How pages are matched
The exact rule that decides whether two addresses are the same page.
A note belongs to a page address. Getting the note back means arriving at an address Pagenail considers the same one. This page is the precise rule.
The rule
Pagenail keys notes on hostname + path, with the trailing slash removed. Everything else in the address is discarded.
https://example.com/docs/intro?utm_source=news#setup
↓
example.com/docs/introWhat’s ignored
| Part of the address | Ignored? |
|---|---|
Query string (?utm_source=…, ?page=2) | Yes — dropped entirely |
Fragment (#setup) | Yes |
Trailing slash (/docs/ vs /docs) | Yes — the same page |
Scheme (http vs https) | Yes, but see below |
www. prefix | No — a different page |
Path (/docs/intro vs /docs/api) | No — a different page |
The two that catch people out
www matters. example.com/docs and www.example.com/docs are two
different pages to Pagenail. A site that serves both without redirecting will
split your notes across them. If notes have gone missing, try the other one.
The query string is dropped entirely. This is usually what you want — a link
with a tracking parameter lands on the same notes as a clean one. But it also
means addresses that genuinely differ only in their query are treated as one
page. A search results page at ?q=alpha and ?q=beta share a single set of
notes, as do paginated URLs like ?page=2.
Single-page apps
On sites that change the address without loading a new page, Pagenail notices and swaps in the notes for the new address about a fifth of a second later. A brief flash of the previous page’s notes during a fast navigation is expected.
Where notes are stored
In Chrome’s local extension storage on this computer, under one key per page address. They are not on a server, and they do not follow you to another machine. See Privacy and your data.