, tags, sections and feeds, and nothing about you: no Inbox, Trash or reading state. The specification is at github.com/andmetoo/koona-pin/tree/main/docs/kpin.

To copy your whole library, use an export or a backup, not a list.