Default mailto application on Fedora 17

[Dave Close]

I'm running Fedora 17 with the KDE desktop. KDE's system settings
("control panel") claims the default mailto application is Kmail. And,
since Gnome is still present, I see that it thinks the default mailto
application is Evolution. I don't see anything in /etc/alternatives
that seems relevant to a mailto handler.

Firefox says, "Firefox normally uses your operating
system's default mail program to send an e-mail message."
http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/change-program-used-open-email-links)
But Firefox says the default handler is Thunderbird. Where the hell is
Firefox finding that value? And Firefox doesn't offer either of the
other two "defaults", Kmail or Evolution, as options (except through
the "other program" mechanism).

Can anyone explain what's going on?

I'd like to change the mailto handler. But I need to pass some arguments
to my program and Firefox doesn't offer that ability itself. To get that
ability, I need to be able to change the system default so that Firefox
recognizes the change. But where is Firefox finding the "default"?

[Aaron Konstam]

On Sat, 2013-01-05 at 21:30 -0800, Dave Close wrote:
> I'm running Fedora 17 with the KDE desktop. KDE's system settings
> ("control panel") claims the default mailto application is Kmail. And,
> since Gnome is still present, I see that it thinks the default mailto
> application is Evolution. I don't see anything in /etc/alternatives
> that seems relevant to a mailto handler.
>
> Firefox says, "Firefox normally uses your operating
> system's default mail program to send an e-mail message."
> http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/change-program-used-open-email-links)
> But Firefox says the default handler is Thunderbird. Where the hell is
> Firefox finding that value? And Firefox doesn't offer either of the
> other two "defaults", Kmail or Evolution, as options (except through
> the "other program" mechanism).
>
> Can anyone explain what's going on?
>
> I'd like to change the mailto handler. But I need to pass some arguments
> to my program and Firefox doesn't offer that ability itself. To get that
> ability, I need to be able to change the system default so that Firefox
> recognizes the change. But where is Firefox finding the "default"?
> -- 
>          Dave Close, Compata, Irvine CA       [phone]
>        [e-mail]              [e-mail]
>    "The world will little note nor long remember what we say here."

In Gnome you change the Defaults in:
 Applications-:System Tools->System Settings-> Defaults. Something similar should be in KDE,

[Ranjan Maitra]

On Sun, 6 Jan 2013 09:13:03 -0600 Aaron Konstam
 wrote:
> On Sat, 2013-01-05 at 21:30 -0800, Dave Close wrote:
> > I'm running Fedora 17 with the KDE desktop. KDE's system settings
> > ("control panel") claims the default mailto application is Kmail. And,
> > since Gnome is still present, I see that it thinks the default mailto
> > application is Evolution. I don't see anything in /etc/alternatives
> > that seems relevant to a mailto handler.
> >
> > Firefox says, "Firefox normally uses your operating
> > system's default mail program to send an e-mail message."
> > http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/change-program-used-open-email-links)
> > But Firefox says the default handler is Thunderbird. Where the hell is
> > Firefox finding that value? And Firefox doesn't offer either of the
> > other two "defaults", Kmail or Evolution, as options (except through
> > the "other program" mechanism).
> >
> > Can anyone explain what's going on?
> >
> > I'd like to change the mailto handler. But I need to pass some arguments
> > to my program and Firefox doesn't offer that ability itself. To get that
> > ability, I need to be able to change the system default so that Firefox
> > recognizes the change. But where is Firefox finding the "default"?
> > -- 
> >          Dave Close, Compata, Irvine CA       [phone]
> >        [e-mail]              [e-mail]
> >    "The world will little note nor long remember what we say here."
>
> In Gnome you change the Defaults in:
>  Applications-:System Tools->System Settings-> Defaults. Something similar should be in KDE,
> --

Actually, I have had (for a long while) a similar (perhaps not exactly
the same) irritating problem with regard to reading pdf documents in
firefox.

Here is what happens (only on my 64-bit notebook running LXDE, not the
older 32-bit desktop running the same with the exact same
configuration files that I have set and can tell):

I click to download the pdf from a link (using Firefox). I am asked how
I want to open it (helpfully, use /usr/bin/epdfview). I note that this
button is checked and say "okay/yes/whatever". The file downloads all
right, but opens using "gv". The only way I have been able to get
"epdfview", not "gv" to open it is by uninstalling gv.

Any ideas as to what I should do to get rid of this? The applications
page in the Firefox page does say always ask (with the option to set at
epdfview). Regardless of what I set it to, it opens using gv unless gv
does not exist on the system.

Any ideas where the hidden gem controlling this feature is?

It is a firefox issue, simply because all other applications (sylpheed,
etc) use epdfview by default.

Many thanks and best wishes,
Ranjan

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[Ed Greshko]

On 01/06/2013 01:30 PM, Dave Close wrote:
> I'm running Fedora 17 with the KDE desktop. KDE's system settings
> ("control panel") claims the default mailto application is Kmail. And,
> since Gnome is still present, I see that it thinks the default mailto
> application is Evolution. I don't see anything in /etc/alternatives
> that seems relevant to a mailto handler.
>
> Firefox says, "Firefox normally uses your operating
> system's default mail program to send an e-mail message."
> http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/change-program-used-open-email-links)
> But Firefox says the default handler is Thunderbird. Where the hell is
> Firefox finding that value? And Firefox doesn't offer either of the
> other two "defaults", Kmail or Evolution, as options (except through
> the "other program" mechanism).
>
> Can anyone explain what's going on?
>
> I'd like to change the mailto handler. But I need to pass some arguments
> to my program and Firefox doesn't offer that ability itself. To get that
> ability, I need to be able to change the system default so that Firefox
> recognizes the change. But where is Firefox finding the "default"?

In firefox, go to "Edit--->Preferences" and then choose "Applications".  There you will find the "mailto" Content type.  You can click on "Use Other" and then select whatever application you want.

[Dave Close]

I wrote:
> I'm running Fedora 17 with the KDE desktop. KDE's system settings
> ("control panel") claims the default mailto application is Kmail. And,
> since Gnome is still present, I see that it thinks the default mailto
> application is Evolution. I don't see anything in /etc/alternatives
> that seems relevant to a mailto handler.
>
> Firefox says, "Firefox normally uses your operating
> system's default mail program to send an e-mail message."
> http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/change-program-used-open-email-links)
> But Firefox says the default handler is Thunderbird. Where the hell is
> Firefox finding that value? And Firefox doesn't offer either of the
> other two "defaults", Kmail or Evolution, as options (except through
> the "other program" mechanism).
>
> Can anyone explain what's going on?

Seemed like a simple question. But, as happened to me previously, it seems
I can't be sufficiently clear to get a clear answer.

Aaron Konstam wrote:
> In Gnome you change the Defaults in:
> Applications-:System Tools->System Settings-> Defaults. Something 
> similar should be in KDE,

Ed Greshko wrote:
> In firefox, go to "Edit--->Preferences" and then choose "Applications".
> There you will find the "mailto" Content type.  You can click on "Use
> Other" and then select whatever application you want.

Gentlemen, please re-read my first paragraph above. I know how to change
those values. And I know how they're set. What I want to know is why
Firefox is, apparently, ignoring its own stated policy, and how to make
it do what it says it already does, but doesn't.

Again, can anyone explain what's going on? Is there some other place
that Firefox looks to discover the "system default"?

[Tom Horsley]

Who invokes what for different mime types is a great mystery
I spent some time decrypting (though I'm not sure a mailto
link goes through the same process). Here's my results:

http://home.comcast.net/~tomhorsley/game/mimes.html

[Rex Dieter]

Dave Close wrote:
> Again, can anyone explain what's going on? Is there some other place
> that Firefox looks to discover the "system default"?

Unfortunately, KDE vs gnome looks in different places.

You may want to try (one line):

xdg-settings set default-url-scheme-handler mailto mozilla-
thunderbird.desktop

[Ed Greshko]

On 01/08/2013 02:13 AM, Rex Dieter wrote:
> Dave Close wrote:
> > Again, can anyone explain what's going on? Is there some other place
> > that Firefox looks to discover the "system default"?
>
> Unfortunately, KDE vs gnome looks in different places.
>
> You may want to try (one line):
>
> xdg-settings set default-url-scheme-handler mailto mozilla-
> thunderbird.desktop

I've pretty much given up on figuring out "default" applications.  Especially in a multi-desktop environment.

I'm testing a fresh install of F18 (nothing has changed since F17 in this respect).  I installed as GNOME desktop, but then added KDE and Xfce.

Being a KDE user, I am in a KDE desktop environment.  Thunderbird is not currently installed....

I get....

[egreshko@localhost ~]$ xdg-settings get default-url-scheme-handler mailto
handler is
claws-mail.desktop

When I look in "Applications" of firefox it shows "Use Evolution (default)" in mailto.  There is no mention of claws.

So, it seems that FF is picking up default GNOME information.  Where the system-wide default is kept is unknown to me.  Anyway, I then install TBird but I don't run it....  Nothing changes in the settings of FF or the output of xdg-settings (and I didn't expect any change).

Now, I was lead to believe that gconf-editor should be used to change settings and *override" system-wide defaults.  So, I used that and changed the url-handler for mailto from "evolution --component=mail %s" to "thunderbird %s" and started FF.

It "seems" as if the requisite file was created in the user's directory space....

[egreshko@localhost mailto]$ pwd
/home/egreshko/.gconf/desktop/gnome/url-handlers/mailto
[egreshko@localhost mailto]$ cat %gconf.xml
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<gconf>
        <entry name="command" mtime="1357608594" type="string">
                <stringvalue>thunderbird %s</stringvalue>
        </entry>
</gconf>

Nothing changes in FF and *evolution* is started when a mailto link is clicked.....

I enter the command you've suggest, no error is returned, but nothing has changed....

[egreshko@localhost mailto]$ xdg-settings set default-url-scheme-handler mailto mozilla-thunderbird.desktop
[egreshko@localhost mailto]$ xdg-settings get default-url-scheme-handler mailto
handler is
claws-mail.desktop

BUT, when I start FF and look at "Applications / mailto" I now see...  "Use Claws Mail (default)" !  and evolution is nowhere to be found.

I then set up a Tbird email account and edit its preferences to check and set it as the "default" for E-mail.

xdg-settings still shows it mailto as claws....but now FF has "Use Thunderbird (default)" and claws is nowhere to be found.

So, I've given up on finding how/where default applications information is kept and/or decided upon by various applications.  I only now concentrate on getting things to work the way I want them to work.

[Dave Close]

If I understood Ed Greshko correctly, we have this situation.

Who  XDG    Gnome setting  KDE setting  TB   Firefox "default"
Me   ??     Evolution      Kmail        yes  Thunderbird
Ed   Claws  Evolution      Kmail        no   Evolution
Ed   Claws  Thunderbird    Kmail        yes  Evolution
Ed   TB     Thunderbird    Kmail        yes  Claws
Ed   TB     Thunderbird    Kmail        yes  Thunderbird

Somebody working on Firefox ought to clarify or fix the help page.

[Ed Greshko]

On 01/08/2013 03:12 PM, Dave Close wrote:
> If I understood Ed Greshko correctly, we have this situation.
>
> Who  XDG    Gnome setting  KDE setting  TB   Firefox "default"
> Me   ??     Evolution      Kmail        yes  Thunderbird
> Ed   Claws  Evolution      Kmail        no   Evolution
> Ed   Claws  Thunderbird    Kmail        yes  Evolution
> Ed   TB     Thunderbird    Kmail        yes  Claws
> Ed   TB     Thunderbird    Kmail        yes  Thunderbird

Pretty much what I said....  Except that in the last 2 lines....  even though I issued the command

xdg-settings set default-url-scheme-handler mailto mozilla-thunderbird.desktop

it did not change things as a "get" returned

[egreshko@localhost ~]$ xdg-settings get default-url-scheme-handler mailto
handler is
claws-mail.desktop

So, strangely, xdg-settings set appears to be broken.

FWIW, the Chrome browser seems to honor the "KDE setting"....
> Somebody working on Firefox ought to clarify or fix the help page.

[g]

On 01/08/2013 01:56 AM, Ed Greshko wrote:
<>
> So, I've given up on finding how/where default applications information
> is kept and/or decided upon by various applications.  I only now
> concentrate on getting things to work the way I want them to work.

i agree with you as to confusion of "how/where". anft! ;)

mozilla has their own hiding places also. what i do know from past experience
is that if you have an email client other than thunderbird, when i installed
and then open thunderbird, i was prompted to set thunderbird as default email
client.

this maybe just for relating to firefox, maybe not. i do know that when i
replied 'yes', firefox opens thunderbird for email client.

i have never tried to open thunderbird from konqueror, so i can not say
how they relate.

i have icons for firefox and thunderbird in 'Quicklauncher' section of
KDE panel bar.

hth.

btw, thunderbird has 'line wrap' settings. from 'menu bar', select;

Edit > Preferences > Advanced > General > Config Editor

in "about:config" window, set "Filter:" = wrap

you will then see at least 5 settings for 'wrap';  [my settings are]

editor.htmlWrapColumn                   user set  Integer  78
  mailnews.wraplength                     user set  Integer  78
  view_source.wrap_long_lines             user set  boolean  true
  extensions.enigmail.wrapHtmlBeforeSend  default   boolean  true
  mail.compose.wrap_to_window_width       default   boolean  false
  mail.wrap_long_lines                    default   boolean  true

*note* i use enigmail, therefore above enigmail setting.

[Ranjan Maitra]

On Tue, 8 Jan 2013 13:35:09 +0000 g  wrote:
> On 01/08/2013 01:56 AM, Ed Greshko wrote:
> <>
> > So, I've given up on finding how/where default applications information
> > is kept and/or decided upon by various applications.  I only now
> > concentrate on getting things to work the way I want them to work.
>
> i agree with you as to confusion of "how/where". anft! ;)
>
> mozilla has their own hiding places also. what i do know from past experience
> is that if you have an email client other than thunderbird, when i installed
> and then open thunderbird, i was prompted to set thunderbird as default email
> client.
>
> this maybe just for relating to firefox, maybe not. i do know that when i
> replied 'yes', firefox opens thunderbird for email client.
>
> i have never tried to open thunderbird from konqueror, so i can not say
> how they relate.
>
> i have icons for firefox and thunderbird in 'Quicklauncher' section of
> KDE panel bar.
>
> hth.
>
> btw, thunderbird has 'line wrap' settings. from 'menu bar', select;
>
> Edit > Preferences > Advanced > General > Config Editor
>
> in "about:config" window, set "Filter:" = wrap
>
> you will then see at least 5 settings for 'wrap';  [my settings are]
>
> editor.htmlWrapColumn                   user set  Integer  78
>   mailnews.wraplength                     user set  Integer  78
>   view_source.wrap_long_lines             user set  boolean  true
>   extensions.enigmail.wrapHtmlBeforeSend  default   boolean  true
>   mail.compose.wrap_to_window_width       default   boolean  false
>   mail.wrap_long_lines                    default   boolean  true
>
> *note* i use enigmail, therefore above enigmail setting.

Ha!

Recall my troubles with epdfview when using firefox (for almost 2
years) posted a couple of days ago or so.

On a whim, I switched the default application (/usr/bin/epdfview)
to plain old epdfview and it now works!

~$ ll /usr/bin/epdfview 
-rwxr-xr-x. 1 root root 184K Jan 13  2012 /usr/bin/epdfview*
~$ which epdfview
epdfview is /bin/epdfview
epdfview is /usr/bin/epdfview
~$ ll /bin/epdfview 
-rwxr-xr-x. 1 root root 184K Jan 13  2012 /bin/epdfview*

Go figure! However, I am happy to have "fixed" this problem, even
though I have no idea what I just did!

Ranjan

[Sylvia Sánchez]

Hi!

See in  about:config  and search for  mailto.  You will find a
list of configurations about it.

Hope this helps
Lailah

[Rex Dieter]

Ed Greshko wrote:
> xdg-settings set default-url-scheme-handler mailto
> mozilla-thunderbird.desktop
>
> it did not change things as a "get" returned
>
> [egreshko@localhost ~]$ xdg-settings get default-url-scheme-handler mailto
> handler is
> claws-mail.desktop
>
> So, strangely, xdg-settings set appears to be broken.

It's a quirk.  'xdg-settings get' under a given DE will give the *DE* 
preference.  One KDE, that happens to be whatever is given in 
systemsettings->Default Applications

xdg-settings set ... however, is indeed quirky/buggy atm in that it sets the 
XDG way, that gtk/gnome/thunderbird respects.  (which is why I suggested 
it).

-- rex

[Ed Greshko]

On 01/09/2013 03:12 AM, Rex Dieter wrote:
> Ed Greshko wrote:
> > xdg-settings set default-url-scheme-handler mailto
> > mozilla-thunderbird.desktop
> >
> > it did not change things as a "get" returned
> >
> > [egreshko@localhost ~]$ xdg-settings get default-url-scheme-handler mailto
> > handler is
> > claws-mail.desktop
> >
> > So, strangely, xdg-settings set appears to be broken.
>
> It's a quirk.  'xdg-settings get' under a given DE will give the *DE* 
> preference.  One KDE, that happens to be whatever is given in 
> systemsettings->Default Applications

That isn't quite right...at least not on KDE in F18.

If another application is chosen, like TBird, "xdg-settings get" will show it.  However, if the radio button for KMail is selected then "get" will display "claws".
> xdg-settings set ... however, is indeed quirky/buggy atm in that it sets the 
> XDG way, that gtk/gnome/thunderbird respects.  (which is why I suggested 
> it).
>
> -- rex

Default Applications control-center in GNOME (was: Re: Default mailto application on Fedora 17)

[Michael Schwendt]

On Mon, 7 Jan 2013 12:00:23 -0500, Tom Horsley wrote:
> Who invokes what for different mime types is a great mystery
> I spent some time decrypting (though I'm not sure a mailto
> link goes through the same process). Here's my results:
>
> http://home.comcast.net/~tomhorsley/game/mimes.html

:-(

gnome-control-center > System > Details > Default Applications
  Music : Audacious

So, what parts of GNOME use this customised "Default Application" setting now?

Nautilus? No. It features an own "Properties > Open With > Set as default"
for files.

XDG tools? No.

$ xdg-mime query default audio/x-wav
  totem.desktop
  $ xdg-mime query default audio/mpeg
  rhythmbox.desktop
  (and because that one is not installed, it falls back to totem.desktop!)

gnome-open? No. It opens audio/* files in "Movie Player" aka totem.