After setting bookmark: `Wrong type argument: listp, "~/.spacemacs`

Question

So I did just M-x bookmark-save in my original .spacemacs file, which lead to the case that when I booted Spacemacs, I get the following error:

Upgrading bookmark format from 0 to 1...
mapcar: Wrong type argument: listp, "~/.spacemacs"PNG warning: Interlace handling should be turned on when using png_read_image

So I had to reset (basically rename) my .spacemacs file, to be able to start Spacemacs again.

But this error comes again when I try to set a bookmark in my .spacemacs file again:

Upgrading bookmark format from 0 to 1...
condition-case: Wrong type argument: listp, "~/.spacemacs"

I am using the most recent versions of ManjaroI3 and Spacemacs, btw.

Answer 1

"Upgrading bookmark format from 0 to 1..."

This message comes from the function bookmark-upgrade-file-format-from-0 which was added to Emacs 24 years ago. I presume that you don't actually have such an old bookmark file format, but something in your file is causing a false-positive detection of that format, and consequently breaking when it tries to convert it.

The function bookmark-grok-file-format-version decides the version. Specifically, it requires that the first line of the file begins with ;;;; and then returns the first digit in that line as the version. If it can't do that, it treats it as version 0.

Your bookmark file ought to start with:

;;;; Emacs Bookmark Format Version 1

If it doesn't, you might simply be able to edit that into the start of the file (if the file is otherwise valid).

n.b. C-hv bookmark-default-file defines your bookmark file name.